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Born in Clayton Co. Tennessee, Jan. 1, 1819, he was one of those sturdy pioneers who settled in Missouri when it was inhabited only by savages. Mr. VanBebber was one of the first to respond to the call for volunteers when the Mexican War broke out.

Under Capt. Bragg (later General Bragg) of the confederate Army, he fought in all the engagements which General Taylor commanded. Mr VanBebber was present at the Battle of Buena Vista and heard General Taylor give the famous command which made the General President of the United States,
"give them a little more grape, Capt. Bragg".

When the Civil War came on Mr. VanBebber was the first man of his neighborhood to espouse the cause of the stars and stripes. In two of the heaviest battles in the department of the Mississippi he was the only surviving member of his squad, his command falling about him like acorns.
Having to pass over a battlefield after a battle, he has walked for hundreds of yards where he could step only on bodies of his fallen foe.

After the Civil War he fought through three Indian Wars. He was under General Custer, but chanced to be on detached duty when the famous General was massacred by the Sioux in June, 1876. He was discharged from the Army that year and removed to Sacremento. From there he went to Humboldt Bay, and then to Hopland.

Calvin VanBebber died at his home in Hopland, Nov. 14, 1911.

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