Thomas was assigned to Company "E" of the 4th Missouri Cavalry (State Militia) which was organized at St Joseph, Missouri during the period of 8 January 1862 and 14 May 1862. The company was commanded by Joseph Parke. The regiment remained at St Joseph until August for fitting out. The regiment was involved in a skirmish on the Little Blue River on 2 June 1862. They were ordered to Southwest Missouri in August and reported to General Edbert B. Brown. They were involved in the pursuit of Colonel John T. Coffee's regiment from 8 August until 1 September. They served at Mt Vernon, Missouri until 30 September.
The regiment joined Totten's Division, Army of the Frontier, Oxford Bend, near Fayetteville, Arkansas on 27 October 1862. They were involved in an expedition from Greenfield into Jasper and Barton Counties of Missouri from 24 November until 26 November 1862.
The 4th Missouri (SM) was assigned to the District of Central Missouri, Department of Missouri in December of 1862 until 25 January 1863. It was during this time that General John S.Marmaduke launched an attack to capture Springfield, Missouri. The 4th Missouri Cavalry was involved in the defense of Springfield on 8 January. Two members of the regiment were killed in this action.
Sometime between January and May of 1863 the regiment moved to central and northern Missouri as the next recorded action was with Companies "B" and "C" about Princeton, Mercer County, Missouri. The regiment was assigned to guard the Missouri Pacific Railroad with headquarters at LaMine Bridge, Jefferson City, Tipton, Sedalia and Warrensburg, Missouri until October of 1863. Also, four companies were involved in action at Sibley on 23 June. Other actions were at Marshall, Saline County, on 28 July and 30 July.
Thomas Jefferson Kauble's military pension file includes a document from the War Department, Adjutant General's Office, dated 7 November 1884 which states, in part: "record of events on Roll for July and Aug 63 shows that a detachment of this Co. left Marshall, Missouri July 28 of 63 and returned July 30 of 63 having had a skirmish with Guerrillas in which Private Thomas Kobble was wounded. Returns July & Aug 63 do not show him absent. Company was Stationed at Marshall, Missouri July 31 to Sept 30 63."
The Regiment was transferred to The District of the Border, Department of Missouri in August of 1863 and were involved in the pursuit of Quantrell from 20 August until 28 August of 1863. Quantrell's border renegades raided, sacked and burned Lawrence, Kansas on 21 August 1863.
Included in that same pension file is a "Declaration for an Original Invalid Pension" dated 1 January 1891 which states, in part: "That he is now suffering from a physical disability of a permanent character, which is not the result of his own vicious habits or misconduct which incapacitates him from the performance of usual labor to such a degree as to render him unable to earn a support by reason of Gunshot wound received in left hip while on a scout in Saline County Missouri August 1863. Also gunshot wound in left ankle received while on a scout in Lafayette County Missouri November 1863."
The 4th Missouri Cavalry was involved in operations against General Joseph Shelby from 22 September through 26 October 1863 including actions at Tipton, Syracuse, Missouri on 10 October. (This action included Companies "A", "B", "E" & "F".) Also action at Boonville, Missouri on 11 - 12 October, Merrill's Landing and Dug Ford, near Jonesborough (12 October), Marshall, Arrow Rock, Blackwater (13 October).
In January 1864, the regiment was transferred to District of Central Missouri, Department of Missouri. They were involved in action near Warrensburg, Johnson County, Missouri on 22-24 February 1864. Company "E" scouted from Sedalia to Blackwater from 3 June until 5 June 1864 and by a detachment near Rocheport on 28 August.
Company "E" was in action in Howard County on 28 August. The regiment moved to the defense of Jefferson City on 1 October 1864. This was a part of the defense against Sterling Price's force that had moved up from Arkansas toward St. Louis and then against Jefferson City. Price failed to enter either St. Louis or Jefferson City but diverted his forces toward West Port and Independence. When he left Arkansas, General Price had planned to capture the Federal arsenal at St. Louis then move against Jefferson City in order to inaugurate a Confederate governor in the state capitol. Due to the delay in his schedule caused by his prolonged battle at Pilot Knob, where he captured a Federal arsenal against the stubborn resistance of a small force, he found both St. Louis and Jefferson City too strongly defended to capture.
Price had been informed that General Samuel R.Curtis was gathering a force of Kansas militia at West Port and decided to strike before Curtis could prepare. There were running battles westward, mostly south of the Missouri River. As a part of a force commanded by General Alfred Pleasanton, the 4th Regiment joined a cavalry column which pursued Price's army. They were involved in actions including Moreau Creek Bottoms on 7 October, California on 9 October, Boonville on 9-12 October, Little Blue River on 21 October and West Port on 23 October. This regiment led the breakthrough at Byrum's Ford across the Little Blue River against General Marmaduke's rear guard action.
The battle of West Port was numerically the largest battle fought west of the Mississippi River. Out of 40,000 Federals and Confederates on the field, close to 30,000 were engaged. (compare to 27,000 at Pea Ridge, Arkansas, which was the next largest.) Major General Samuel R. Curtis, who commanded at Pea Ridge, was also the commander of Federal forces at West Port.
After Price's defeat at West Port and his loss of men and material he began a general retreat along the Missouri-Kansas border toward Arkansas. The 4th Regiment was engaged in continuing action at the Marmaton River (or battle of Charlot) on 25 October, Mine Creek, Little Osage River, Maris des Cygne on 25 October. The battle of Mine Creek was the only full-scale engagement between regular troops to be fought on Kansas soil. It has also been suggested that this may have been the largest of all cavalry battles of the war. During this engagement Confederate Generals John S. Marmaduke and William Cabell were captured along with four colonels.
After Mine Creek, a large number of Federal forces moved to Fort Scott, Kansas to recover and resupply. Apparently, the 4th Missouri Cavalry Regiment was among the two Missouri Cavalry Brigades to do so. They were stationed at Sedalia, Missouri from November 1864 until April 1865. A detachment of the regiment scouted in Calloway County on 6-7 November.
The regiment was moved to St. Louis, Missouri in April 1865 and most of the regiment were mustered out on 18 April. Records indicate that Thomas Jefferson Kauble was mustered out on 5 April 1865.
Included in the previously mentioned pension file is a "Declaration for Pension" document which states "That his several places of residence since leaving the service has been as follows: Colorado 1865, Nevada 1867, Arizona 1870, California 1871. Kansas since 1880. That he is now a pensioner. 298197 Certificate number." Also from the same file is a Marriage Record stating "...That on the 2nd day of September A. D. 1877 in Juniata in said County(Adams), according to laws and by authority, I duly JOINED IN MARRIAGE Mr. Thomas Kauble and M Elizabeth Wakley and there were present as witnesses Parry Stewart and William Stewart." The record states that Thomas Kauble was age 31 and that Elizabeth Weakley was age 24. The document is signed by Benj. F. Smith, County Judge, Adams County, Nebraska. It is curious to note that the marriage certificate lists Thomas' parents by name but indicates that her parents were "unknown". This same certificate lists her birth place as "Missouri". This author wonders if perhaps Elizabeth was not present when the marriage license was applied for and that Thomas simply did not know the answers to those questions. Statements given by her in her pension application (see below) shows that she was born on 25 October 1851 in Ohio. This would have made her age to be 26.
Family tradition has been that during the period between 1865 and 1877 that he had worked as a cowboy, mule team driver and had been in rodeo. His grandson, Thomas Lehi Kauble, told of his unusual skill with a rope and with reins. It was said that he could knock a horse fly off a mule's ear without touching the mule by using a rein. These skills were developed during the years of driving mules and in cowboy and rodeo work. After 1877 he is said to have farmed, worked laying stone and had a brief career with the railroad.
Elizabeth Weakley was born 25 October 1851 at Dayton, Ohio. She was the daughter of John Weakley and Elizabeth Jane (Bradley) Weakley. No record is known to me to indicate when she left Ohio or when she arrived in Missouri. A "Declaration for Widow's Pension", dated 4 September 1917, declares "that she is 66 years of age and that she was born October 25, 1851 in Ohio, but was only 2 years of age and does not remember........." (the rest is illegible). This may indicate that she left Ohio at age 2. She married Wiley Jahue Teague, but no record of date or place is presently known to me. It has been said that Wiley Teague had filed on a homestead in or near Shannon County, Missouri and that for some reason Elizabeth and her parents decided to move to Nebraska. Since Wiley wanted to prove up on the land and since Elizabeth wanted to move, it was decided that they should divorce. Elizabeth was divorced from Wiley Teague on 18 November 1874 at Salem, Missouri. This must have been a friendly separation as they remained in contact and on apparently friendly terms in later years.
Thomas and Elizabeth moved to Arcadia, Crawford County, Kansas around 1878-1880. Elizabeth had two children from her previous marriage. Her daughter, Lorena Belle Teague was born 12 October 1870, possibly at Salem, Missouri. A son, John David Teague, was born 10 June 1873 in Shannon County, Missouri. T. J. and Elizabeth had two sons, William Henry Kauble, born 15 December 1877 at Hastings, Nebraska and Auguston Edgar Kauble, born 20 April 1880 at Arcadia, Kansas. Since the pension records state that T. J. had lived in Kansas since 1880, it may be that the family moved to Arcadia during the first four months of that year. A declaration dated 13 October 1884 describes Thomas as 37 years of age, 6' 2" in height, fair complexion, light hair and blue eyes. (Remember that at enlistment in the Army in 1863, he was only 5' 9". Obviously he was still a growing boy.)
Thomas Jefferson Kauble died at Arcadia, Kansas on 2 August 1917 and was
buried at the Gill Cemetery in Vernon County, Missouri. He was 71 years, 10
months and 20 days of age. Elizabeth continued to live in Arcadia until her
death on 17 July 1934. She was buried beside her husband in the Gill Cemetery.
Her age was 82 years 10 months and 22 days.