PIKE COUNTY, Mo. — A Pike County Missouri man avoided death while serving with Confederate forces, only to be gunned down by a business partner.

Caleb Dorsey came to Pike County with his family from Maryland when he was a toddler. Before the Civil War, he was a sergeant in a Union cavalry unit. Once hostilities broke out, he became an officer in the Missouri State Guard, which sided with the Confederates.

Dorsey was known for using his low-key approach to recruit rebels. However, he could be flashy given the right circumstance. The Louisiana Journal once reported that Dorsey showed up to church one Sunday morning in full Confederate uniform, complete with sword.

The colonel fought as part of the vast guerilla campaign waged against Union forces in Missouri and Arkansas. Other family members also aided the Confederate cause, but a Pike County brother-in-law was a Union commander.

After the war, Dorsey moved to California, where he bred race horses, operated mines and served in the state assembly.

Dorsey was shot to death after an argument with business partner John Thompson Newcomer on April 21, 1896. He was 62 years old and buried in Stockton California.

Newcomer was found guilty at his first trial, but a second jury acquitted him. He committed suicide at 76 on March 18, 1903.