Francis M. Wishart facts for kids

Francis "Frank" Marion Wishart (born April 13, 1837 – died May 1872) was an American soldier. He fought in the American Civil War for the Confederate States Army. He was wounded and left the war as a captain. After the war, he returned to Robeson County, North Carolina. He got married and opened a store. Later, he became involved in the Lowry War. In 1871, he became a colonel. He led a local group of soldiers (militia) to stop a gang of outlaws. He died in May 1872 during a meeting with some of these outlaws. The exact details of his death are not clear.

Frank Wishart's Early Life

Francis Marion Wishart was born on April 13, 1837. He was the third son of Eli and Marry Ann Strong Wishart. His friends called him "Frank." He grew up in a poor community in eastern Robeson County, North Carolina. His father was a local judge and also led the county's local defense group (militia).

Military Service

Serving in the Civil War

When the American Civil War started, Frank Wishart joined the Confederate States Army. He was part of the 12th Regiment, North Carolina Infantry. Later, he served with the 46th North Carolina Infantry Regiment. Wishart became a first lieutenant in Company A. He often led the regiment's skirmishing line, which means he led small groups of soldiers who went ahead to scout or fight.

On May 5, 1864, during the Battle of the Wilderness, he was badly hurt by gunfire. This happened while he was leading his skirmishers through a thick forest. After this battle, he was promoted to captain. He was put in charge of Company B to replace an officer who had fallen. He served in this role until the war ended.

After the War and Family Life

After the war, Wishart went back to Robeson County. Like many other poor white people in the area during the Reconstruction era, he joined the Republican Party. On January 11, 1866, he married Lydia Pittman in Lumberton. They had three children together. In 1870, the couple opened a store in Shoe Heel.

The Lowry War Conflict

When Wishart returned to Robeson County, the area was facing a lot of trouble. This was known as the Lowry War. It was a conflict between a gang of outlaws, mostly Lumbee people, led by Henry Berry Lowry, and the local authorities.

Most local Republicans were worried about upsetting the Lumbee community. But Wishart supported strong actions to stop the gang. In April 1871, he joined 10 other men in a "compact" to try and stop the gang members. This group broke up in June because they didn't succeed.

However, North Carolina Governor Tod Robinson Caldwell then made Wishart a captain. By the end of the year, he was promoted to colonel. His job was to lead the county militia to stop the Lowry Gang.

Wishart believed that to stop the gang, authorities needed to act in Scuffletown. This was the main area where the Lumbee community lived. He thought they needed to stop the gang's supporters there, not just fight the outlaws directly. Unlike other local authorities, he usually tried to get official warrants for searches and arrests. He also tried to make sure his militia followed rules.

Planning the Campaign

Wishart planned a big effort to stop the Lowry Gang in July. It was the largest organized attempt to catch them. He asked each of Robeson County's 15 townships to provide 10 men. This created a militia of 117 men. This force was split into smaller groups, from 3 to 25 men, called "township companies."

Wishart sent scouts into the Scuffletown area to gather information. He also drew a very detailed map of the region. He marked small paths in the swamps and wrote down the names of people living in different homes. He also studied reports about how the gang behaved. Even with this careful plan, the gang continued to avoid being caught. Wishart told his pregnant wife to take their two children to Whiteville. He wanted them to be safe from any possible revenge from the gang.

Capturing Wives of Outlaws

Wishart decided to try arresting the wives of the outlaws. Up until then, authorities had mostly ignored them. On July 10, he sent the township groups to arrest the wives and some other important Lumbee people at the same time. This was to prevent anyone from warning them.

Wishart went with the Smith's Township company. They arrested Rhoda Strong Lowry, who was the gang leader's wife, and another woman. As the group returned to Wishart's headquarters at Buie's Store, the Lowry Gang attacked them from a hidden spot. One militiaman was killed right away. Two others were badly wounded and later died. Three more were injured. The militia was surprised and didn't fight back against the gang's position.

The gang then moved a short distance down the railway. They started cheering and firing their long-range guns. Wishart worried they were trying to make the militia chase them. This would give the hostages a chance to escape. So, Wishart refused to attack them. He moved the women into his headquarters under heavy guard. The gang later went back to the Lumber River.

By the end of that day, Wishart's militia had captured four wives of known outlaws and three other people. They were held in the Lumberton jail. They were accused of "aiding and helping the outlaws." The next few days were quiet as the militia gathered more strength.

Lowry's Threat and Wishart's Death

On the morning of July 14, Henry Berry Lowry and some of his gang members confronted a local family. Lowry made a threat to local white women. He had the family write a note for the county sheriff. The note demanded the release of their wives by Monday morning. If not, it said, "the Bloodiest times will be here that ever was before—the life of every man will be in Jeopardy."

Lowry's threat about the women caused a lot of fear in Robeson County. The white community worried that Wishart's efforts to recruit for his militia would leave white women unprotected. Many men avoided joining his group. Because of this, Wishart found it hard to keep his force together. On Monday, July 17, the day the gang's deadline passed, they murdered two men.

A group of older citizens went to Lumberton. They met with the sheriff and county commissioners. The group agreed it would be best to release the wives. They did so the next day. Wishart was not asked about this decision and was very angry.

By May 1872, only a few Lowry Gang members were still active: Andrew Strong, and Tom and Steve Lowry. The others had either died or disappeared. On May 2, Wishart agreed to meet Steve and Andrew. He wanted to try and make a deal for the outlaws to leave the area.

According to some historians, the meeting ended with both sides agreeing to meet again near Lebanon Presbyterian Church a few days later. Wishart was then shot and killed at that second meeting. Other historians say Wishart was killed at the first meeting on May 2. Wishart's wife also wrote that he died on May 2, 1872.

The Wilmington Journal newspaper reported that several gunshots were heard around midday. At about 4:00 p.m., someone passing by found Wishart's body. It was full of buckshot and lying in the road nearby. Lumbee oral history says that Wishart was killed by Andrew. This happened after Wishart tried to pull out a hidden gun and shoot Steve. However, the exact details of his death are still unclear.

Wishart's death led to new efforts to stop the outlaws. Aladon Strong Wishart and Robert Evander Wishart, who were his younger brother and half-brother, reorganized the county militia. They started a new search for the outlaws. They successfully killed Tom Lowry. Strong was shot by a storekeeper. Steve was found and killed by bounty hunters in 1874.