Missouri During 1861
The Civil War officially began when General P.G.T. Beauregard opened fired on the Union garrison holding Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina on April 12, 1861. Early the next morning, Union Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fort and was evacuated from the site. Missouri wasn't very far behind this event in entering the war. Hostilities had been building for quite some time, going back to the days of Bleeding Kansas and beyond. Once Missouri would enter the war, it was in it for the long run. Missouri would serve as a strategic location, with its proximity to river travel and its central location in the continent.
Missouri would maintain its place in the Union through the war, although there were Missourians desiring that the state would secede. Missouri natives would take up arms to serve both the Confederacy and the Union. Missouri locations would gain the anonymity of being the site of several crucial and countless minor altercations between the blue and the gray. Missouri would suffer the tensions of the war like no other state. With families being split due to personal beliefs and associations, some would fight in battles against each other. These conflicts would start as early as one week after Beauregard's victory.
Liberty Arsenal Event
Robert E. Lee was a highly respected military leader in the United States Army. In April, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln offered Lee the command of Federal forces against the Confederate efforts. Lee had to ponder with extreme scrutiny his decisions as he contemplated his loyalty to his home state of Virginia. On the same day that Robert E. Lee turned down the offer and resigned from the United States Army, April 20, 1861, the first military event to take place in Missouri occurred at Liberty, Missouri.
The Missouri Ordnance Depot, located south of the community of Liberty in Clay Count, Missouri had begun service in 1836 to serve as a housing facility of weaponry to help protect the western regions. In 1855, pro-slavery supporters seized the arsenal to use the materials in wreaking havoc in Kansas during this “Bleeding Kansas” era. The arsenal would be reinforced following this incident and much of the weaponry would be returned.
The attack on Fort Sumter in North Carolina on April 12, 1861 led Missourians supportive of secession to consider another attack on the arsenal. Colonel Henry L. Routt of Clay County, Captain John H. McMurray of Jackson County, and John C. Landis of Buchanan County led a large force of men and approached the arsenal. This group, totaling near 200, was no match for the command of the facility. Major Nathaniel Grant and his two employees could not resist the efforts of this forcible takeover.
A note arrived in the hand of Grant just before the attack, reading, “A company of men from across the river camped in the bottom last night. I understand that another company is at or near Liberty, and that the destination of both is the arsenal. Look out. If you want to make a speech, get it ready.” This speech would be all that Grant could offer in resistance of the attack. For a week, the raiders would take from the arsenal cannons, caissons, wagons, forges, percussion muskets, percussion rifles, carbines, pistols, sabers, swords, and thousands of pounds of powder and cartridges.
Routt kept some of the cache at his home in Liberty and shared some with troops throughout the county. The Jackson County group made two trips to the arsenal to carry back to their location part of the resources. The Buchanan boys had brought wagons with them to carry some of the cache back and shipped a large amount to St. Joseph aboard the steamship “War Eagle.” All of these supplies would be used in support of Confederate forces in Missouri and without.
The impact of the raid on the Liberty Arsenal was felt by many Union leaders across the nation. Some called this “Missouri’s Fort Sumter,” since it was effectively Missouri’s entrance into the war. Fear of additional attacks on arsenals and batteries across the area lead to other locations being fortified or abandoned. The St. Louis arsenal had most its stores transferred into Illinois; Fort Leavenworth was reinforced; and May 10, 1861 brought the Union attack and capture on secessionist troops at Camp Jackson in St. Louis.
Although casualties were non-existent, the raid on the Liberty Arsenal is significant in Missouri Civil War history and the nation. The closeness in timing to the events at Fort Sumter gives this altercation the ranking as the first act of war in the nation following Fort Sumter. Missouri would soon fully be engaged in warfare between the two sides of the war and offer thousands of souls to both sides in waging the conflict. Missouri soil would feel the blood of native and distant troops on many battlefields throughout the state during the tenure of the war.
Sources used:
http://fortwiki.com/Liberty_Arsenal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Arsenal
http://www.windingriver.com/LibertyArsenal
http://archive.news-leader.com/article/20110420/NEWS01/106160004/Civil-War-Moments-Liberty-Arsenal-Seized
Missouri would maintain its place in the Union through the war, although there were Missourians desiring that the state would secede. Missouri natives would take up arms to serve both the Confederacy and the Union. Missouri locations would gain the anonymity of being the site of several crucial and countless minor altercations between the blue and the gray. Missouri would suffer the tensions of the war like no other state. With families being split due to personal beliefs and associations, some would fight in battles against each other. These conflicts would start as early as one week after Beauregard's victory.
Liberty Arsenal Event
Robert E. Lee was a highly respected military leader in the United States Army. In April, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln offered Lee the command of Federal forces against the Confederate efforts. Lee had to ponder with extreme scrutiny his decisions as he contemplated his loyalty to his home state of Virginia. On the same day that Robert E. Lee turned down the offer and resigned from the United States Army, April 20, 1861, the first military event to take place in Missouri occurred at Liberty, Missouri.
The Missouri Ordnance Depot, located south of the community of Liberty in Clay Count, Missouri had begun service in 1836 to serve as a housing facility of weaponry to help protect the western regions. In 1855, pro-slavery supporters seized the arsenal to use the materials in wreaking havoc in Kansas during this “Bleeding Kansas” era. The arsenal would be reinforced following this incident and much of the weaponry would be returned.
The attack on Fort Sumter in North Carolina on April 12, 1861 led Missourians supportive of secession to consider another attack on the arsenal. Colonel Henry L. Routt of Clay County, Captain John H. McMurray of Jackson County, and John C. Landis of Buchanan County led a large force of men and approached the arsenal. This group, totaling near 200, was no match for the command of the facility. Major Nathaniel Grant and his two employees could not resist the efforts of this forcible takeover.
A note arrived in the hand of Grant just before the attack, reading, “A company of men from across the river camped in the bottom last night. I understand that another company is at or near Liberty, and that the destination of both is the arsenal. Look out. If you want to make a speech, get it ready.” This speech would be all that Grant could offer in resistance of the attack. For a week, the raiders would take from the arsenal cannons, caissons, wagons, forges, percussion muskets, percussion rifles, carbines, pistols, sabers, swords, and thousands of pounds of powder and cartridges.
Routt kept some of the cache at his home in Liberty and shared some with troops throughout the county. The Jackson County group made two trips to the arsenal to carry back to their location part of the resources. The Buchanan boys had brought wagons with them to carry some of the cache back and shipped a large amount to St. Joseph aboard the steamship “War Eagle.” All of these supplies would be used in support of Confederate forces in Missouri and without.
The impact of the raid on the Liberty Arsenal was felt by many Union leaders across the nation. Some called this “Missouri’s Fort Sumter,” since it was effectively Missouri’s entrance into the war. Fear of additional attacks on arsenals and batteries across the area lead to other locations being fortified or abandoned. The St. Louis arsenal had most its stores transferred into Illinois; Fort Leavenworth was reinforced; and May 10, 1861 brought the Union attack and capture on secessionist troops at Camp Jackson in St. Louis.
Although casualties were non-existent, the raid on the Liberty Arsenal is significant in Missouri Civil War history and the nation. The closeness in timing to the events at Fort Sumter gives this altercation the ranking as the first act of war in the nation following Fort Sumter. Missouri would soon fully be engaged in warfare between the two sides of the war and offer thousands of souls to both sides in waging the conflict. Missouri soil would feel the blood of native and distant troops on many battlefields throughout the state during the tenure of the war.
Sources used:
http://fortwiki.com/Liberty_Arsenal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Arsenal
http://www.windingriver.com/LibertyArsenal
http://archive.news-leader.com/article/20110420/NEWS01/106160004/Civil-War-Moments-Liberty-Arsenal-Seized
“If Unionism means such atrocious deeds as have been witnessed in St. Louis, I am no longer a Union Man.” Uriel Wright, St. Louis lawyer May, 1861
Camp Jackson Affair
St. Louis had played a major military role almost from the days that Laclede and Chouteau established the trading center there that would become the grand city. With Jefferson Barracks and the river accessibility, the military would seek to maintain a stronghold in this place. A large arsenal, storehouse of weapons and ammunition existed within the town and was commanded by a Major William H. Bell during the waning days of the Civil War. Missouri’s governor, Clairborne Jackson was sympathetic to the South and urged for this weapons supply to be turned over to the state to prevent it from being used against Missouri’s “sister southern states.” Jackson had recently rejected President Lincoln’s call for volunteers in the fight, as well. The governor would also call together troops of state “Minute Men” under the leadership of Lt. Gov. Thomas C. Reynolds to establish a military camp not far from the arsenal. This camp would be named “Camp Jackson.”
Captain Nathaniel Lyon held the capacity of being responsible for developing Union forces at St. Louis. Lyon had a large amount of the supplies at the arsenal transferred into Illinois, due to the recent capture of the Liberty arsenal by pro-Confederate efforts. There still remained some weapons and ammunition at the St. Louis location. Lyon received information from spies that the Minute Men had received several boxes from Louisiana secretly containing arms and ammunition. These had been sent by Confederate President Jefferson Davis from the Baton Rouge arsenal. Both of these events made Lyon truly concerned of the intents of the pro-South militia located moments away.
In a clandestine operation, Lyon toured Camp Jackson disguised as the blind mother-in-law of Congressman Frank Blair. Lyon saw firsthand the Confederate strength and morale present among the troops. Confederate flags flew throughout the camp and many streets were displaying Confederate-leaning names, such as “Davis” and “Beauregard.”
Lyon was certain that they consisted as a threat to the arsenal and the maintaining of Union control. He devised his intent to seize the camp the next day and consulted other Union leaders in the area. Lyon rallied a force of 6,000 federal troops, ten times the size of the pro-Confederates housed at Camp Jackson. They met virtually no resistance and took the militia prisoners. On the way to Jefferson Barracks for incarceration, a scuffle occurred between the Union troops and onlookers. Many in the crowd were against the Germans in Lyon’s force and threw rocks and insults toward the marching group. Soon shots were fired. Although one source claims it was Lyon’s men who fired first, it isn’t for certain were it came from. According to the memoirs of William Tecumseh Sherman, who happened to live in St. Louis at the time and was present with his son Willie during the event, a drunk fired the first shot after scuffling with a sergeant over a trivial matter. What is known is that Captain Constantin Blandowski, a Polish officer who was assumed to be German, was fatally wounded. His men first fired over the crowd and then into it, bringing a period of shooting and rioting that brought great confusion. At the end of the incident, twenty-eight persons had been killed. Probably another hundred had been injured in the malaise.
As eluded to in the quote by Uriel Wright, the Camp Jackson Affair led some away from the support of the Union and into the Confederate camp. One of these was former governor, Sterling Price, who had voted to keep Missouri in the Union. Price would be given the authority of command of a newly created state guard by Governor Jackson. The event forced Missourians wavering before to now take sides in the war. German citizens of St. Louis suffered attack after the affair due to the German involvement in the Union forces capturing the camp. Both William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant were in St. Louis on that day and personally watched the rioting take place. Both would go on to be key Union generals in the Civil War and probably were influenced by what they viewed on that day in May.
Even with the negative attitudes expressed from the Camp Jackson affair, it did secure Missouri’s continued place in the Union. Lyon would receive a promotion to Brigadier General from this event. He would lead Union forces in other actual battles in the state until he would be killed at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek later that year.
Sources used:
https://civilwarhistory.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/the-camp-jackson-affair-violence-in-st-louis-150-years-ago-today/
http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/timeline/camp-jackson-affair
http://www.holocaustianity.com/hysteria/camp-jackson.html
https://civilwarhistory.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/the-camp-jackson-affair-violence-in-st-louis-150-years-ago-today/
http://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/upload/camp_jackson.pdf
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/missouris-civil-war-tipping-point-150-years-after-camp-jackson-affair
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/168
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Jackson_Affair
http://www.yandtblog.com/?p=349
Sherman, William T. “Memoirs of General William T. Sherman.” (1889) New York: D. Appleton and Company.
Parrish, William E., Charles T. Jones, Jr., and Lawrence O. Christensen. “Missouri: The Heart of the Nation.” 2nd edition. (1992). Wheeling, Illinois: Harlan Davidson.
St. Louis had played a major military role almost from the days that Laclede and Chouteau established the trading center there that would become the grand city. With Jefferson Barracks and the river accessibility, the military would seek to maintain a stronghold in this place. A large arsenal, storehouse of weapons and ammunition existed within the town and was commanded by a Major William H. Bell during the waning days of the Civil War. Missouri’s governor, Clairborne Jackson was sympathetic to the South and urged for this weapons supply to be turned over to the state to prevent it from being used against Missouri’s “sister southern states.” Jackson had recently rejected President Lincoln’s call for volunteers in the fight, as well. The governor would also call together troops of state “Minute Men” under the leadership of Lt. Gov. Thomas C. Reynolds to establish a military camp not far from the arsenal. This camp would be named “Camp Jackson.”
Captain Nathaniel Lyon held the capacity of being responsible for developing Union forces at St. Louis. Lyon had a large amount of the supplies at the arsenal transferred into Illinois, due to the recent capture of the Liberty arsenal by pro-Confederate efforts. There still remained some weapons and ammunition at the St. Louis location. Lyon received information from spies that the Minute Men had received several boxes from Louisiana secretly containing arms and ammunition. These had been sent by Confederate President Jefferson Davis from the Baton Rouge arsenal. Both of these events made Lyon truly concerned of the intents of the pro-South militia located moments away.
In a clandestine operation, Lyon toured Camp Jackson disguised as the blind mother-in-law of Congressman Frank Blair. Lyon saw firsthand the Confederate strength and morale present among the troops. Confederate flags flew throughout the camp and many streets were displaying Confederate-leaning names, such as “Davis” and “Beauregard.”
Lyon was certain that they consisted as a threat to the arsenal and the maintaining of Union control. He devised his intent to seize the camp the next day and consulted other Union leaders in the area. Lyon rallied a force of 6,000 federal troops, ten times the size of the pro-Confederates housed at Camp Jackson. They met virtually no resistance and took the militia prisoners. On the way to Jefferson Barracks for incarceration, a scuffle occurred between the Union troops and onlookers. Many in the crowd were against the Germans in Lyon’s force and threw rocks and insults toward the marching group. Soon shots were fired. Although one source claims it was Lyon’s men who fired first, it isn’t for certain were it came from. According to the memoirs of William Tecumseh Sherman, who happened to live in St. Louis at the time and was present with his son Willie during the event, a drunk fired the first shot after scuffling with a sergeant over a trivial matter. What is known is that Captain Constantin Blandowski, a Polish officer who was assumed to be German, was fatally wounded. His men first fired over the crowd and then into it, bringing a period of shooting and rioting that brought great confusion. At the end of the incident, twenty-eight persons had been killed. Probably another hundred had been injured in the malaise.
As eluded to in the quote by Uriel Wright, the Camp Jackson Affair led some away from the support of the Union and into the Confederate camp. One of these was former governor, Sterling Price, who had voted to keep Missouri in the Union. Price would be given the authority of command of a newly created state guard by Governor Jackson. The event forced Missourians wavering before to now take sides in the war. German citizens of St. Louis suffered attack after the affair due to the German involvement in the Union forces capturing the camp. Both William T. Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant were in St. Louis on that day and personally watched the rioting take place. Both would go on to be key Union generals in the Civil War and probably were influenced by what they viewed on that day in May.
Even with the negative attitudes expressed from the Camp Jackson affair, it did secure Missouri’s continued place in the Union. Lyon would receive a promotion to Brigadier General from this event. He would lead Union forces in other actual battles in the state until he would be killed at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek later that year.
Sources used:
https://civilwarhistory.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/the-camp-jackson-affair-violence-in-st-louis-150-years-ago-today/
http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/timeline/camp-jackson-affair
http://www.holocaustianity.com/hysteria/camp-jackson.html
https://civilwarhistory.wordpress.com/2011/05/10/the-camp-jackson-affair-violence-in-st-louis-150-years-ago-today/
http://www.nps.gov/jeff/learn/historyculture/upload/camp_jackson.pdf
http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/missouris-civil-war-tipping-point-150-years-after-camp-jackson-affair
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/168
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Jackson_Affair
http://www.yandtblog.com/?p=349
Sherman, William T. “Memoirs of General William T. Sherman.” (1889) New York: D. Appleton and Company.
Parrish, William E., Charles T. Jones, Jr., and Lawrence O. Christensen. “Missouri: The Heart of the Nation.” 2nd edition. (1992). Wheeling, Illinois: Harlan Davidson.
The Battle of Boonville
The first battle of Boonville was not anything to truly write home about, not to the degree of a Bull Run or Gettysburg. But small events can result to large aftermaths. This battle was one of the earliest of the conflict that would soon swing into full bloom and it helped to decide in favor of the Union the uncertain question of Missouri’s ultimate status. Thomas L. Snead would call this event “a stunning blow to the Southern Rights’ people of the State.”
Missouri’s Southern-sympathizing governor, Claiborne Fox Jackson, was busy at work recruiting a pro-Confederate military force, known as the State Guard. His commander of choice would be the former governor, Major General Sterling Price. They would seek to lead Missouri out of the Union and into the Confederacy. Others in the state would work hard to counter Jackson. Two individuals particularly working in this direction were Congressman Frank Blair, Jr. and General Nathaniel Lyon.
Lyon would declare to Jackson that they were at war and were now opponents. Jackson knew that Lyon would be leading troops to force him out of the capital city. He decided that he should plan an abrupt escape from Jefferson City. Believing that the town was too pro-Union, Jackson and Price ordered their volunteers to muster either at Boonville or Lexington, two strongholds of Southern sympathy. Their thoughts were that if Boonville could be held for a couple of weeks while volunteers built together in Lexington, the State Guard could become an army able to hold Missouri for the Confederacy.
Jackson left Jefferson City on June 13, 1861, just two days in front of Lyon and Blair arriving in four boats with 2, 000 soldiers to take control of the capital. Lyon didn’t want to give Jackson much of a chance to build his army. He continued on toward Boonville with 1,700 of his men. With concern that Jackson’s supporters had artillery near the river, Lyon had his men march the last eight miles into Boonville. As they edged closer to Boonville, the State Guard began to open fire on them.
Under the direction of Col. John Sappington Marmaduke, the States Guardsmen were poorly armed and untrained. Lyon’s men were disciplined and well equipped. Marmaduke wanted Jackson to focus on establishing a base at Warsaw, Missouri, where they could have a better advantage. Jackson was adamant about maintaining a position at Boonville to offer a show of resistance and make a stand whatever the cost.
At 8 a.m. the morning of June 13, the main part of the battle began with a brisk shelling of the rebels by Lyon’s artillery. The artillery occupied the center of Lyon’s column while the Union infantry began moving on either flank. As the State Guard continued to hail firepower onto the advancing Union troops they would realize their lack of arms and discipline as a handicap. The superior military preparation and munitions of the Federal side soon overpowered the ill-prepared State Guard. Marmaduke would make the order to retreat as the battle lasted close to twenty minutes. They continued to fire on the Union forces as they retreated, but that retreat would soon become a disorderly stampede of confusion.
Lyon’s boats began shelling the camp on the banks of the river, discouraging any possible lingering of rebels in the area. When the Union troops marched into the camp, they found food still on the tables and equipment, such as 1,200 pairs of shoes, assorted tents, blankets, and much more.
A mile from town, the Southerners made their last stand at the fairgrounds. The state armory had been relocated from the Capitol to this location by Governor Jackson. The retreating Southerners were forced to leave their only two artillery pieces as they fled the location, a pair of six-pound cannons they never had the chance to use.
Lyon would ride into Boonville to receive the surrender of the town by 11 a.m. that morning. Jackson was exiting the town on the other side, bound for southwest Missouri. The governor would meet up with Price and his troops as they were evacuating Lexington at the same time. Price would realize that the Missouri River valley would not exist as a safe haven for Southern sympathies. They had lost the time they hoped to build their army in the state’s heartland.
During the course of this battle, only three Southerners lost their lives and less than ten were counted as wounded. Five Union soldiers were killed and seven wounded. This victory for Lyon and the Union efforts reaped great consequences. The pro-South state government was defeated and the governor, general assembly and State Guard were sent fleeing southward. The Missouri River was now a Federal forces highway barring potential recruits in the north from joining Price and Jackson in the southwest. Although Jackson would claim authority in the state from a southwestern location at Neosho, the state of Missouri would remain in the control of the Union.
Sources used:
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/169
The first battle of Boonville was not anything to truly write home about, not to the degree of a Bull Run or Gettysburg. But small events can result to large aftermaths. This battle was one of the earliest of the conflict that would soon swing into full bloom and it helped to decide in favor of the Union the uncertain question of Missouri’s ultimate status. Thomas L. Snead would call this event “a stunning blow to the Southern Rights’ people of the State.”
Missouri’s Southern-sympathizing governor, Claiborne Fox Jackson, was busy at work recruiting a pro-Confederate military force, known as the State Guard. His commander of choice would be the former governor, Major General Sterling Price. They would seek to lead Missouri out of the Union and into the Confederacy. Others in the state would work hard to counter Jackson. Two individuals particularly working in this direction were Congressman Frank Blair, Jr. and General Nathaniel Lyon.
Lyon would declare to Jackson that they were at war and were now opponents. Jackson knew that Lyon would be leading troops to force him out of the capital city. He decided that he should plan an abrupt escape from Jefferson City. Believing that the town was too pro-Union, Jackson and Price ordered their volunteers to muster either at Boonville or Lexington, two strongholds of Southern sympathy. Their thoughts were that if Boonville could be held for a couple of weeks while volunteers built together in Lexington, the State Guard could become an army able to hold Missouri for the Confederacy.
Jackson left Jefferson City on June 13, 1861, just two days in front of Lyon and Blair arriving in four boats with 2, 000 soldiers to take control of the capital. Lyon didn’t want to give Jackson much of a chance to build his army. He continued on toward Boonville with 1,700 of his men. With concern that Jackson’s supporters had artillery near the river, Lyon had his men march the last eight miles into Boonville. As they edged closer to Boonville, the State Guard began to open fire on them.
Under the direction of Col. John Sappington Marmaduke, the States Guardsmen were poorly armed and untrained. Lyon’s men were disciplined and well equipped. Marmaduke wanted Jackson to focus on establishing a base at Warsaw, Missouri, where they could have a better advantage. Jackson was adamant about maintaining a position at Boonville to offer a show of resistance and make a stand whatever the cost.
At 8 a.m. the morning of June 13, the main part of the battle began with a brisk shelling of the rebels by Lyon’s artillery. The artillery occupied the center of Lyon’s column while the Union infantry began moving on either flank. As the State Guard continued to hail firepower onto the advancing Union troops they would realize their lack of arms and discipline as a handicap. The superior military preparation and munitions of the Federal side soon overpowered the ill-prepared State Guard. Marmaduke would make the order to retreat as the battle lasted close to twenty minutes. They continued to fire on the Union forces as they retreated, but that retreat would soon become a disorderly stampede of confusion.
Lyon’s boats began shelling the camp on the banks of the river, discouraging any possible lingering of rebels in the area. When the Union troops marched into the camp, they found food still on the tables and equipment, such as 1,200 pairs of shoes, assorted tents, blankets, and much more.
A mile from town, the Southerners made their last stand at the fairgrounds. The state armory had been relocated from the Capitol to this location by Governor Jackson. The retreating Southerners were forced to leave their only two artillery pieces as they fled the location, a pair of six-pound cannons they never had the chance to use.
Lyon would ride into Boonville to receive the surrender of the town by 11 a.m. that morning. Jackson was exiting the town on the other side, bound for southwest Missouri. The governor would meet up with Price and his troops as they were evacuating Lexington at the same time. Price would realize that the Missouri River valley would not exist as a safe haven for Southern sympathies. They had lost the time they hoped to build their army in the state’s heartland.
During the course of this battle, only three Southerners lost their lives and less than ten were counted as wounded. Five Union soldiers were killed and seven wounded. This victory for Lyon and the Union efforts reaped great consequences. The pro-South state government was defeated and the governor, general assembly and State Guard were sent fleeing southward. The Missouri River was now a Federal forces highway barring potential recruits in the north from joining Price and Jackson in the southwest. Although Jackson would claim authority in the state from a southwestern location at Neosho, the state of Missouri would remain in the control of the Union.
Sources used:
http://mocivilwar150.com/history/battle/169
The Battle of Wilson’s Creek
The summer of 1861 saw the entrance of Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon into Jefferson City to establish the governorship of Hamilton Gamble. The elected governor, Claiborne Fox Jackson, had left the capital city two days prior to Lyon’s entrance. Jackson was sympathetic to the South, coming from a family of slaveholders. It was his hope to see Missouri secede from the Union the same way that the states below the Mason-Dixon survey line had done earlier that year. Jackson was actively recruiting male residents of the state to join the fight for the Confederacy. He was serving right along with these volunteers, establishing a militia known as the Missouri State Guard. Jackson’s choice for a military leader was one of his predecessors, Sterling Price. Price had military experience from the Mexican-American War, successfully routing the Mexicans at Chihuahua and in New Mexico. Price began the Civil War opposed to secession, but the events at Camp Jackson earlier in 1861 turned the former chief executive into a staunch secessionist.
The summer of 1861 saw the entrance of Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon into Jefferson City to establish the governorship of Hamilton Gamble. The elected governor, Claiborne Fox Jackson, had left the capital city two days prior to Lyon’s entrance. Jackson was sympathetic to the South, coming from a family of slaveholders. It was his hope to see Missouri secede from the Union the same way that the states below the Mason-Dixon survey line had done earlier that year. Jackson was actively recruiting male residents of the state to join the fight for the Confederacy. He was serving right along with these volunteers, establishing a militia known as the Missouri State Guard. Jackson’s choice for a military leader was one of his predecessors, Sterling Price. Price had military experience from the Mexican-American War, successfully routing the Mexicans at Chihuahua and in New Mexico. Price began the Civil War opposed to secession, but the events at Camp Jackson earlier in 1861 turned the former chief executive into a staunch secessionist.
Lyon was bent on defeating Jackson and keeping Missouri in the Union. After arriving at Jefferson City, the Union leader would continue after Jackson to Boonville, orchestrating the Battle of Boonville. The use of gunboats would help the superior force of Lyon’s Union troops to take possession of the town and send Governor Jackson, the State Guard, and the pro-slavery general assembly from the central part of the state toward the Southwest. Lyon used regular Army and Federally enrolled volunteers from the state as his soldiery. Many of the volunteers were ethnic Germans, mostly from the immigrant population in the St. Louis area. While Jackson’s pro-Confederate force was known as the Missouri State Guard, Lyon’s force was known the Home Guard. This can create some confusion for students, as the names are somewhat similar.
Brig. Gen. Benjamin McCulloch (CSA)
Confederate Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch was in charge of a force of more than 12,000 men in the area of Springfield in early August of 1861. McCulloch needed a large enough area to camp this force and collect necessary information on the Union efforts. That location was found twelve miles from Springfield near where Telegraph Road crossed Wilson Creek. Sterling Price would talk McCulloch into attacking the Union army located in Springfield during the night. It was planned for the evening of August 9th, but McCulloch called it off when a light rain started to fall. Many of his men had ancient flintlocks and muzzleloaders and he was concerned about their ammunition getting too wet to work.
The Union soldiers in Springfield were under the command of Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon. Lyon had requested more troops from his superior officer, Maj. Gen. John C. Fremont in St. Louis. Fremont denied Lyon’s request as he was concerned that the Confederates were building up strength farther south. Fremont ordered Lyon to leave Springfield, but that was not in Lyon’s desires. Lyon felt that if he did leave Springfield his men would get caught in between two Confederate forces. He knew that his soldiers were better trained and equipped but the Confederates had more men. It would be dangerous and men would die if he followed Fremont’s order.
The Union soldiers in Springfield were under the command of Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon. Lyon had requested more troops from his superior officer, Maj. Gen. John C. Fremont in St. Louis. Fremont denied Lyon’s request as he was concerned that the Confederates were building up strength farther south. Fremont ordered Lyon to leave Springfield, but that was not in Lyon’s desires. Lyon felt that if he did leave Springfield his men would get caught in between two Confederate forces. He knew that his soldiers were better trained and equipped but the Confederates had more men. It would be dangerous and men would die if he followed Fremont’s order.
Lyon made the decision to split his army into three units. One would remain in Springfield and the other two would head out the night of August 9th to prepare for an early morning attack. Of the two units that left Springfield that evening, one, 1,200 men strong, was led by Colonel Franz Sigel, the other, 4,200 men, were led by Lyon himself. At 5:00 A.M. that next morning, Lyon initiated his attack on the Confederates. He came in from the west side of Wilson Creek, pushing a small Confederate cavalry back onto “Bloody Hill” and into a retreat.
The site of Sigel's second advancement on Wilson Creek.
Sigel was informed of Lyon’s attack and began his movement from the east of Wilson Creek. When he was within two miles of the Confederates, Sigel’s men opened fire. Through the surprise of this attack, the Confederates abandoned their camp and fled to the north and west. Sigel would be able to block Telegraph Road and keep the Confederates from advancing. Bloody Hill would become the site of the most intense of the fighting on that August day.
At one point of the battle, McCulloch sent part of three different regiments to force Sigel from the fight. Sigel would make a detrimental error as the Confederates advanced toward his troops. The First Iowa Infantry were sent by Lyon to serve as reinforcements. First Iowa were known to wear gray uniforms. As the Third Louisiana Confederates came into view of Sigel, he thought they must be First Iowa. He ordered his men to hold their fire. This allowed the Third Louisiana at forty yards to open fire on Sigel and his men. The Union troops were caught unaware and unprepared. They broke into a retreat and lost five of their six cannon. Sigel’s hold on the eastern side of Wilson Creek was lost.
One hour after the battle lines had been established, 600 Missouri State Guardsmen attacked Lyon on the right flank. There would be three Confederate counterattacks waged on Bloody Hill that day. By the end of these counterattacks, Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon would be dead, killed by a musket ball. Lyon would be the first Union general to give his life in the war.
One hour after the battle lines had been established, 600 Missouri State Guardsmen attacked Lyon on the right flank. There would be three Confederate counterattacks waged on Bloody Hill that day. By the end of these counterattacks, Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon would be dead, killed by a musket ball. Lyon would be the first Union general to give his life in the war.
Site of Lyon's death
Within a short time after Lyon’s death, the remaining Union leaders would put practically every solder on the front. This didn’t stop the determination of the Confederates and at some points they would get within twenty feet of the Union line. Even with their large numbers of troops and their determination, the Confederates could not break the Union line and would draw back.
11:00am that morning, the Confederates would draw completely back to reorganize. The Union forces were low on ammunition, their leader was dead, and Sigel had been squelched. It was decided for the Union soldiers to retreat back to Springfield and then on to Rolla. Both sides had suffered great casualties, with the Union losses being 1,317 and the Confederate losses lay at 1,222.
11:00am that morning, the Confederates would draw completely back to reorganize. The Union forces were low on ammunition, their leader was dead, and Sigel had been squelched. It was decided for the Union soldiers to retreat back to Springfield and then on to Rolla. Both sides had suffered great casualties, with the Union losses being 1,317 and the Confederate losses lay at 1,222.
As the first major battle west of the Mississippi, the Battle of Wilson’s Creek set into motion cataclysmic events. The Union army fell back to the northeast about one hundred miles. The Confederate general, McCulloch went back to Arkansas. Price took his men northward and the Battle of Lexington awaited him in in September. Governor Claiborne Jackson and his legislature would meet in Neosho and pass an order of secession. Since there sat a provisional Union government in Jefferson City, there was little concern about Jackson’s order from the Union leaders. Missouri did remain in the Union throughout the war.
Sources used:
Kennedy, Frances H. ed. (1990). “The Civil War Battlefield Guide.” New York: Houghton Mifflin Co.
Sources used:
Kennedy, Frances H. ed. (1990). “The Civil War Battlefield Guide.” New York: Houghton Mifflin Co.
The First Battle of Lexington aka The Battle of the Hemp Bales
With the death of Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon at Wilson Creek, the Union forces in Missouri experienced a period of upheaval during the middle of August 1861. Price remained actively engaging in battles throughout the state. One of these battles would happen in September of that year, at Lexington, Missouri.
The Battle of Lexington, Missouri, fought on September 18-20, 1861, was a victory for the Missouri State Guard (MSG) in the early stages of the Civil War. In the short term, the victory boosted the spirits of Missouri secessionists, but the State Guard failed to leverage any long-term gains from the “Battle of the Hemp Bales,” so called because the MSG used hemp bales to encircle the federal position at Lexington.
A combined Confederate and MSG force, commanded by Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch and Major GeneralSterling Price, respectively, had defeated a smaller Union force at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek on August 10, just outside of Springfield. The federals retreated toward Rolla, abandoning central Missouri, but Price and McCulloch could not agree on a subsequent plan of action. Price wanted to move to Lexington, located in the heart of the “Little Dixie” region and thus friendly to the State Guard, and bring in recruits from north of the Missouri River.
McCulloch believed the State Guard was little more than an armed mob and should focus instead on Missouri’s official secession so it could receive arms, training, and equipment from the Confederacy. Furthermore, McCulloch argued, his orders stated he was to protect Arkansas and the Indian Territory from Union invasion, not invade Missouri – still a part of the United States. McCulloch only aided the MSG at Wilson’s Creek because, in his superiors’ view, a foreign country, Missouri, formally requested the Confederacy’s aid against outside aggression (the U.S.).
Already on shaky legal ground due to the fact that Missouri had not seceded, and with no imminent federal threat, McCulloch saw no legal reason to aid the State Guard in its attack on Lexington—especially since in the immediate aftermath of Wilson’s Creek the only troops in Lexington were Missouri-raised federal troops. If Missouri formally seceded and joined the Confederacy, the legal wrangling would be a moot point. Finally, McCulloch believed that the MSG would gain new recruits, but it could not equip, train, and feed them, thus capturing Lexington would yield little benefit to the State Guard.
Missouri’s pro-secession Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson had another reason to go to Lexington: money. The federals confiscated over $900,000 from the Lexington Bank to forestall the secessionist government’s acquisition of the funds. Jackson argued that the U.S. confiscation was illegal. Additionally, the pro-secession Missouri State Legislature passed a bill that gave local banks relief, if they in turn loaned the state a portion of their holdings. This “loan” amounted to $37,000, and Jackson meant to collect that money and deny the federals the rest of the $900,000. Jackson’s arguments, along with Price’s natural inclination to reach for military glory, decided the matter in favor of moving on Lexington.
Price knew that Lexington was not strongly held by federal forces. Union Colonel James A. Mulligan moved his 23rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry into Lexington on September 8, finding the 1st Illinois Cavalry and approximately 350 Missouri Home Guards already in and around the town. Two companies of Major Robert T. Van Horn’s Missouri Battalion trickled in before Colonel Everett Peabody’s 13th Missouri made it to Lexington, just ahead of Price and the 15,000 strong MSG on September 11. That gave Mulligan, the ranking U.S. officer, roughly 3,500 men, seven six-pound cannons, and two mortars. He realized he needed more of everything, so he started the men digging extensive fortifications on September 11, on and around College Hill, home of the Masonic College, which became Mulligan’s headquarters.
The MSG arrived on September 12 and skirmished inconclusively with the federals. Price decided to try one attack on Mulligan’s fortifications, which failed and convinced Price his men needed rest and more ammunition. With few supplies close by, Price had the men bivouac south of town on the Lexington fairgrounds to await supply, ammunition trains, and reinforcements. Both sides held councils of war on the night of the 12th. The federal commanders voted to abandon Lexington, but Mulligan overruled them. The MSG leaders voted to surround the federals, but not to attack. By September 18, Price received ammunition and reinforcements, bringing the State Guard’s strength to between 15,000 to 20,000 men. Price waited no more.
The MSG began its attempt to evict the federals from Lexington in earnest on the morning of the 18th. The State Guard opened an artillery bombardment on the federal position atop College Hill at 9 a.m., and Price ordered his men to capture the Anderson House, a prominent three-story, brick structure that lay just outside of Union lines. The federals used the house as a hospital and marked it as such. Since no armed men were in the house, the MSG easily took it and used it as a platform for harassing small-arms fire. This infuriated Mulligan, who believed the State Guard violated the rules of war in attacking a hospital, and he sent Company B of the 23rd Illinois to recapture the house. The MSG men who occupied the house were quickly routed, but the 23rd Illinois soldiers executed three of the captured State Guard forces. Price decried this as an “act of savage barbarity.”
It was during this struggle over the Anderson House that bugler George Henry Palmer, of Company G, 1st Illinois Cavalry, won a Medal of Honor. Palmer volunteered to lead the assault party despite not being a member of the 23rd Illinois. Eventually Price ordered the Anderson House re-taken, and later in the day the MSG attacked with overwhelming force and evicted the federals for good.
The MSG moved to consolidate its position and tighten the noose around the Unionists. After capturing the Anderson House, State Guard Colonel Ben Rives sent his men to the Missouri River to capture a steam boat and ferry, both loaded with supplies. In doing so, they also cut the federals off from the closest spring to their lines—and in the process denied the federals any water sources. This proved to be crucial to the outcome of the battle, as the federals had strong fortifications, superior weaponry (many of the MSG were armed with their own hunting rifles and shotguns) and food. But they could not go long without water.
With their lone water source cut off, the only chance the federals had of keeping Lexington was if the State Guard encirclement was broken. Major General John C. Frémont, who commanded the Union Department of the West, which included Missouri, ordered three different detachments from various parts of Missouri and Kansas to relieve the Lexington garrison. None of their efforts were strong enough to break through and lift the State Guard’s encirclement. With no water and no reinforcements, it was only a matter of time.
The federals dug two wells within their defensive perimeter in a desperate search for water. Both came up dry. On the evening of the 19th, MSG Brigadier General Thomas Harris, or someone in his 2nd division, originated the idea of using hemp bales as a moving fortification. Soaked in water, the hemp bales were very heavy, but they were also fireproof and impervious to cannon and small arms fire. Other division commanders quickly adopted the idea, and soon a hemp ring surrounded the federal position atop College Hill. The ring gradually tightened, and the Unionists were powerless to stop the MSG’s advance. The situation looked bleak for the federals as the sun went down on September 19th.
The State Guard decided to attempt one more assault upon the federal fortifications the following day. Harris’s men, who were the closest to the Unionists, stormed the trenches—and were thrown back. After repulsing the MSG attack, a white flag appeared on the fortifications. There was confusion about who put it up, as Mulligan did not. When Price asked Mulligan if he was willing to surrender, the flustered federal commander stated that he thought Price was surrendering. When the confusion was sorted out, it was Major Frederick Becker of the Missouri Home Guards (U.S.) who put up the white flag. Mulligan called an impromptu council of war, and by a vote of 6-2, his subordinate officers voted to surrender (Mulligan voted not to surrender). Realizing his hopeless situation, Mulligan reluctantly agreed to immediate unconditional surrender.
With the victory, the MSG gained badly needed ammunition and supplies, not to mention the $900,000 confiscated from the Lexington Bank. But in the end, McCulloch had been right, as Price could not feed and equip the many men who joined during the engagement at Lexington. The State Guard moved back into the southwest corner of the state, and that’s where it was when the federal Army of the Southwest began the Pea Ridge campaign in January 1862.
Source derived from:
http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/content/battle-lexington