There’s stone but no bones in cemetery

First of two parts.

An empty grave and a memorial marker in Charlottesville’s Maplewood Cemetery stand in tribute to one man’s undying loyalty to a lost cause.

The headstone bears the name of Brig. Gen. Mosby Monroe Parsons. The bones of the Confederate officer who refused to accept defeat are thought to be in an unmarked grave somewhere near Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

The life that ended in a foreign land started with great joy in Charlottesville on May 21, 1822. Thomas Jefferson would have been one of the first to learn about the birth, because the proud father, Gustavus Adolphus Parsons, served as his last personal secretary.

Move to Missouri

For more than a decade the Vinegar Hill neighborhood was the epicenter of the future general’s world. Then around 1835 the youngster had the sad task of saying goodbye to friends when his father made the decision to move to Missouri.

Within five years of the family’s departure the father had established a brickyard in Jefferson City, Mo. The son worked in the business to earn money to attend St. Charles College.

The young man also studied law under the guidance of Judge James W. Morrow, and he was admitted to the Missouri bar in 1846. That same year the Mexican-American War ignited as a result of the 1845 annexation by the U.S. of Texas.

Texas had declared its independence from Mexico in 1836, which led to the Battle of the Alamo. Mexican troops under the command of Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna came out on top during this most famous battle of the Texas Revolution.

A time for treaties

The Texans didn’t give up, and on April 21, 1836, drove their bid for independence painfully home with a decisive victory in the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna was captured during the fighting, and a few weeks later signed the Treaties of Velasco.

The two documents recognized the legitimacy and sovereignty of the Republic of Texas, and established the Rio Grande River as the new border between Texas and Mexico. Problems quickly arose, in no small part because there was a public treaty as well as a secret one.

More importantly, the treaties were never ratified by the Mexican government. So from the outset the Mexican government refused to concede that Santa Anna ever had the authority to sign off for Mexico.

This festering wound eventually led to war in 1846, and the 24-year-old Parsons was eager to get into the fight. He quickly raised a company of volunteers he dubbed the Cole County Dragoons.

As more Missourians rallied to the cause, the dragoons became Company F of the 1st Missouri Mounted Volunteers. Parsons became the company commander with the rank of captain.

The freshly minted officer led his men in a number of engagements, including the Battle of Sacramento on Feb. 28, 1847.

He was cited for gallantry in this battle, which saw the Missouri cavalry unit charging and overwhelming fortified positions held by Mexican forces.

Like many future Civil War leaders, Parsons received invaluable experience in the ways of war while fighting on Mexican soil. After the war ended in 1848, he returned to Jefferson City, packed away his uniform and started a law practice.

On Sept. 18, 1850, Parsons happily exchanged “I dos” with Mary Wells. Sadly, just three years into the marriage she died, likely as a result of giving birth to Stephen Kearney Parsons.

Within a matter of days Parsons had gone from a joyful father to a single parent. Perhaps as a way to deal with his grief he threw himself into his work, and also got involved in politics.

In 1853 Parsons was appointed U.S. district attorney for western Missouri, and held the position until 1857. A year later he was elected to the Missouri State Senate.

These were volatile times in Missouri, as questions concerning slavery and state’s rights moved from rhetoric to violence. Parsons was a fierce supporter of state’s rights, and on Jan. 5, 1861, he showed how far he was willing to go to ensure those rights.

That day he introduced a bill that would allow the arming of troops in order to oppose federal soldiers in the event they invaded the state.

Less than two weeks later he ratcheted things up several notches with a call for the state to secede from the Union and align itself with the Confederacy.

Parsons’ proposal was batted around until May 10, 1861, when spilt blood would tip the scales in his favor.

Next: Bloody war.