Collinsville's only living Civil War veteran, W. N. "Bill" Stibbens, ninety-four years young, tells a graphic story of the Civil War that is full of the realism and verve that characterized the life led during the Confederate Rebellion by boys in both blue and gray.

Stibbens entered the Union army when but sixteen, enlisting with his father and fighting together with him for the entire four years. 1861 to 1865.

"I come close to not gettin' in the army," he declared. "Five times I tried to enlist - on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. And five times they turned me down, because I was too small, only four feet, ten. But then on Saturday they stripped me naked for the sixth time, examined me all over again, and called off my name.

" I come down there a whooping and loping like a young colt. And the officer says to me, "Say, you're rarin' to go ain't you." And when I answers"Yessir," then they signed me up."

Too Small for the Army
Stibbens was so small that it took him three hours rooting around in the piles of uniforms to find anything that would come close to fitting him.His uniform, then, was almost nondescript , with civilian clothing mixed with the garb of cavalry, infantry and artillery.

" The hottest battle I was in was at Vicksburg," he said, "where was was three months at one crack, and all the dust and dirt and cannons going all the time.

He was with either Grant or Sheridan at principal battles throughout the war, at Winchester to see the finish of "Sheridan's ride, with his horse all wet with foam." with Grant in the Wilderness campaign and the Shenandoah valley, at Pilot Knob, Mo., battles in Texas and Arkansas and back at Vicksburg for the close of the war.

Lincoln Shook His Hand
"When we left Washington, D.C. to come out to Pilot Knob to stop the rebels in Missouri, old Abe Lincoln shook hands with lots of the boys and one of them was mine. I almost heard old Abe speak once, but I was in the woolen mills - that was before the war - and I was too tired to go to the meeting after working all day."

Returning from the war, Stibbens was "bashful", for all the "Girls wanted to kiss the soldiers. But I wouldn't have none of it."

After a life full of adventure and work in various fields of labor, the old man finds nothing to regret. Typical of men and women over 85, he is happy and contented, looking back on the old events, the old friends and acquaintances with unsentimental reverie.

"Yes," the old man mused, "I think I live till a hundred, but I can't tell. That's up to the Old Man (he pointed upward). I trust in Him."

Until recent years, Stibbens was active. At the time of the Centennial Celebration here last fall, a Herald reporter interviewed Stibbens, who told of his difficulties in getting into the Union army.

"I come close to not gettin' in the army," he declared at that time. "Five times I tried to enlist - on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. And five times they turned me down, because I was too small, only four feet ten. But then on Saturday they examined me all over again and called off my name.

"I come down there a whooping and loping like a young colt. And the officer says to me, "Say, you're rarin' to go, ain't you? And when I answers "Yessir," they signed me up." He was only sixteen at the time. He was with either Grant or Sheridan at the principal battles throughout the war, at Winchester, the Wilderness campaign, Pilot Knob, Missouri; and Vicksburg.

"Yes", the old veteran mused last fall, "I think I'll live till a hundred, but can't tell. That's up to the Old Man (he pointed upward). I trust in Him."

After an eventful life as a coal miner, Stibbens came to Collinsville about twenty years ago. He was a member of the G.A.R. in Missouri.

At 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, full military rites were performed by the Leighton Evatt Post, American Legion. Rev. Percy Ray, chaplain of the post, officiated at the First Baptist church, where the body was removed from Schroeppel Funeral home at 11 a.m. Tuesday. The Legion firing squad paid final tribute to the last Collinsville Civil War veteran at St. John's cemetery.

Surviving are two sons, John and William, both of Collinsville, and three grandchildren.

HOME

Updated December 24, 2008
Headstone photo and veteran information provided by Gene Beals
Web Pages Designed & Maintained by P. Davidson-Peters © 2004 All Rights Reserved.