David Moore

David Moore (July 3, 1817 – July 19, 1893) was an American military officer who served in the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. He attained the rank of brevet Brigadier General, United States Volunteers before leaving military service. Later he would serve as a member of the Missouri General Assembly.

Early life David Moore was born in Columbiana County, Ohio, on July 3, 1817, to John and Sarah (Clark) Moore. His father John Moore, an Irish immigrant, served in the War of 1812 and moved to Ohio shortly thereafter. David had two siblings—a sister and a brother—plus several half-siblings from his widowed father's first marriage. It was there his friend (and future Missouri State Treasurer) Colonel William Bishop, on orders from General Nathaniel Lyon, recruited him to organize a unit of Missouri Home Guards to protect the area from Confederate raiders. Athens also had the advantage of being across-river from a Union army supply depot at Croton, Iowa and its railroad access. On August 5, 1861, Green's force of 2,000 MSG—among them two of Moore's sons—with three cannon attacked Athens. Moore had something around 500 troops under his command but they were better armed, with a recently arrived shipment of Springfield rifles. Despite being outnumbered four-to-one, the pro-Union Home Guards were able to withstand the initial attack. Seeing the MSG faltering, Colonel Moore led a bayonet charge that sent the enemy scattering.

The 21st Missouri Colonel Moore's 1st Missouri Home Guards, along with Colonel Humphrey Woodyard's 2nd Missouri Home Guards continued to pursue Confederate elements in the late summer and fall after the Battle of Athens. On December 31, 1861, the two were combined to form the 21st Missouri Volunteer Infantry Regiment. While leading his men from the front Moore was struck by three bullets. This caused the loss of his right leg below the knee, but after three months recovery he would return to command in early July, 1862. His return was fortuitous, because the next month disgruntled members of the 21st made a half-hearted attempt at mutiny. Post-war, Moore was also quite active in the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), and became a Master Mason. In addition to raising crops, David Moore was raising a second family after the war. His first wife, Pennsylvania native Diademia (Schnabel) Moore, died in 1865 after bearing him five sons and a daughter: William W., Eugene, John C., Charles A, Thomas, and Frankie. As previously written, two of Moore's sons fought for the Missouri State Guard against him at Athens. David Moore's second wife, the widow May (Mattingly) Carnegy of Union County, Kentucky, bore him three daughters—Katie (deceased in childhood), Katie D., and Nellie—and also brought two step-sons and four step-daughters to the marriage. Moore continued to be somewhat active in Missouri Republican politics until his death on July 19, 1893.