Biographical Sketch of Benoia Scott, Johnson County, Missouri, Warrensburg Township >From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell, Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918. ********************************************************************** Benoia Scott, a veteran of the Civil War and prominent citizen of John- son county, is a resident of Warrensburg of real worth. He was born August 13, 1844, in Illinois, the son of Robert and Mary (McGinnis) Scott. Robert Scott was a native of Indiana and Mary (McGinnis) Scott was a native of Virginia. The Scott family moved to Illinois and loca- ted in Macoupin county, near Scottville, which was named in honor of Robert Scott. When Benoia Scott was a child two years of age, his mother died and two years later the death of his father occurred in Bloomington, Illinois, leaving four small children to be separated and reared by strangers. The children of Robert and Mary Scott are: Thomas, who was reared in Pike county, Illinois, and now resides in Montana, Kansas; John W., who was reared by James Moore in Johnson County, Mo., and now resides in Laidlaw, Oregon; Benoia, subject of this review; and Eliza Ann, who graduated from the Jacksonville Female Seminary and later married John W. Morgan and whose address is now unknown. The three Scott brothers enlisted in the Union army during the Civil War: Thomas W. in Company D, 119th Illinois Infantry; John W., in Company G, 101st Illinois Infantry; and Benoia, in Company B, 122 Illinois Infan- try. After the war had ended, Benoia Scott visited his grandmother, who informed him of the enlistment of each of his brothers and of their services in the Union army. Until that time not one of the brothers knew of the enlistment of the others, nor in fact, anything about them. The three brothers met for the first time, within their recollection, in October, 1865. August 4, 1865 Benoia Scott received his honorable discharge at Springfield, Illinois. He served faithfully throughout the war and while he never missed a march, skirmish or battle, in which his company was engaged, Mr. Scott was never confined in the hospital and practically went through the war unscathed. A slight wound in the left hand, received at Ft. Blakely, April 9, 1865, where General Fran- cis M. Cockrell's brigade surrendered, was the only injury he ever re- ceived. General John B. Stone, of Kansas City, Missouri, who was president of the Ex-confederate Organization of Missouri, and Benoia Scott are the best and closest of friends and yet the first time they met was when they faced each other in the trenches in April, 1865 at Ft. Blakely, Alabama. Stone proposed an armistice one day when the troops lay on their arms and Scott agreed. The two captains met be- tween lines for a few moments and agreed to give thirty minutes' notice before firing should begin on either side up to a certain point on the line. The Yankees were shy on tobacco, the Rebels on coffee. Why not swap? They did, and in the trying hours which followed the Union boys enjoyed some good smokes while the Confederates were drinking fine, old black coffee. When the attack came, it so happened that John B. Stone was made prisoner by Scott's men and the sword of Stone delivered by him to Scott. At Mr. Scott's request, a parole was given John B. Stone. Before leaving Alabama, Mr. Scott was a guest of the Stone family, and father, mother, and sisters united in giving him a pleasant welcome, treating him with true Southern hospitality. Years afterwards, Col. Bob Dalton one day mentioned John B. Stone in conversation held in Warrensburg. "I wonder," said Benoia Scott, "if he might be John B. Stone whom I met at Ft. Blakely?" Dalton promised to find out, and an invitation to Kansas City, Missouri, for a visit with his old friend was the result. Benoia Scott accepted the invitation not once but many times and the Kansas City papers have repeatedly told of their meetings and of the handgrasp they now give one another and of the stories they tell of other days. Mr. Scott has in his possession many newspaper clippings of these comments and "writeups," which include pictures of both men. When the Confederate Reunion was held in Warrensburg, John B. Stone was the guest of Benoia Scott. The story of the "cementing of the Union" is no better illustrated than with the friendship of Benoia Scott and John B. Stone, who at one time faced each other in opposition at the battle's front. All honor and praise to them! March 29, 1866, Benoia Scott came to Hickory county, Missouri, from Scottville, Ill. He purchased 60 acres of land in Hickory county and built a cabin home. For thirty-two years he remained there and gradually increased his holdings, until he at one time was owner of 600 acres of land there. In September, 1898, he left Hickory county and moved to Warrensburg. On November 11, 1866, Benoia Scott was united in marriage with Mary Annes Estes, the daughter of Elisha and Mary Estes, of Hickory county, Mo. Mr. and Mrs. Scott are the parents of seven children: Dr. W. C. Scott, Afton, Oklahoma; Dr. J. O. Scott, Holland, Michigan; Mrs. Bertha May Brown, who died in Hickory county, Missouri, and is interred in Cross Timbers cemetery; Dr. N. E. Scott, who is now state manager for the Kansas City Life Insurance Company in the state of Washington and re- sides in Walla Walla, Washington; Ora Annes, Seattle, Washington; Mrs. Mary Gertrude Hemphill, Joplin, Missouri; and Benoia Beatrice, who will graduate from the Warrensburg State Normal School in the class of 1918 and she resides at home with her parents. Though Mr. and Mrs. Scott resided on the farm, each of their children was given the best of edu- cational advantages. All have collegiate educations and all, with the exception of the youngest, Benoia Beatrice, have been teachers. Mr. and Mrs. Scott celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary on November 11, 1916, at their home at 614 Highland Avenue in Warrensburg. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. 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