Franklin (Frank) Smith-Guerrilla-State Legislator.

Hits: 7675

Franklin (Frank) Smith. Frank Smith was born in Blue Springs, Missouri on March 3, 1846.  His family originally came from North Carolina and Virginia. His father also named Frank settled his family on a farm just south of Blue Springs and opened the first general store and post office in the town. Besides being one of the original founders of Blue Springs the elder Smith was elected as a representative to the State Legislature. Here is an image which is cropped from panoramic image of a "New Chataqua" meeting held 07/16/1912. Numerus former Quantrill men and two famous polticians were also in attendance.                 
 
Franklin had one older brother, Joel Clark Smith born in 1835. Frank had four older sisters: Sally, Mary, Emery and Nancy besides a younger brother Thomas who apparently died before 1860 as did his father. From that point foward his mother ran the family business.
 
A year before the war started, in December 1860, Kansas Jayhawkers from Lawrence planned an attack on Smith’s neighbor Morgan Walker. Quantrill as part of this group managed to relay the plans to Andy Walker, Morgan’s oldest son. Before they could execute their criminal deed Andy hurriedly enlisted some neighbors and ambushed the Jayhawkers. Records indicate that Walker had help from Clark Smith Frank’s older brother who assisted in foiling the Jayhawker’s plans resulting in the killing of at least three of them.  
 
Frank Smith rode with Quantrill for much of the war and was with him during his most difficult times. Frank rode on the Lawrence raid and fought at Baxter Springs, Lamar, Fayette and Centralia.  During the fight at Baxter Springs Frank joined John Jarrette and Dick Yeager in the pursuit of General James Blunt as he abandoned his troops and hastily retreated the battlefield. Frank was also in Sherman, Texas when the guerrillas repelled at least two Federal invasions and was chosen to remain with Quantrill when he was ordered by General Sterling Price to reorganize his command with Quantrill serving as colonel. During the charge at the Battle of Centralia a Federal soldier slashed at Captain George Todd with his bayonet but missed. Frank then killed the soldier.
 
As the war was in its final stages Frank fought at the Battle of Westport where he had recently joined Company D, in Colonel David Shanks 2nd Missouri Cavalry Regiment under General Joseph O. Shelby in the Missouri 1st Division. Frank surrendered at Shreveport on June 15, 1865.  
 
After the war he married Susan Montgomery, and he sired seven children. In 1912, Frank received the Southern Cross of Honor in from the Independence Chapter of the UDC. Frank passed away on March 3, 1932; at the family farm in Blue Springs.
 
Patrick R. Marquis© Quantrillsguerrillas.com. "Permission should be requested and agreed to before using this copyrighted essay." Below