CSA
Son of Major David and Elizabeth Keen Godbold Haselden.
THE RAGGED COLONEL OF THE RAWHIDES
"Among the many picturesque figures of the Southern Confederacy, none stands out more conspicuously than James Cade Monroe, "The Ragged Colonel of the Rawhides, as he was known in the Western division of the Confederate army. The Rawhide regiment was composed of the volunteers of Arkansas in the Trans-Mississippi department of the Confederate forces, and James Monroe was known as the "Ragged Colonel" because he refused to fare better than his men; if they went hungry, he did not eat; if they were poorly clad, he would wear no better clothing than they did.
James Cade Monroe was born in Wahee Township, Marion County, in 1837. Was a son of Major Caddie Monroe (b. Nov. 22, 1812 - d. Jan. 29, 1886), a descendant of the sturdy pioneer Scots who settled on the Cape Fear River, in Cumberland County, North Carolina; the strong old Presbyterian stock who were the builders of the southern part of that state, South Carolina, and particularly Marion County, have been greatly enriched by the immigration into their bounds of this sturdy stock of which there were none better than the Monroe's and McIntyre's who came down across the line and took up habitation in Wahee.
Major David Monroe's first wife was Mercy Mace but some time after her death he married a lady in whose veins coursed the blood of the pioneer English and French settlers of Marion and Georgetown counties. She was Mrs. Elizabeth Keen Godbold Haselden, daughter of General Thomas Godbold and his wife, Sarah Ann Fladger; the granddaughter of Buckingham Keen and Elizabeth Horry, and the widow of John Haselden, son of William Haselden and Mary Rebecca Gailliard Bradley. To this union were born two sons, James Cade Monroe (1837) and Frances [sic. -- Franklin] Marion Monroe (1839).
EDUCATED AT ARSENAL
James Cade Monroe, the subject of this sketch, was educated at the Arsenal Academy in Columbia, later attending a college in Baltimore, where he formed a strong friendship with James K. Jones, who was Democratic chairman at the time that Grover Cleveland was elected to the presidency. Imbued with Horace Greeley 's idea of going west and growing up with the country, he decided to seek fame and fortune in that direction, and accompanied James K Jones to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where he went into business, forming many pleasant associations and many warm and devoted friendships, which were interrupted and finally ended by the War Between the States.
In an article in the Arkadelphia paper written by a comrade at the time of his death, it was claimed that James Monroe was the first man in the county to enlist for service in the cause for which the South was contending. He raised and organized the first company from the county which was called the "Clark County Volunteers, and was elected its first captain.
This company moved at once to Little Rock, where in May 1861, the first regiment of the Arkansas 'volunteer infantry was formed. At this organization, Monroe was elected lieutenant colonel at the age of twenty-three. This regiment, under the command of Colonel James F. Fagan, moved at once to the Potomac, then the seat of the war. At the subsequent reorganization of this regiment, Monroe declined reelection to the post of lieutenant colonel, and returned to Arkansas, where he received from Major General T. C. Hines (then in command of the district of Arkansas), an appointment as lieutenant colonel of cavalry, and was assigned to duty in Fagan 's regiment, Fagan having also in the meantime joined the cavalry. Fagan was shortly afterwards appointed brigadier general, and Monroe succeeded him as Colonel, assuming command of the regiment which WAS at once thrown upon the border of Arkansas and Missouri, beginning an active campaign.
KNOWN AS TERROR
He participated in the battles of Prairie Grove and Cane Hill and his command was not only the assistant but the chief defense of the point held by General Cabell in the retreat of the Army of Northwest Kansas from Fort Smith across Backbone Mountain, through White Oak Gap. In consequence of this, and as a compliment justly due his comrades, "Old Tige" (General Cabell), ordered that 'White Oak Gap" be inscribed on the colors of Monroe's regiment. In all of many actions against the Federal General Steele in his invasion through southwest Arkansas, Monroe's regiment was engaged. To Steele and his staff and the men under him, Monroe was known as a terror and formidable adversary. He was in the actions at Poison Springs and Prairie de Ann, and played a conspicuous part in the memorable battle at Mark's Mill, in which his favorite warhorse was shot under him.
Undaunted by the loss of his horse, he charged on foot in advance of his men, and captured the notorious Federal Robb's battery. When the news of the loss of his horse reached Arkadelphia, the ladies of that town raised a purse and bought Monroe a beautiful sorrel mare, which was carried to his headquarters by Miss Caddo Barkman, the daughter of the mayor of that city. It was presented by her with a speech of appreciation of his patriotism and heroism, and was a familiar figure in the Western army afterwards. He named the beautiful, whitened animal "Cad, in honor of its donor and was proud of the gift.
In the fall of 1864, he was with Major General Price in his noted raid to Missouri, and at the battle of Pilot Knob, at the head of the regiment, cheering his men on the charge, he received a shot in the hip, which caused him to fall from his horse. Though his wound was severe and exceedingly painful rather than be captured and incarcerated in a federal prison, he insisted on being borne along with the army in an ambulance. He soon recovered from his wound, and as General Cabell had been captured by the enemy, Monroe took the head of Cabell 'a brigade, and commanded it until the close of the war, being made a general at twenty-six years of age.
FLEES TO MEXICO
At the end of the war, rather than surrender to the enemy whom he had fought valiantly for four years, he became an exile, passing over into Mexico. When the hopes of the Confederacy lay dead, and Lee and Johnson had surrendered; when the soldiers of the South laid down their arms, and confessed they could do no more, Monroe assembled his regimental Commanders and told them to do as they wished, but that he could never say to his men, "Go home; we are whipped. "He laid his head on his hands and wept, as his men crowded around him, saying, "Good-bye, Colonel. "His reply was, "Farewell, I cannot go with you."
For the short time he was to live, another country gave him sanctuary, and far from the land of his birth, from the thrilling scenes of the four years of the war, he spent the remainder of his life in old Mexico, making headquarters at San Luis Potosi. In a letter to his father, Major David Monroe, at Marion, he spoke of the wickedness of his surroundings and his disgust at the bullfights. In this, his last letter, he expressed a longing for his old home and a desire to see his family and boyhood friends once more, but this hope was never realized, for he had a price upon his head, and could not conscientiously take the oath of allegiance, to get him pardoned, so he died an exile in a far country. Taking the part of a peacemaker in a street fight in San Luis Potosi, he lost his life, and was buried in the Mexican hills. He was twenty-seven years old at the time, and a comrade who had accompanied him on his exile, cut the stars from his coat, and sent them to his brother, Dr. F. M.. Monroe, who had returned to Marion at the close of the war, and began the practice of medicine. These stars are still treasured by his niece, Miss Elizabeth Monroe, of Latta, along with several letters from the exile, and his nephew M. M.. Monroe, of Latta, has in his possession two daguerreotypes of his uncle---one was made when he was a college student in company with the late Mclver Law---the other in Arkansas in his army clothes with a comrade.
SHARES HIS BREAD
Dr. Francis [sic] Marion Monroe was a member of his brother's regiment, and often told his children of the many thrilling adventures of the campaigns, and of the different characteristics of the brother whom he loved devotedly. One of the anecdotes was to the effect that once the army was four days on the prairie without any bread, living on such meat as they could procure by foraging. One night a man rode into camp and asked if that was Monroe's headquarters. Frank Monroe who was on duty answered that it was, and the man gave him a large sack of bread to take to General Monroe. In his eagerness Dr. Monroe hurried into headquarters, and aroused his brother with the words, "Get up, Jim, there 's some bread. Let's eat some."
The Colonel's reply was, "Frank, don't open that bread until reveille, when we will all eat together." Dr. Monroe said it was a hard thing to do to lie all night beside a sack of bread and not eat any, as hungry as he was, but that his brother's unselfishness was a lesson he never forgot, when in after years he practiced medicine as a country doctor often without pay.
When the news of James Monroe's tragic death reached Arkadelphia, a comrade eulogized him in this manner. "He was fervently known in every county an Arkansas, and known only as the beloved and brave, he was regarded by his superior officers as the 'true and tried'; as a regimental commander he had no superior and few were his equals. In the camp or bivouac, he was ever on the alert; in action he never failed to carry his regiment where ordered... Thus has passed away one of God's noblest men. His brave and undaunted spirit will hover over those weeping and bereaved ones left behind. Farewell, Monroe, farewell. Never again shall you encourage us to battle. Never again your orders to danger to hear."
In South Carolina, Colonel Monroe's father, Major David Monroe, served as captain in Wilson's squadron, and gallantly performed his duty until disabled by a nail from his horse, from which it took him a long time to recover. His second wife having died, while her sons were still young, Major Monroe married for a third time, Miss Fanetta White of prominent Marion County ancestry, to which union was born a number of fine sons and daughters to carry out the family traditions of courage and loyalty. Only one is left, the youngest, Thomas J. Monroe, of Marion.
The patriotism of the Monroe family in the World War, as all of Major Monroe's descendants who were eligible belonged to the American forces; two of them gave their lives in the service of their country. Theodore Monroe, son of William M. Monroe and Mary McMillan Monroe, died in a hospital of pneumonia contracted in the line of duty; and Lieutenant David Eugene Monroe, son of Thomas J. Monroe and Rachel Gaddy Monroe, died from wounds received in battle in France. Both these young soldiers have been honored by having the local Legion post named in part for them."
Published in The News and Courier, November, 12, 1933
Son of Major David and Elizabeth Keen Godbold Haselden.
THE RAGGED COLONEL OF THE RAWHIDES
"Among the many picturesque figures of the Southern Confederacy, none stands out more conspicuously than James Cade Monroe, "The Ragged Colonel of the Rawhides, as he was known in the Western division of the Confederate army. The Rawhide regiment was composed of the volunteers of Arkansas in the Trans-Mississippi department of the Confederate forces, and James Monroe was known as the "Ragged Colonel" because he refused to fare better than his men; if they went hungry, he did not eat; if they were poorly clad, he would wear no better clothing than they did.
James Cade Monroe was born in Wahee Township, Marion County, in 1837. Was a son of Major Caddie Monroe (b. Nov. 22, 1812 - d. Jan. 29, 1886), a descendant of the sturdy pioneer Scots who settled on the Cape Fear River, in Cumberland County, North Carolina; the strong old Presbyterian stock who were the builders of the southern part of that state, South Carolina, and particularly Marion County, have been greatly enriched by the immigration into their bounds of this sturdy stock of which there were none better than the Monroe's and McIntyre's who came down across the line and took up habitation in Wahee.
Major David Monroe's first wife was Mercy Mace but some time after her death he married a lady in whose veins coursed the blood of the pioneer English and French settlers of Marion and Georgetown counties. She was Mrs. Elizabeth Keen Godbold Haselden, daughter of General Thomas Godbold and his wife, Sarah Ann Fladger; the granddaughter of Buckingham Keen and Elizabeth Horry, and the widow of John Haselden, son of William Haselden and Mary Rebecca Gailliard Bradley. To this union were born two sons, James Cade Monroe (1837) and Frances [sic. -- Franklin] Marion Monroe (1839).
EDUCATED AT ARSENAL
James Cade Monroe, the subject of this sketch, was educated at the Arsenal Academy in Columbia, later attending a college in Baltimore, where he formed a strong friendship with James K. Jones, who was Democratic chairman at the time that Grover Cleveland was elected to the presidency. Imbued with Horace Greeley 's idea of going west and growing up with the country, he decided to seek fame and fortune in that direction, and accompanied James K Jones to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where he went into business, forming many pleasant associations and many warm and devoted friendships, which were interrupted and finally ended by the War Between the States.
In an article in the Arkadelphia paper written by a comrade at the time of his death, it was claimed that James Monroe was the first man in the county to enlist for service in the cause for which the South was contending. He raised and organized the first company from the county which was called the "Clark County Volunteers, and was elected its first captain.
This company moved at once to Little Rock, where in May 1861, the first regiment of the Arkansas 'volunteer infantry was formed. At this organization, Monroe was elected lieutenant colonel at the age of twenty-three. This regiment, under the command of Colonel James F. Fagan, moved at once to the Potomac, then the seat of the war. At the subsequent reorganization of this regiment, Monroe declined reelection to the post of lieutenant colonel, and returned to Arkansas, where he received from Major General T. C. Hines (then in command of the district of Arkansas), an appointment as lieutenant colonel of cavalry, and was assigned to duty in Fagan 's regiment, Fagan having also in the meantime joined the cavalry. Fagan was shortly afterwards appointed brigadier general, and Monroe succeeded him as Colonel, assuming command of the regiment which WAS at once thrown upon the border of Arkansas and Missouri, beginning an active campaign.
KNOWN AS TERROR
He participated in the battles of Prairie Grove and Cane Hill and his command was not only the assistant but the chief defense of the point held by General Cabell in the retreat of the Army of Northwest Kansas from Fort Smith across Backbone Mountain, through White Oak Gap. In consequence of this, and as a compliment justly due his comrades, "Old Tige" (General Cabell), ordered that 'White Oak Gap" be inscribed on the colors of Monroe's regiment. In all of many actions against the Federal General Steele in his invasion through southwest Arkansas, Monroe's regiment was engaged. To Steele and his staff and the men under him, Monroe was known as a terror and formidable adversary. He was in the actions at Poison Springs and Prairie de Ann, and played a conspicuous part in the memorable battle at Mark's Mill, in which his favorite warhorse was shot under him.
Undaunted by the loss of his horse, he charged on foot in advance of his men, and captured the notorious Federal Robb's battery. When the news of the loss of his horse reached Arkadelphia, the ladies of that town raised a purse and bought Monroe a beautiful sorrel mare, which was carried to his headquarters by Miss Caddo Barkman, the daughter of the mayor of that city. It was presented by her with a speech of appreciation of his patriotism and heroism, and was a familiar figure in the Western army afterwards. He named the beautiful, whitened animal "Cad, in honor of its donor and was proud of the gift.
In the fall of 1864, he was with Major General Price in his noted raid to Missouri, and at the battle of Pilot Knob, at the head of the regiment, cheering his men on the charge, he received a shot in the hip, which caused him to fall from his horse. Though his wound was severe and exceedingly painful rather than be captured and incarcerated in a federal prison, he insisted on being borne along with the army in an ambulance. He soon recovered from his wound, and as General Cabell had been captured by the enemy, Monroe took the head of Cabell 'a brigade, and commanded it until the close of the war, being made a general at twenty-six years of age.
FLEES TO MEXICO
At the end of the war, rather than surrender to the enemy whom he had fought valiantly for four years, he became an exile, passing over into Mexico. When the hopes of the Confederacy lay dead, and Lee and Johnson had surrendered; when the soldiers of the South laid down their arms, and confessed they could do no more, Monroe assembled his regimental Commanders and told them to do as they wished, but that he could never say to his men, "Go home; we are whipped. "He laid his head on his hands and wept, as his men crowded around him, saying, "Good-bye, Colonel. "His reply was, "Farewell, I cannot go with you."
For the short time he was to live, another country gave him sanctuary, and far from the land of his birth, from the thrilling scenes of the four years of the war, he spent the remainder of his life in old Mexico, making headquarters at San Luis Potosi. In a letter to his father, Major David Monroe, at Marion, he spoke of the wickedness of his surroundings and his disgust at the bullfights. In this, his last letter, he expressed a longing for his old home and a desire to see his family and boyhood friends once more, but this hope was never realized, for he had a price upon his head, and could not conscientiously take the oath of allegiance, to get him pardoned, so he died an exile in a far country. Taking the part of a peacemaker in a street fight in San Luis Potosi, he lost his life, and was buried in the Mexican hills. He was twenty-seven years old at the time, and a comrade who had accompanied him on his exile, cut the stars from his coat, and sent them to his brother, Dr. F. M.. Monroe, who had returned to Marion at the close of the war, and began the practice of medicine. These stars are still treasured by his niece, Miss Elizabeth Monroe, of Latta, along with several letters from the exile, and his nephew M. M.. Monroe, of Latta, has in his possession two daguerreotypes of his uncle---one was made when he was a college student in company with the late Mclver Law---the other in Arkansas in his army clothes with a comrade.
SHARES HIS BREAD
Dr. Francis [sic] Marion Monroe was a member of his brother's regiment, and often told his children of the many thrilling adventures of the campaigns, and of the different characteristics of the brother whom he loved devotedly. One of the anecdotes was to the effect that once the army was four days on the prairie without any bread, living on such meat as they could procure by foraging. One night a man rode into camp and asked if that was Monroe's headquarters. Frank Monroe who was on duty answered that it was, and the man gave him a large sack of bread to take to General Monroe. In his eagerness Dr. Monroe hurried into headquarters, and aroused his brother with the words, "Get up, Jim, there 's some bread. Let's eat some."
The Colonel's reply was, "Frank, don't open that bread until reveille, when we will all eat together." Dr. Monroe said it was a hard thing to do to lie all night beside a sack of bread and not eat any, as hungry as he was, but that his brother's unselfishness was a lesson he never forgot, when in after years he practiced medicine as a country doctor often without pay.
When the news of James Monroe's tragic death reached Arkadelphia, a comrade eulogized him in this manner. "He was fervently known in every county an Arkansas, and known only as the beloved and brave, he was regarded by his superior officers as the 'true and tried'; as a regimental commander he had no superior and few were his equals. In the camp or bivouac, he was ever on the alert; in action he never failed to carry his regiment where ordered... Thus has passed away one of God's noblest men. His brave and undaunted spirit will hover over those weeping and bereaved ones left behind. Farewell, Monroe, farewell. Never again shall you encourage us to battle. Never again your orders to danger to hear."
In South Carolina, Colonel Monroe's father, Major David Monroe, served as captain in Wilson's squadron, and gallantly performed his duty until disabled by a nail from his horse, from which it took him a long time to recover. His second wife having died, while her sons were still young, Major Monroe married for a third time, Miss Fanetta White of prominent Marion County ancestry, to which union was born a number of fine sons and daughters to carry out the family traditions of courage and loyalty. Only one is left, the youngest, Thomas J. Monroe, of Marion.
The patriotism of the Monroe family in the World War, as all of Major Monroe's descendants who were eligible belonged to the American forces; two of them gave their lives in the service of their country. Theodore Monroe, son of William M. Monroe and Mary McMillan Monroe, died in a hospital of pneumonia contracted in the line of duty; and Lieutenant David Eugene Monroe, son of Thomas J. Monroe and Rachel Gaddy Monroe, died from wounds received in battle in France. Both these young soldiers have been honored by having the local Legion post named in part for them."
Published in The News and Courier, November, 12, 1933
CSA
Son of Major David and Elizabeth Keen Godbold Haselden.
THE RAGGED COLONEL OF THE RAWHIDES
"Among the many picturesque figures of the Southern Confederacy, none stands out more conspicuously than James Cade Monroe, "The Ragged Colonel of the Rawhides, as he was known in the Western division of the Confederate army. The Rawhide regiment was composed of the volunteers of Arkansas in the Trans-Mississippi department of the Confederate forces, and James Monroe was known as the "Ragged Colonel" because he refused to fare better than his men; if they went hungry, he did not eat; if they were poorly clad, he would wear no better clothing than they did.
James Cade Monroe was born in Wahee Township, Marion County, in 1837. Was a son of Major Caddie Monroe (b. Nov. 22, 1812 - d. Jan. 29, 1886), a descendant of the sturdy pioneer Scots who settled on the Cape Fear River, in Cumberland County, North Carolina; the strong old Presbyterian stock who were the builders of the southern part of that state, South Carolina, and particularly Marion County, have been greatly enriched by the immigration into their bounds of this sturdy stock of which there were none better than the Monroe's and McIntyre's who came down across the line and took up habitation in Wahee.
Major David Monroe's first wife was Mercy Mace but some time after her death he married a lady in whose veins coursed the blood of the pioneer English and French settlers of Marion and Georgetown counties. She was Mrs. Elizabeth Keen Godbold Haselden, daughter of General Thomas Godbold and his wife, Sarah Ann Fladger; the granddaughter of Buckingham Keen and Elizabeth Horry, and the widow of John Haselden, son of William Haselden and Mary Rebecca Gailliard Bradley. To this union were born two sons, James Cade Monroe (1837) and Frances [sic. -- Franklin] Marion Monroe (1839).
EDUCATED AT ARSENAL
James Cade Monroe, the subject of this sketch, was educated at the Arsenal Academy in Columbia, later attending a college in Baltimore, where he formed a strong friendship with James K. Jones, who was Democratic chairman at the time that Grover Cleveland was elected to the presidency. Imbued with Horace Greeley 's idea of going west and growing up with the country, he decided to seek fame and fortune in that direction, and accompanied James K Jones to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where he went into business, forming many pleasant associations and many warm and devoted friendships, which were interrupted and finally ended by the War Between the States.
In an article in the Arkadelphia paper written by a comrade at the time of his death, it was claimed that James Monroe was the first man in the county to enlist for service in the cause for which the South was contending. He raised and organized the first company from the county which was called the "Clark County Volunteers, and was elected its first captain.
This company moved at once to Little Rock, where in May 1861, the first regiment of the Arkansas 'volunteer infantry was formed. At this organization, Monroe was elected lieutenant colonel at the age of twenty-three. This regiment, under the command of Colonel James F. Fagan, moved at once to the Potomac, then the seat of the war. At the subsequent reorganization of this regiment, Monroe declined reelection to the post of lieutenant colonel, and returned to Arkansas, where he received from Major General T. C. Hines (then in command of the district of Arkansas), an appointment as lieutenant colonel of cavalry, and was assigned to duty in Fagan 's regiment, Fagan having also in the meantime joined the cavalry. Fagan was shortly afterwards appointed brigadier general, and Monroe succeeded him as Colonel, assuming command of the regiment which WAS at once thrown upon the border of Arkansas and Missouri, beginning an active campaign.
KNOWN AS TERROR
He participated in the battles of Prairie Grove and Cane Hill and his command was not only the assistant but the chief defense of the point held by General Cabell in the retreat of the Army of Northwest Kansas from Fort Smith across Backbone Mountain, through White Oak Gap. In consequence of this, and as a compliment justly due his comrades, "Old Tige" (General Cabell), ordered that 'White Oak Gap" be inscribed on the colors of Monroe's regiment. In all of many actions against the Federal General Steele in his invasion through southwest Arkansas, Monroe's regiment was engaged. To Steele and his staff and the men under him, Monroe was known as a terror and formidable adversary. He was in the actions at Poison Springs and Prairie de Ann, and played a conspicuous part in the memorable battle at Mark's Mill, in which his favorite warhorse was shot under him.
Undaunted by the loss of his horse, he charged on foot in advance of his men, and captured the notorious Federal Robb's battery. When the news of the loss of his horse reached Arkadelphia, the ladies of that town raised a purse and bought Monroe a beautiful sorrel mare, which was carried to his headquarters by Miss Caddo Barkman, the daughter of the mayor of that city. It was presented by her with a speech of appreciation of his patriotism and heroism, and was a familiar figure in the Western army afterwards. He named the beautiful, whitened animal "Cad, in honor of its donor and was proud of the gift.
In the fall of 1864, he was with Major General Price in his noted raid to Missouri, and at the battle of Pilot Knob, at the head of the regiment, cheering his men on the charge, he received a shot in the hip, which caused him to fall from his horse. Though his wound was severe and exceedingly painful rather than be captured and incarcerated in a federal prison, he insisted on being borne along with the army in an ambulance. He soon recovered from his wound, and as General Cabell had been captured by the enemy, Monroe took the head of Cabell 'a brigade, and commanded it until the close of the war, being made a general at twenty-six years of age.
FLEES TO MEXICO
At the end of the war, rather than surrender to the enemy whom he had fought valiantly for four years, he became an exile, passing over into Mexico. When the hopes of the Confederacy lay dead, and Lee and Johnson had surrendered; when the soldiers of the South laid down their arms, and confessed they could do no more, Monroe assembled his regimental Commanders and told them to do as they wished, but that he could never say to his men, "Go home; we are whipped. "He laid his head on his hands and wept, as his men crowded around him, saying, "Good-bye, Colonel. "His reply was, "Farewell, I cannot go with you."
For the short time he was to live, another country gave him sanctuary, and far from the land of his birth, from the thrilling scenes of the four years of the war, he spent the remainder of his life in old Mexico, making headquarters at San Luis Potosi. In a letter to his father, Major David Monroe, at Marion, he spoke of the wickedness of his surroundings and his disgust at the bullfights. In this, his last letter, he expressed a longing for his old home and a desire to see his family and boyhood friends once more, but this hope was never realized, for he had a price upon his head, and could not conscientiously take the oath of allegiance, to get him pardoned, so he died an exile in a far country. Taking the part of a peacemaker in a street fight in San Luis Potosi, he lost his life, and was buried in the Mexican hills. He was twenty-seven years old at the time, and a comrade who had accompanied him on his exile, cut the stars from his coat, and sent them to his brother, Dr. F. M.. Monroe, who had returned to Marion at the close of the war, and began the practice of medicine. These stars are still treasured by his niece, Miss Elizabeth Monroe, of Latta, along with several letters from the exile, and his nephew M. M.. Monroe, of Latta, has in his possession two daguerreotypes of his uncle---one was made when he was a college student in company with the late Mclver Law---the other in Arkansas in his army clothes with a comrade.
SHARES HIS BREAD
Dr. Francis [sic] Marion Monroe was a member of his brother's regiment, and often told his children of the many thrilling adventures of the campaigns, and of the different characteristics of the brother whom he loved devotedly. One of the anecdotes was to the effect that once the army was four days on the prairie without any bread, living on such meat as they could procure by foraging. One night a man rode into camp and asked if that was Monroe's headquarters. Frank Monroe who was on duty answered that it was, and the man gave him a large sack of bread to take to General Monroe. In his eagerness Dr. Monroe hurried into headquarters, and aroused his brother with the words, "Get up, Jim, there 's some bread. Let's eat some."
The Colonel's reply was, "Frank, don't open that bread until reveille, when we will all eat together." Dr. Monroe said it was a hard thing to do to lie all night beside a sack of bread and not eat any, as hungry as he was, but that his brother's unselfishness was a lesson he never forgot, when in after years he practiced medicine as a country doctor often without pay.
When the news of James Monroe's tragic death reached Arkadelphia, a comrade eulogized him in this manner. "He was fervently known in every county an Arkansas, and known only as the beloved and brave, he was regarded by his superior officers as the 'true and tried'; as a regimental commander he had no superior and few were his equals. In the camp or bivouac, he was ever on the alert; in action he never failed to carry his regiment where ordered... Thus has passed away one of God's noblest men. His brave and undaunted spirit will hover over those weeping and bereaved ones left behind. Farewell, Monroe, farewell. Never again shall you encourage us to battle. Never again your orders to danger to hear."
In South Carolina, Colonel Monroe's father, Major David Monroe, served as captain in Wilson's squadron, and gallantly performed his duty until disabled by a nail from his horse, from which it took him a long time to recover. His second wife having died, while her sons were still young, Major Monroe married for a third time, Miss Fanetta White of prominent Marion County ancestry, to which union was born a number of fine sons and daughters to carry out the family traditions of courage and loyalty. Only one is left, the youngest, Thomas J. Monroe, of Marion.
The patriotism of the Monroe family in the World War, as all of Major Monroe's descendants who were eligible belonged to the American forces; two of them gave their lives in the service of their country. Theodore Monroe, son of William M. Monroe and Mary McMillan Monroe, died in a hospital of pneumonia contracted in the line of duty; and Lieutenant David Eugene Monroe, son of Thomas J. Monroe and Rachel Gaddy Monroe, died from wounds received in battle in France. Both these young soldiers have been honored by having the local Legion post named in part for them."
Published in The News and Courier, November, 12, 1933
Son of Major David and Elizabeth Keen Godbold Haselden.
THE RAGGED COLONEL OF THE RAWHIDES
"Among the many picturesque figures of the Southern Confederacy, none stands out more conspicuously than James Cade Monroe, "The Ragged Colonel of the Rawhides, as he was known in the Western division of the Confederate army. The Rawhide regiment was composed of the volunteers of Arkansas in the Trans-Mississippi department of the Confederate forces, and James Monroe was known as the "Ragged Colonel" because he refused to fare better than his men; if they went hungry, he did not eat; if they were poorly clad, he would wear no better clothing than they did.
James Cade Monroe was born in Wahee Township, Marion County, in 1837. Was a son of Major Caddie Monroe (b. Nov. 22, 1812 - d. Jan. 29, 1886), a descendant of the sturdy pioneer Scots who settled on the Cape Fear River, in Cumberland County, North Carolina; the strong old Presbyterian stock who were the builders of the southern part of that state, South Carolina, and particularly Marion County, have been greatly enriched by the immigration into their bounds of this sturdy stock of which there were none better than the Monroe's and McIntyre's who came down across the line and took up habitation in Wahee.
Major David Monroe's first wife was Mercy Mace but some time after her death he married a lady in whose veins coursed the blood of the pioneer English and French settlers of Marion and Georgetown counties. She was Mrs. Elizabeth Keen Godbold Haselden, daughter of General Thomas Godbold and his wife, Sarah Ann Fladger; the granddaughter of Buckingham Keen and Elizabeth Horry, and the widow of John Haselden, son of William Haselden and Mary Rebecca Gailliard Bradley. To this union were born two sons, James Cade Monroe (1837) and Frances [sic. -- Franklin] Marion Monroe (1839).
EDUCATED AT ARSENAL
James Cade Monroe, the subject of this sketch, was educated at the Arsenal Academy in Columbia, later attending a college in Baltimore, where he formed a strong friendship with James K. Jones, who was Democratic chairman at the time that Grover Cleveland was elected to the presidency. Imbued with Horace Greeley 's idea of going west and growing up with the country, he decided to seek fame and fortune in that direction, and accompanied James K Jones to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where he went into business, forming many pleasant associations and many warm and devoted friendships, which were interrupted and finally ended by the War Between the States.
In an article in the Arkadelphia paper written by a comrade at the time of his death, it was claimed that James Monroe was the first man in the county to enlist for service in the cause for which the South was contending. He raised and organized the first company from the county which was called the "Clark County Volunteers, and was elected its first captain.
This company moved at once to Little Rock, where in May 1861, the first regiment of the Arkansas 'volunteer infantry was formed. At this organization, Monroe was elected lieutenant colonel at the age of twenty-three. This regiment, under the command of Colonel James F. Fagan, moved at once to the Potomac, then the seat of the war. At the subsequent reorganization of this regiment, Monroe declined reelection to the post of lieutenant colonel, and returned to Arkansas, where he received from Major General T. C. Hines (then in command of the district of Arkansas), an appointment as lieutenant colonel of cavalry, and was assigned to duty in Fagan 's regiment, Fagan having also in the meantime joined the cavalry. Fagan was shortly afterwards appointed brigadier general, and Monroe succeeded him as Colonel, assuming command of the regiment which WAS at once thrown upon the border of Arkansas and Missouri, beginning an active campaign.
KNOWN AS TERROR
He participated in the battles of Prairie Grove and Cane Hill and his command was not only the assistant but the chief defense of the point held by General Cabell in the retreat of the Army of Northwest Kansas from Fort Smith across Backbone Mountain, through White Oak Gap. In consequence of this, and as a compliment justly due his comrades, "Old Tige" (General Cabell), ordered that 'White Oak Gap" be inscribed on the colors of Monroe's regiment. In all of many actions against the Federal General Steele in his invasion through southwest Arkansas, Monroe's regiment was engaged. To Steele and his staff and the men under him, Monroe was known as a terror and formidable adversary. He was in the actions at Poison Springs and Prairie de Ann, and played a conspicuous part in the memorable battle at Mark's Mill, in which his favorite warhorse was shot under him.
Undaunted by the loss of his horse, he charged on foot in advance of his men, and captured the notorious Federal Robb's battery. When the news of the loss of his horse reached Arkadelphia, the ladies of that town raised a purse and bought Monroe a beautiful sorrel mare, which was carried to his headquarters by Miss Caddo Barkman, the daughter of the mayor of that city. It was presented by her with a speech of appreciation of his patriotism and heroism, and was a familiar figure in the Western army afterwards. He named the beautiful, whitened animal "Cad, in honor of its donor and was proud of the gift.
In the fall of 1864, he was with Major General Price in his noted raid to Missouri, and at the battle of Pilot Knob, at the head of the regiment, cheering his men on the charge, he received a shot in the hip, which caused him to fall from his horse. Though his wound was severe and exceedingly painful rather than be captured and incarcerated in a federal prison, he insisted on being borne along with the army in an ambulance. He soon recovered from his wound, and as General Cabell had been captured by the enemy, Monroe took the head of Cabell 'a brigade, and commanded it until the close of the war, being made a general at twenty-six years of age.
FLEES TO MEXICO
At the end of the war, rather than surrender to the enemy whom he had fought valiantly for four years, he became an exile, passing over into Mexico. When the hopes of the Confederacy lay dead, and Lee and Johnson had surrendered; when the soldiers of the South laid down their arms, and confessed they could do no more, Monroe assembled his regimental Commanders and told them to do as they wished, but that he could never say to his men, "Go home; we are whipped. "He laid his head on his hands and wept, as his men crowded around him, saying, "Good-bye, Colonel. "His reply was, "Farewell, I cannot go with you."
For the short time he was to live, another country gave him sanctuary, and far from the land of his birth, from the thrilling scenes of the four years of the war, he spent the remainder of his life in old Mexico, making headquarters at San Luis Potosi. In a letter to his father, Major David Monroe, at Marion, he spoke of the wickedness of his surroundings and his disgust at the bullfights. In this, his last letter, he expressed a longing for his old home and a desire to see his family and boyhood friends once more, but this hope was never realized, for he had a price upon his head, and could not conscientiously take the oath of allegiance, to get him pardoned, so he died an exile in a far country. Taking the part of a peacemaker in a street fight in San Luis Potosi, he lost his life, and was buried in the Mexican hills. He was twenty-seven years old at the time, and a comrade who had accompanied him on his exile, cut the stars from his coat, and sent them to his brother, Dr. F. M.. Monroe, who had returned to Marion at the close of the war, and began the practice of medicine. These stars are still treasured by his niece, Miss Elizabeth Monroe, of Latta, along with several letters from the exile, and his nephew M. M.. Monroe, of Latta, has in his possession two daguerreotypes of his uncle---one was made when he was a college student in company with the late Mclver Law---the other in Arkansas in his army clothes with a comrade.
SHARES HIS BREAD
Dr. Francis [sic] Marion Monroe was a member of his brother's regiment, and often told his children of the many thrilling adventures of the campaigns, and of the different characteristics of the brother whom he loved devotedly. One of the anecdotes was to the effect that once the army was four days on the prairie without any bread, living on such meat as they could procure by foraging. One night a man rode into camp and asked if that was Monroe's headquarters. Frank Monroe who was on duty answered that it was, and the man gave him a large sack of bread to take to General Monroe. In his eagerness Dr. Monroe hurried into headquarters, and aroused his brother with the words, "Get up, Jim, there 's some bread. Let's eat some."
The Colonel's reply was, "Frank, don't open that bread until reveille, when we will all eat together." Dr. Monroe said it was a hard thing to do to lie all night beside a sack of bread and not eat any, as hungry as he was, but that his brother's unselfishness was a lesson he never forgot, when in after years he practiced medicine as a country doctor often without pay.
When the news of James Monroe's tragic death reached Arkadelphia, a comrade eulogized him in this manner. "He was fervently known in every county an Arkansas, and known only as the beloved and brave, he was regarded by his superior officers as the 'true and tried'; as a regimental commander he had no superior and few were his equals. In the camp or bivouac, he was ever on the alert; in action he never failed to carry his regiment where ordered... Thus has passed away one of God's noblest men. His brave and undaunted spirit will hover over those weeping and bereaved ones left behind. Farewell, Monroe, farewell. Never again shall you encourage us to battle. Never again your orders to danger to hear."
In South Carolina, Colonel Monroe's father, Major David Monroe, served as captain in Wilson's squadron, and gallantly performed his duty until disabled by a nail from his horse, from which it took him a long time to recover. His second wife having died, while her sons were still young, Major Monroe married for a third time, Miss Fanetta White of prominent Marion County ancestry, to which union was born a number of fine sons and daughters to carry out the family traditions of courage and loyalty. Only one is left, the youngest, Thomas J. Monroe, of Marion.
The patriotism of the Monroe family in the World War, as all of Major Monroe's descendants who were eligible belonged to the American forces; two of them gave their lives in the service of their country. Theodore Monroe, son of William M. Monroe and Mary McMillan Monroe, died in a hospital of pneumonia contracted in the line of duty; and Lieutenant David Eugene Monroe, son of Thomas J. Monroe and Rachel Gaddy Monroe, died from wounds received in battle in France. Both these young soldiers have been honored by having the local Legion post named in part for them."
Published in The News and Courier, November, 12, 1933
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