Robert Charles Bradshaw ( March 13, 1840 – 1927 ) was born in Platte County, near Weston, Missouri. After the death of his father, when he was very young, he and his mother moved to St. Joseph around 1847. In St. Joseph he received his education and learned the blacksmith trade, developing skills and work ethic that would last his lifetime. In 1858, at just 18 years old, Bradshaw established a wagon and blacksmith shop at the corner of Seventh and Messanie Street. His business helped freighters, local residents and travelers heading west along the Oregon and California Trails. He was part of the thriving work here that established St. Joseph as the “Gateway to the West.”
Around the beginning of the Civil War, Bradshaw enlisted in the 13th Missouri Regiment as a private before being promoted on June 20th, 1861 to 2nd Lieutenant of the regiment. Bradshaw was an outspoken supporter of the Union. When the Civil War began in 1861, he recruited a company of 103 volunteers, personally paying their expenses until they entered federal service. Bradshaw became associated with one of St. Joseph’s most memorial Civil War stories. In 1861, in St. Joseph it was not allowed to display flags because of tensions between the Union and the secessionists. When a pro Confederate group removed a United States flag from the St. Joseph Post Office and attempted to destroy it, Bradshaw rescued the flag taking it to the nearby Turner Hall. This happening became a symbol of loyalty of Union in northwest Missouri.
Bradshaw continued to be promoted and became a Captain on May 16, 1862, later a Major and Lieutenant Colonel in July 1864. He was stationed at Rolla, Missouri and was part of the Battle of Springhill and the Battle of Franklin. At the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee, on November 30, 1864, Bradshaw lead his regiment with exceptional courage and was seriously wounded. In recognition of his service throughout the Civil War, he was awarded honorary rank of Brevet Brigadier General.
Following the war, Bradshaw returned to St. Joseph, and married Frances S. Wild on April 17, 1867. He returned to civilian life serving as City Registrar and later City Assessor before beginning a career with the St. Joseph and Denver Railroad. He remained active throughout his life in veterans organizations and was respected as one of the cities leading Civil War veterans. Robert Bradshaw was one of St. Joseph’s most disguinished and respected 19th century citizen’s.
