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MISSOURI EVIEW HE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI, COLUMBIA THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF MISSOURI The State Historical Society of Missouri, heretofore organized under the laws of the State, shall be the trustee of this State-Laws of Missouri, 1899, R.S. of Mo., 1969, chapter 183, as revised 1978. OFFICERS, 1998-2001 LAWRENCE O. CHRISTENSEN, Rolla, President JAMES C. OLSON, Kansas City, First Vice President SHERIDAN A. LOGAN, St. Joseph, Second Vice President VIRGINIA G. YOUNG, Columbia, Third Vice President NOBLE E. CUNNINGHAM, JR., Columbia, Fourth Vice President R. KENNETH ELLIOTT, Liberty, Fifth Vice President ROBERT G. J. HOESTER, Kirkwood, Sixth Vice President ALBERT M. PRICE, Columbia, Treasurer JAMES W. GOODRICH, Columbia, Executive Director, Secretary, and Librarian PERMANENT TRUSTEES FORMER PRESIDENTS OF THE SOCIETY H. RILEY BOCK, New Madrid ROBERT C. SMITH, Columbia LEO J. ROZIER, Perryville Avis G. TUCKER, Warrensburg TRUSTEES, 1998-2001 WALTER ALLEN, Brookfield VIRGINIA LAAS, Joplin CHARLES R. BROWN, St. Louis EMORY MELTON, Cassville VERA F. BURK, Kirksville DOYLE PATTERSON, Kansas City DICK FRANKLIN, Independence JAMES R. REINHARD, Hannibal TRUSTEES, 1999-2002 BRUCE H. BECKETT, Columbia W. GRANT MCMURRAY, Independence CHARLES B. BROWN, Kennett THOMAS L. MILLER, SR., Washington DONNA J. HUSTON, Marshall PHEBE ANN WILLIAMS, Kirkwood JAMES R. MAYO, Bloomfield TRUSTEES, 2000-2003 JOHN K. HULSTON, Springfield ARVARH E. STRICKLAND, Columbia JAMES B. NUTTER, Kansas City BLANCHE M. TOUHILL, St. Louis BOB PRIDDY, Jefferson City HENRY J. WATERS III, Columbia DALE REESMAN, Boonville EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Eight trustees elected by the board of trustees, together with the president of the Society, consti tute the executive committee. The executive director of the Society serves as an ex officio member. LAWRENCE O. CHRISTENSEN, Rolla, Chairman JAMES C. OLSON, Kansas City WALTER ALLEN, Brookfield ROBERT C. SMITH, Columbia BRUCE H. BECKETT, Columbia Avis G. TUCKER, Warrensburg H. RILEY BOCK, New Madrid VIRGINIA G. YOUNG, Columbia DICK FRANKLIN, Independence MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEW VOLUME XCV, NUMBER 2 JANUARY 2001 JAMES W. GOODRICH LYNN WOLF GENTZLER Editor Associate Editor J. SCOTT PARKER SHANNA WALLACE Information Specialist Information Specialist The MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEW (ISSN 0026-6582) is published quarterly by the State Historical Society of Missouri, 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, MO 65201-7298. Receipt of the MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEW is a benefit of membership in the State Historical Society of Missouri. Phone (573) 882-7083; fax (573) 884-4950; e-mail <[email protected]>; web site <www.system.missouri.edu/shs>. Periodicals postage is paid at Columbia, Missouri. POSTMASTERS: Send address changes to MISSOURI HISTORICAL REVIEW, 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, MO 65201-7298. Copyright © 2001 by The State Historical Society of Missouri COVER DESCRIPTION: In 1864 the Western Sanitary Commission, which provided aid to soldiers, their families, and refugees in the Trans-Mississippi and Western theaters of the Civil War, staged the Mississippi Valley Sanitary Fair in St. Louis to raise funds for their operations. The fair, which attracted support from across the region and the North, proved a financial success. One of the most popular attractions was the Delphic Oracle, a fortune teller's booth, pictured on the cover. Robert Patrick Bender discusses the fair and its background in "This Noble and Philanthropic Enterprise': The Mississippi Valley Sanitary Fair of 1864 and the Practice of Civil War Philanthropy," which begins on page 117. [Photograph courtesy of St. Louis Mercantile Library, University of Missouri- St. Louis] EDITORIAL POLICY The editors of the Missouri Historical Review welcome submission of articles and documents relating to the history of Missouri. Any aspect of Missouri history will be con sidered for publication in the Review. Genealogical studies, however, are not accepted because of limited appeal to general readers. Manuscripts pertaining to all fields of American history will be considered if the subject matter has significant relevance to the history of Missouri or the West. Authors should submit two double-spaced copies of their manuscripts. The footnotes, prepared according to The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed., also should be double-spaced and placed at the end of the text. Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts on disk, preferably in Microsoft Word. Two hard copies still are required. Originality of subject, general interest of the article, sources used, interpretation, and style are criteria for accep tance and publication. Manuscripts, exclusive of footnotes, should not exceed 7,500 words. Articles that are accepted for publication become the property of the State Historical Society of Missouri and may not be published elsewhere without permission. The Society does not accept responsibility for statements of fact or opinion made by the authors. Articles published in the Missouri Historical Review are abstracted and indexed in Historical Abstracts, America: History and Life, Recently Published Articles, Writings on American History, The Western Historical Quarterly, and The Journal of American History. Manuscript submissions should be addressed to Dr. James W. Goodrich, Editor, Missouri Historical Review, State Historical Society of Missouri, 1020 Lowry Street, Columbia, MO 65201-7298. BOARD OF EDITORS LAWRENCE O. CHRISTENSEN ALAN R. HAVIG University of Missouri-Rolla Stephens College Columbia WILLIAM E. FOLEY VIRGINIA J. LAAS Central Missouri State University Missouri Southern State College Warrensburg Joplin SUSAN M. HARTMANN DAVID D. MARCH Ohio State University Kirksville Columbus ARVARH E. STRICKLAND University of Missouri-Columbia CONTENTS "THIS NOBLE AND PHILANTHROPIC ENTERPRISE": THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY SANITARY FAIR OF 1864 AND THE PRACTICE OF CIVIL WAR PHILANTHROPY. By Robert Patrick Bender. 117 "ONE OF THE BEST AND TRUEST CHARACTERS IN THE STATE": JOSEPH LAFAYETTE STEPHENS. By Marian M. Ohman. 140 EUGENE FIELD AND THEATER: THE MISSOURI YEARS. By Lewis O. Saum. 159 BLACK ELECTORAL POWER IN THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL, 1920S-1960S. By Will Sarvis. 182 HISTORICAL NOTES AND COMMENTS Society's 2000 Annual Meeting Held on October 21 203 Society Begins Research Charge to Out-of-State Non-Members 210 Lewis E. Atherton Prize 210 News in Brief 211 Local Historical Societies 212 Gifts Relating to Missouri 223 Missouri History in Newspapers 225 Missouri History in Magazines 228 In Memoriam 232 BOOK REVIEWS 233 Pierpaoli, Paul G., Jr. Truman and Korea: The Political Culture of the Early Cold War. Reviewed by Gerard Clarfield. Christensen, Lawrence O., William E. Foley, Gary R. Kremer, and Kenneth H. Winn, eds. Dictionary of Missouri Biography. Reviewed by Robert W. Richmond. Ferrell, Robert H. Truman and Pendergast; Hartmann, Rudolph H. The Kansas City Investigation: Pendergasfs Downfall, 1938-1939. Edited with an introduction by Robert H. Ferrell. Reviewed by Patrick McLear. Dawson, Joseph C, III. Doniphan's Epic March: The 1st Missouri Volunteers in the Mexican War. Reviewed by Leslie Anders. BOOK NOTES 240 Wilke, Stanley. I Didn't Know That! Naeger, Bill, Patti Naeger, and Mark L. Evans. Ste. Genevieve: A Leisurely Stroll Through History. Todd, Mary. Authority Vested: A Story of Identity and Change in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Naumann, Jakob. Selections From My Journey to America, 1836-1843. Translated by Anna Kemper Hesse. Scott, Quinta. Along Route 66. Wright, Tina, ed. Cardinal Memories: Recollections from Baseball's Greatest Fans. Lee, George R. Slavery North of St. Louis. Pictorial Memories of Henry County, Missouri. WITH PEN OR CRAYON . Inside back cover St. Louis Mercantile Library, University of Missouri-St. Louis Entrance to the Mississippi Valley Sanitary Fair 'This Noble and Philanthropic Enterprise": The Mississippi Valley Sanitary Fair of 1864 and the Practice of Civil War Philanthropy BY ROBERT PATRICK BENDER* By the summer of 1863, civilian morale in the North had suffered seri ous setbacks. Although the Union armies achieved important strategic vic tories at both Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the war's tremendous human cost began to tax Northern patience. Resentment over the draft, as both an intru sive governmental action and a blatant example of class bias, caused public demonstrations to increase in both frequency and violence. In addition to the infamous draft riots in New York City, similar disturbances broke out in other Northern communities. The frustration and violence expressed in *Robert Patrick Bender is an instructor at Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee. He is a doctoral candidate at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, from which he received the M.A. degree in 1993. 117 118 Missouri Historical Review demonstrations at remote locations like Port Washington, Wisconsin, in November 1862 signified the public's war-weariness.1 At the same time, a number of volunteer civilian relief agencies began to run desperately low on the funds necessary to continue their philanthropic work. The executive committee of the Western Sanitary Commission, for example, seriously questioned their ability to continue operations beyond 1864, due to the considerable expense required to administer the many pro grams and facilities under their supervision. In addition, public misconcep tions about the integrity of professional charity organizations led to mistaken suspicions about misappropriation of relief funds and other gifts.2 In the wake of these social,