Joseph W. McCoskrie Jr. - Civil War Missouri Compendium, The: Almost Unabridged

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Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2017 by Joseph W. McCoskrie Jr. and Brian Warren

All rights reserved

First published 2017

e-book edition 2017

ISBN 978.1.43966.372.1

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017948488

print edition ISBN 978.1.62585.845.0

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the authors or The History Press. The authors and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

The real war will never get in the books.

Walt Whitman

CONTENTS

PREFACE

The idea for this book was the product of several discussions over coffee in Fulton, Missouri. Whit had related how Missouri was recognized as the state where the third-most Civil War engagements took place (estimates range from 800 to 1,200 military actions), following only Virginia and Tennessee. As historians and the owner of a bookstore, we were amazed by the number of books, many superb in their painstaking research, on the Civil War in Missouri. But there did not exist a single book to consult, short of combing through the complete 128 volumes of The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records, published from 1881 to 1901. Although we viewed it as impractical to include every recorded military event, readers will find that this book provides a serious overview of the major campaigns and more than 300 military actions. Readers will hopefully gain an appreciation for both the immense price in blood and treasure Missourians paid and how the Confederacys leaders throughout the war and historians today have overlooked Missouris strategic importance.

This book is a roughly chronological overview of hundreds of the documented engagements that took place within Missouris borders. Hence, we believe that including Almost Unabridged as the subtitle is appropriate and suggests that we intend to improve the book in later editions. Throughout, we have tried to represent dates, locations, actors and outcomes as accurately as possible given the source material available, some of which consists of contradictory and inconclusive information. In addition, we hope to encourage our readers to visit the historic locations to expand their knowledge of the actual engagements. In the bibliography, readers will find a plethora of informative websites and excellent travel brochures available for those interested in visiting exact locations of the engagements. Further support for interested readers includes five regional maps and three campaign maps, indicating the approximate locations of military actions and the major campaigns conducted on Missouri soil.

We view this project as one that hopefully will live well beyond the publication of this edition. One of the most exciting things about taking on a project like this is the community of historians and Civil War buffs with whom we will connect to discuss and debate our findings. We have created a companion website that will guide readers to the specific historic locations and act as a communication hub and database for new and updated information. (The website is www.almostunabridged.com and is designed to elicit your feedback.)

Welcome to that fascinating time in American history when the sobering events of the Civil War directly confronted Missouris deeply divided population.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to start off by thanking the United States Army ROTC program and Department Heads Lieutenant Colonels Malcolm Wallace, Eric Overby, Robert Boone and Eugene Snyman for providing me the opportunity to teach leadership and military history to Army ROTC cadets and students at the University of Missouri and Illinois State University.

I am indebted to Jerry Morelock, longtime editor-in-chief of the popular military history magazine Armchair General, who provided me with the concept for compiling a historical guide about the Civil War events that took place in Missouri.

I want to thank Barbara Huddleston, director of the Callaway County Historical Society, for providing access to the historical societys library, where we initially began our research. Local Callaway County historian Martin Northway was an important influence on recognizing the rich heritage that exists in learning the story of the Civil War and its impact on so many local towns and communities in Missouri.

I could not have gained an appreciation for the wealth of Civil War history in St. Louis without the enthusiastic support of St. Louis resident and my navigator Nathan Griffin, as well as John Maurath, director of the Missouri Civil War Museum at Jefferson Barracks.

Obviously, this book could not have been completed without the enthusiastic support and patience of the staff at The History Press, particularly Ben Gibson and Ryan Finn.

Finally, I praise the unselfish, enthusiastic support and encouragement of my wife, Virginia, and our two sons, Brian and Robert.

WHIT MCCOSKRIE

I would like to thank Danielle Kilmer for lending her time and talent to the maps included in this book. I want also to acknowledge the people of the state of Missouri for embracing this California transplant and for exposing me to so much of your states wonderful and rich history.

BRIAN WARREN

INTRODUCTION

Tensions were high in St. Louis, Missouri, on May 10, 1861. It had been nearly thirty days following the firing on and surrender of Federal forces at Fort Sumter to Confederate forces in Charleston under the command of Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard. The attack on Fort Sumter should not have been a surprise to Federal authorities, as South Carolinas governor had demanded the handing over of the fort in a letter to then president Buchanan in 1860.

But Fort Sumter was not the only Federal property the secessionist states of the Confederacy were interested in. In St. Louis, Missouri, stood twenty-two buildings that housed thirty thousand weapons at the largest arsenal of Federal ordnance west of the Mississippi River. Just two months before, in March, Missouris elected representatives held a Constitutional Convention and voted overwhelmingly, ninety-eight to one, neither to leave the Union nor to provide arms or men to either side. The legislators intention was to avoid conflict on Missouri soil, but that wish ignored the fact that Missouri was rich in lead (a vital natural resource for the manufacture of bullets and ordnance) and had more industry, more miles of railroad and more agricultural production than any other state in the Trans-Mississippi region. Furthermore, the three major frontier trailsthe Oregon, Santa Fe and Californiaoriginated in Missouri, making it a strategically critical state for the Federal government to control as America expanded westward.

Although Missouris leaders made clear their desire to remain neutral, the sentiments of Missouris citizens were not so conciliatory. Governor Claiborne Jackson, an outspoken pro-Southern sympathizer who had earlier affirmed that he would stand by Missouris neutrality position, chose in early May to call out the Missouri Volunteer Militia for duty at Camp Jackson. Coincidentally, Confederate president Jefferson Davis sent artillery to support the militia training. Governor Jackson soon learned that the Federal commander, Captain Nathaniel Lyon, had already moved the weapons to a secure location in Alton, Illinois, in late April.

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