Carr Waller Pritchett and Central College in the Civil War

An article from the Central College Bulletin, detailing a recollection of Henry S. Pritchett, son of Carr Waller Pritchett, during the Civil War in Fayette. It is unclear if the recollection by Pritchett happened at the same time as the battle of Fayette on September 24, 1864.

In addition to being the first astronomer to operate in the Morrison Observatory, Carr Waller Pritchett was a founding faculty member of Central College (now Central Methodist University), where he taught astronomy and mathematics. He also had a family farm in the town of Fayette.

When the Civil War broke in the spring of 1861, the Central Board of Curators decided to close the College. However, Pritchett and W.H. Anderson, another faculty member, remained, teaching classes in Brannock Hall, the only building. Meanwhile, the war raged on around Fayette and around Central.

While there was only one actual battle fought in Fayette, there were occasional bouts of violence, as bushwackers (Confederate guerilla) and jayhawkers (Union guerillas) raid and antagonize local homes as well as the College, leading to the incident recounted by his son, Henry, in this Central College Bulletin article. Pritchett finally moved away from Fayette in 1864, after his own home was robbed, though he would return after the war's end.