Missouri Based on Land Of- ﬁce Department Surveys

Home , Claiborne Fox Jackson, Department of the West, Franz Sigel, Home Guard (Union), Missouri State Guard, Nathaniel Lyon

## A State with Two Stars: Library of Congress Library of Congress

Above, from left to right, an 1861 National Park Service map of Missouri based on Land Of- ﬁce Department surveys. Claiborne Fox Jackson, governor of Missouri when Fort Sumter, S.C., fell in 1861, was a Southern sympathizer in a slaveholding state already divided over the slavery issue. BG Nathaniel Lyon, then a captain in the 2nd U.S. Infantry, commanded the U.S. Arse- nal in St. Louis and strengthened its defenses to keep it from the South. Suspecting Confederate gun smuggling to take the arsenal, CPT Lyon gathered a force and captured Mis- souri militia men outside St. Louis. Right, a sketch depicts a mob attack- ing Federal troops escorting militia members to the arsenal for holding in May 1861. CPT Lyon’s operation soured the citizenry on the Union and ignited pro-South sympathy. Far right, three months later Northern and Southern troops clashed in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek (Oak Hills), the bloodiest battle yet fought in the West, which gave the Confederacy control of southwestern Missouri. Library of Congress

50 ARMY I August 2011 Missouri’s War Within a War

issouri was divided long before the Civil War began. Admitted to the Union in 1821 under the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which allowed Mits entry as a slaveholding state, Missouri re- mained internally fractured over the issue of slavery. Governorship of the state had swung between pro-North and pro-South officeholders; at the time of the fall of Fort Sumter, S.C., the governor, Claiborne Fox Jackson, was de- By Dennis Steele cidedly pro-South. Gov. Jackson, at most, tried to maintain a Senior Staff Writer thin façade of neutrality at the war’s outset as his immediate predecessor had set Missouri on a policy course of “armed neutrality”—with the state declaring that it would defend it- self from aggression from any quarter. Nevertheless, a state convention held in March 1861 overwhelmingly voted that it was in Missouri’s best interest to stay in the Union. As governor, Jackson was bound by the convention’s deci- sion, but he believed that public opinion in Missouri in- evitably would shift toward secession. He leaned toward in- stigating that shift by means other than political, if necessary. When Sumter fell and President Lincoln called for Mis- souri to provide four regiments to the Union cause, Jack- son refused and continued a push for the U.S. Arsenal in St. Louis to be peacefully transferred to state control. Then- CPT Nathaniel Lyon had recently taken command of the arsenal, however, and on the night of April 26 most of the arsenal’s arms had been sent across the Mississippi River to Illinois for safety. CPT Lyon was clearly not inclined to give the keys to the governor, and he strengthened the arsenal’s defenses. (Lyon, commanding Company D of the 2nd U.S. Infantry, is said to have wrangled his way into command of the arsenal through political connections.) In the meantime, Jackson arranged a secret arms deal through emissaries with Confederate President Jefferson Davis to give him the heavy guns necessary to take the arsenal and make it “Missouri’s Sumter.” The Confederate weapons, captured from the Baton Rouge (La.) Arsenal, were to go to a pro-South faction within the Missouri Volunteer State Militia—which was not a wholesale secessionist group—and be delivered during the militia group’s traditional annual muster held just outside the St. Louis city limits. In early May 1861, the militia units came together, and the gathering place was re- named Camp Jackson in honor of the governor. CPT Lyon announced that he had received intelligence about the Confederate arms smuggling, assembled a force largely composed of Home Guard volunteers (about four regiments in strength) and took it upon himself to order a move on Camp Jackson to extinguish the threat posed by the Missouri militia against the arsenal. It was not sanctioned by his higher command. On May 10, 1861, Lyon’s force surrounded Camp Jack- son, and more than 800 members of the Missouri militia U.S. Government

August 2011 I ARMY 51 Jackson saw the legislature as having played into his hands by giving him near-dictatorial power to defend the state. Lyon’s commander, BG William S. Harney, was appalled by the bloodshed and frightened by the Missouri government’s reaction. He sought to reestablish Missouri’s previous neutrality and came to an agreement with MG Price to do so. In effect, the agreement confined federal Union forces to St. Louis and put the rest of the state’s defenses un- Library of Congress Library of Congress der the Missouri State Guard. Incensed Clockwise from above left: MG Sterling by this, a pro-Union congressman sent Price commanded the Missouri State word by backdoor channels to Abra- Guard in 1861, whose mission was to re- ham Lincoln about the proceedings. sist a Union invasion. MG William Selby Lincoln, too, appeared to be appalled; Harney, when still a brigadier general, tried to reestablish Missouri’s neutrality he relieved BG Harney, brevetted Lyon until relieved of command. MG Franz Sigel to brigadier general and gave him tem- was a colonel when he led a Union force porary command of the Department of that captured the city of Springﬁeld, Mo. the West with orders to keep Missouri in the Union with all means at hand. eventually stacked arms and surren- (Recalled to Washington, D.C., Harney dered. A civilian mob—some armed, was captured by Confederate forces on some drunk and armed—stood in the the way and was offered a Confederate way as the prisoners were marched commission. He declined.)

out of camp. Shots were fired from the Library of Congress In early June, BG Lyon and Jackson crowd, killing two Federal troops and three volunteers. The met face to face to settle their personal differences and, per- soldiers fired back, volleying into the crowd and killing as haps, revise the neutrality agreement; the meeting, how- many as 28 people—including one militia prisoner and a ever, descended into a yelling match. BG Lyon stormed out, baby in its mother’s arms, according to a newspaper ac- shouting, “This means war.” count—while wounding more than 100 people. The cap- He declared war on the Missouri state government a few tured militia were then held in the arsenal until they took days later (a move retroactively sanctioned by the Lincoln the oath of allegiance, at which point they were released. administration) and made plans to “evict” Jackson and his rebel government. yon made a mistake in staging a “parade” to show Lyon assembled a force and moved by river boat from off his victory, but he was right about the arms trans- St. Louis to take the state capital, Jefferson City. Another fer. The steamboat J.C. Swan had landed at St. Louis, Union force left St. Louis under COL Franz Sigel, marching Loffloading several plank crates that were marked as toward Springfield, Mo. containing a certain type of marble to account for their Lyon captured Jefferson City unopposed on June 13. weight. The crates, which did contain some ordnance, were Jackson and most of his administration had fled the capital transferred to Camp Jackson under the cover of darkness. to Boonville, Mo., west of Columbia, Mo. A force of the Lyon’s move against the militia was vindicated, but it nascent Missouri State Guard assembled there under the stoked a fire under Missouri’s pro-South movement and personal command of Jackson. Lyon went after Jackson, unleashed general anti-Union sentiment, especially anti- and the forces traded a few shots, but the Missouri militia, Lyon sentiment. ill-prepared for a fight, retreated. The governor appeared The day after the Camp Jackson incident, the until-then to favor survival more than confrontation. pro-Union Missouri state legislature responded angrily. Lyon tarried in Boonville for a couple of weeks, unable Within days, it authorized Gov. Jackson to disband the Mis- to mount a pursuit because of logistics, but a new and de- souri State Volunteer Militia and reform it under the name cidedly pro-Union state government was installed in the of the Missouri State Guard with the mission of resisting a capital to replace Jackson’s administration. On July 22, a Union invasion and putting down “rebellion” by Missouri- special convention composed of Missouri Unionists con- ans who joined Union forces. Command was given to Ster- vened in Jefferson City, voting against secession and de- ling Price, a former governor who had served as a brigadier claring the governor’s seat vacant. A provisional governor general during the Mexican-American War. He was ap- was appointed rather than elected. (Missouri would not pointed to the rank of major general in the Guard. elect another governor until after the Civil War.)

52 ARMY I August 2011 Jackson’s force linked up with another militia column were also a problem; the men were on short rations. Lyon, under MG Price and combined to number about 6,000, but however, ignored MG Frémont’s urging to withdraw to the men were untrained, disorganized and largely armed Rolla, Mo., the nearest operating railhead, to receive sup- with whatever weapons they had brought from home. Two plies from St. Louis. At the same time, he felt that he was un- thousand of them had no arms at all. dercut by Frémont, who refused to send reinforcements or COL Sigel, meanwhile, took Springfield and proceeded replacements. In Lyon’s view, Frémont was ignoring the west to interdict Jackson. He and his 1,100 troops made fight at hand. From Frémont’s perspective, however, elimi- camp near Carthage, Mo. Jackson hatched plans to attack nating the threat posed by the Missouri State Guard and Sigel’s camp on July 5, 1861. It was a short and generally Confederates in southwest Missouri was a distraction from inconclusive battle, but Jackson and the Missouri State his primary mission, which was to protect the Union’s posi- Guard claimed victory. Still, they continued retreating. tion on the Mississippi River and open it for a future strate- Lyon received reinforcements and joined Sigel in Spring- gic campaign into the heart of the Confederate West. field to continue pressure against the Missouri State Guard. MG John C. Frémont, the famed explorer, had arrived to n August 9, 1861, the Confederate Army was take command of the Department of the West, and Lyon nine miles from Springfield, with camps strung was given command of the Army of Southwest Missouri. out along Wilson’s Creek. Lyon realized that he Lyon’s army pinned the militia in the far corner of south- Owould have to pull back soon because of the sup- west Missouri. Jackson and what was left of his administra- ply situation, but he was certain that he would be pursued tion eventually set up a government-in-exile in Neosho, by the Confederates and, perhaps, run down and beaten in a Mo., and in October 1861 issued an ordinance of secession. disadvantageous fight. He also wanted to strike a blow The Confederacy recognized the government-in-exile and while he could, even if it was to cover his withdrawal. its secession, making Missouri its 12th state, with Jackson Both Lyon and McCulloch laid plans to attack the other as governor. A star for the state of Missouri appeared on at dawn the next morning. McCulloch delayed because of both the Confederate and Union flags throughout the war. rain; Lyon struck. (Because Union forces occupied virtually all of Missouri, COL Sigel, a German immigrant trained in Europe, con- Jackson eventually took refuge in Arkansas, where he died vinced Lyon to undertake a daring plan of dividing his infe- of stomach cancer in 1862.) rior force into two wings to attack the Confederate camp on MG Price saw that he could not contest, much less re- its flanks. It was risky, considering that the Federals were out- capture, Missouri with the force he had and sought help numbered at the onset, but Lyon accepted the plan. Lyon left from the Confederate government. Confederate BG Ben- Springfield with approximately 3,600 men and 10 cannons. jamin McCulloch, a swashbuckling former Texas Ranger, Sigel had about 1,100 men in his wing and six artillery pieces. commanded Confederate forces in northwest Arkansas, Lyon’s force marched cross-country. It was spotted by and he received permission to move into Missouri along- Southern foragers, who raised the alarm as the Federals ap- side Price, with McCulloch in command. Other columns of proached a spur of what would be known after the battle as Confederates from nearby states joined McCulloch, bring- Bloody Hill. The main Confederate camp was still nearly ing the South’s army total to about 12,000 men. three-quarters of a mile away. The Missouri State Guard and the Confederates did not Confederate cavalry responded to the alarm, and other mesh well, creating conflicts and eventually splitting com- formations joined to block Lyon’s advance. Lyon sent some mand. In addition, about 5,000 enlistments in the Confed- infantrymen and a few artillery pieces to engage the blocking erate regiments were near expiration. Those men were anx- force and tried to skirt around it with his main body, moving ious to go home, and the whole army was short on farther toward the flank when he spotted Confederate units ammunition. Nevertheless, the Confederates launched an forming on Bloody Hill. He eventually ordered an assault on offensive into Missouri and headed toward Springfield. the hill. Lyon had about 6,000 men under his command, but many of his soldiers had only enlisted for 90 days, and their time, too, was nearly over. Provisions

Near right, as a brigadier general, Benjamin McCulloch, a former Texas Ranger who commanded Confederate forces in northwest Arkansas, moved into Missouri along- side MG Price. Far right, explorer MG John C. Frémont, who took command of the De- partment of the West in July 1861, saw the campaign in southwest Missouri as a distraction from his main mission of protecting the Union’s position on the Mississippi River. Library of Congress Library of Congress

54 ARMY I August 2011 A Kurz and Allison lithograph depicts the death of BG Lyon (on horse- back) in the ﬁerce ﬁghting during the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. The South gained victory as the North effected an orderly retreat, but Missouri re- mained divided throughout the Civil War. Library of Congress eanwhile, the other Union wing had moved into cided that Lyon’s intent—to strike a superior force with a place, completely undetected. Sigel put his ar- spoiling attack to punish the Confederates and cover a with- tillery on a dominant hill. Hearing Lyon’s first drawal to Rolla—had been achieved. He organized an over- Mshots, he opened fire and soon advanced. Overall, all orderly retreat, subsequently rejoining Sigel in Spring- the two wings had achieved the surprise planned—at least, field. The Union Army then pulled back to Rolla without surprise enough. As the sun rose, the Federals had the edge. pursuit. The Confederates organized a belated but determined The Battle at Wilson’s Creek (Oak Hills) had been the rally. bloodiest battle then fought in the West. Both sides suf- As Lyon advanced up Bloody Hill, Sigel’s artillery was fered significant casualties. Each side sustained more than in position to support the attack, hitting the Confederates 250 men dead and about 1,000 wounded, captured or miss- from the rear and breaking up their line. But Sigel soon ing—more than 2,500 casualties in all. ceased fire in fear of hitting his own men. (As in the previ- Following the Battle of Manassas by mere weeks, the ous battle at Manassas, Va., regiments on both sides were Battle at Wilson’s Creek was further evidence that it would wearing a variety of uniforms, and it was difficult to tell be a long and bloody war. one side from the other.) Missouri would continue to be contested and divided, The tide of the battle was about to swing. providing sympathy, supplies and volunteers to both sides McCulloch led an attack against Sigel, using low ground for battles far away. Within the state, bloodshed would as cover to approach and then quickly surprising Sigel in a continue throughout the war. The threat to Missouri posed rush that pushed the Federals back and drove them away. by conventional Confederate forces eventually would be Price was leading the fight against Lyon on Bloody Hill. worn down and snuffed out, but the conflict would de- Lyon increasingly was put on the defensive as more Con- scend into a brutal partisan/guerrilla bloodletting that federate and Missouri State Guard units joined the fight. would last until the end of the Civil War and appear after- Union regiments held the flanks, but the center was giving ward in different guises. way. Lyon was slightly wounded in the head and hand, Lyon’s action at Camp Jackson is often blamed for spark- and his horse was shot from under him. Lyon mounted an- ing the state’s conflict; given all the factors, however, Mis- other horse and led reinforcements to shore up the center souri was destined to fight its war within a war. of his line. Amid the mélee on Bloody Hill, Lyon’s body was forgot- The maneuver succeeded in pushing back the Confeder- ten by his men and left behind. Found by the Confeder- ates, but at a cost. Lyon, hit again (this time by a cannon- ates, he was buried temporarily on a Unionist’s farm near ball), lay dead. Command passed to MAJ Samuel Sturgis. Springfield. Eventually, BG Lyon—noted as the first Union McCulloch, having dealt with Sigel, joined Price and the general to die in the Civil War—was returned to his home Missouri State Guard at Bloody Hill and continued the at- in Connecticut and interred in his family plot. About tack. Price was wounded, leading from the front. The Union 15,000 people attended the funeral, nearly the same num- force held out for nearly two more hours, but Sturgis de- ber of soldiers who fought at Wilson’s Creek. (

56 ARMY I August 2011