Tough was Tough

There is in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., a special Record Group entitled "Scouts, Spies and Detectives" which contains many previously unpublished reports of individuals who for the "Union" Army conducted espionage operations behind enemy lines. Many of these reports from Kansas and Missouri will be the subject of future columns and the following is a brief definition of these classifications during the Civil War. A Scout was normally a civilian but could also have been a soldier who was very familiar with the roads and geography of an immediate area who guided the movement of troops in that part of enemy territory. They were highly paid and were often paid as much as $1-$5 per day or $30 to $150 per month compared to a private soldiers pay of $13 per month. A spy was normally a civilian who infiltrated the enemy's territory in a city or area and would remain there for an extended period of time who would send reports back in person by a trusted courier. A detective was also a civilian who operated in towns and cities occupied by friendly forces who had the power of arrest.

The subject of this column is one Captain William Tough who was a scout and eventually the "Chief of Scouts" for various "Union" Armies and Generals in Kansas during the Civil War. He arrived in the Kansas Territory as a young man before the Civil War during the era of "Bleeding Kansas", went to Colorado during the "Colorado Gold Rush", didn't get rich, returned to Kansas, became a Pony Express Rider, teamster, wagon boss and eventually a Kansas Red Leg commanded by the infamous Charles "Doc" Jennison who was the first commander of the 7th Ks. Vol. Cavalry or "Jennison's Jayhawkers! Tough also appreciated fine horses and like Jennison did not hesitate to steal, use and sell many very good horses from Missouri.

At various times "Tough" operated as a "Scout" from Fort Scott into Missouri and was described on two occasions in letters that are by 1st Lt. James B. Pond of the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry that are located in the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Kansas Historical Society. In the first, Lt. Pond describes his first meeting with Scout Tough as follows:

" Have you got a good horse? You must be sure of that. I [Pond} thought I had a pretty reliable horse.... Tough looked him over and told me he was no good if I got into a tight place, as he [the horse] was too light and could not last... Now have you a good saddle? I brought my brass mounted McClellan regulation saddle. Tough examined it and said it was not the saddle for a man to risk his life on, but hunted around among the saddles of my company and found a girth that he declared as all right... Then he told me to change my clothes and to get some kind of butternut coat, such as the refuges and camp followers all wore. Then he examined my pistols [Colt Army Revolvers] and made me take off all the percussion caps and put fresh ones that he took from his box of water proof caps that he always wore."

Now then, this description indicates that Scout Tough was very experienced and Lt. Pond accompanied him on a successful mission to and from Vernon County, Mo.

The second letter describes an incident in Fort Scott that occurred on July 28, 1863 which Capt. Pond witnessed in a letter to Capt. Tough's brother, Lyttleon Tough, on April 4, 1901.

"Do you remember the day [Tough] shot Bill Gardner, one of the most notorious and troublesome of my men in Fort Scott? He and you [Lyttleton Tough] were grooming your horses, just from a long scout (mission). Your brother had taken off his belt and revolver and hung them on a peg. He was working on his horse when someone saw Bill Gardner riding up with a drawn revolver and shouted "Look Out Tough!" Tough looked and saw that he had not time to get his own revolvers hanging on the peg. He grabbed one from your holsters that was hanging on your hip and quicker than a flash of lightning shot Gardner dead. I witnessed the shot and decided it the greatest exhibition of presence of mind I ever saw. In 10 seconds he would have been shot. Of course my having witnessed the scene and bad reputation of Gardner, no one thought of disturbing Capt. Tough."

Now then Capt. William Tough went on to become the commanding officer of a company of "Union" Scouts called the "Buckskin Scouts' which operated in Arkansas for the balance of the Civil War.

After the war Capt. Tough returned to Kansas and became a very successful horse trader which will be the subject of next week's column and of course the War Went On!