FINAL History of Wildwood 1860-1919 (chapter for 2018 printing) In the prior chapter, some of the key factors leading to the Civil War were discussed. Among them were the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the McIntosh Incident in 1836, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 which led to “the Bleeding Kansas” border war, and the Dred Scott case which was finally decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1856. Two books were published during this turbulent pre-war period that reflected the conflicts that were brewing. One was a work of fiction: Uncle Tom’s Cabin or a Life Among the Lowly by Harriet Beecher Stowe published in 1852. It was an anti-slavery novel and helped fuel the abolitionist movement in the 1850s. It was widely popular with 300,000 books sold in the United States in its first year. The second book was nonfiction: Twelve Years a Slave was the memoir of Solomon Northup. Northup was a free born black man from New York state who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. and sold into slavery. He was in bondage for 12 years until family in New York secretly received information about his location and situation and arranged for his release with the assistance of officials of the State of New York. His memoir details the slave markets, the details of sugar and cotton production and the treatment of slaves on major plantations. This memoir, published in 1853, gave factual support to the story told in Stowe’s novel. These two books reflected and enhanced the ideological conflicts that le d to the Civil War. <<<<<Begin: Grant Sidebar>>>>> Ulysses S. Grant was born in Ohio to an anti-slave family. He graduated from West Point Military Academy and fought in the Mexican-American war. As we touched upon in the last chapter, Grant and his wife lived with his in-laws at the White Haven Plantation in the “Gravois” area (present-day location is at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site Missouri located just east of Grant’s Farm). It was at White Haven that Grant was exposed to the workings of a plantation and its economy that ran on slave labor. He witnessed the restriction of liberties first-hand. It was here in the St. Louis area, that laid the groundwork for Grant’s treatment of slaves and freed slaves throughout the Civil War and Reconstruction. “From his growing liaison with the Dents, Grant would be forced to straddle two incompatible worlds: the enterprising free labor economy of the North and the regressive world of southern slavery. An influx of liberal German immigrants had introduced into St. Louis a sizable community of small farmers with an abolitionist bent, sharpening tensions with large planters over slavery.” [Chernow, Grant, p 31] Beginning in 1863, the Grants began purchasing tracts of land of Julia’s childhood home, White Haven. “It was his retreat during the Civil War and throughout his presidency. It would end up being the only home Grant would ever own.” [Wolk, “Following Grant”] <<<<<End: Grant Sidebar>>>>> 1 Railroads The railroads were the life-blood of commerce and the expansion of the country. They were also strategically vital to both sides of the Civil War to move men and material from one battle site to another. The Union had a distinct advantage over the South in this regard. The North had 2.3 times the miles of track than the South did in 1861 at the beginning of the war. The Union forces also had access to resources to repair and rebuild and the South’s resources were greatly restricted by the Union blockades. The railroads became a vital strategic asset for an armed force to keep track, supply centers and road junctions under its control. The Pacific Railroad from St. Louis to Jefferson City was completed in Fall 1855. On November 1, 1855, on its inaugural run to Jefferson City, the dignitary-filled train plunged into the Gasconade River. That bridge was rebuilt in 4 months. The rail line ran close to Eureka coming out of St. Louis and helped make Glencoe village accessible. The line was complete from St. Louis to Kansas City in September 1865. The Civil War raids greatly damaged Missouri’s railways to the extent, plus Missouri’s geography, that it affected St. Louis not being the choice for the route of the transcontinental railroad which opened in 1869. A profile map of the located line of the Labadie and Creve Coeur Branch of the Missouri Pacific Railway, was filed with the county clerk…The profile shows the location of the proposed branch in St. Louis county, from the Franklin county boundary to a junction with the Laclede & Creve Coeur Railroad, at the lake. It runs through the lands of Howell & Link, Bailey, Tyler, Ridgley, Nickerson, Rickard, Schulze, Coleman, Koewing, Bayer, Kroenung, Kram, Becker, Hesse, Lewis, Kessler, Payne, Devinney, Bates, Walton, Obart, Kuhlmann, Talbott heirs, Braun and Stevens. Watchman, February 12, 1886 In 1887 the St. Louis, Kansas City, and Colorado Railroad was built west from St. Louis through the lower reaches of the Wild Horse Creek Valley. This Railroad was built with the support of the Santa Fe Railroad and eventually acquired by the Rock Island Line. The two villages of Monarch and Centaur developed because of the railroad. Rock Island Train through Centaur WHS Image Collection 2 Jefferson Barracks Jefferson Barracks opened in 1826 with temporary quarters. In 1827, it was named after President Jefferson who had died in 1826. In front of the barracks, was the parade field. Additionally, Jefferson Barracks was named the nation’s first Infantry School of Practice. The first unit of a permanent cavalry unit was formed at Jefferson Barracks in 1832. Besides providing training, Jefferson Barracks also provided an area of rest, was the supply station, and recruiting center. Jefferson Davis organized the First and Second Regiments of Calvary in 1855. Other future Confederate officers who served here included Albert Sidney Johnston and Robert E. Lee. “It was from Jefferson Barracks that the famous Old Third Cavalry, with General Robt. E. Lee as colonel, and Albert Sidney Johnson and General Early as majors, with General Winfield Scott Hancock as a captain, and General Fitzhugh Lee as lieutenant, marched out for the war with Mexico. Only a few years later all but Hancock were to become famous Confederate officers.” [Thomas, 1911, pg 412.] Jefferson Barracks, circa 1863, artist unknown Image courtesy of the Missouri Civil War Museum A young Ulysses Grant was posted here after his West Point graduation. He met his future wife, Julia Dent, because his roommate at Jefferson Barracks was Frederick Dent, Julia’s brother. And it didn’t hurt that being stationed at Jefferson Barracks he was relatively close to White Haven. The Civil War brought a hospital in 1862 to Jefferson Barracks and again acted as the Recruitment Depot. The hospital was built to hold 3,000 patients, but by the end of the war over 18,000 would be treated there. Jefferson Barracks continued its role as a major base for the U.S. Army through the Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II. The Barracks were decommissioned in 1946. Jefferson Barracks is also the site of one of the U.S. Military’s oldest cemeteries and has served as the burial place for soldiers from all wars, including Confederate soldiers. The first burial took place in 1827. A Congressional joint resolution established Jefferson Barracks as a national cemetery in 1866. The Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1968. Some veterans from the area that is present-day Wildwood are buried there. 3 Slavery in This Area Missouri was a divided state regarding the issue of slavery. Many non-slaveowners supported slavery as an “accepted system of labor” prior to the Civil War and during the war some slave owners joined in the Union Army’s anti-slavery fight. The latter is evidenced by the example of Frederick Steines. In 1850 Frederick Steines, a German immigrant, was a resident of Boles Township and had a farm in nearby Franklin County. Steines owned two slaves and hired out a third slave, Malinda, from the John C. Coleman estate in neighboring Meramec Township. During the war, however, Steines served in the Union Army as a member of the Missouri Home Guard. On average, 10 percent of Missouri’s population was enslaved prior to the Civil War. The largest enslaved communities were in the central part of the state, in a region known as Little Dixie, where the slave population ranged from 20 to 50 percent of the population. Meramec Township, in western St. Louis County, was 23 percent enslaved in 1850. Slave Kettle: iron kettle, circa early to mid-19th century WHS museum collection, Photo credit: Jill VonGruben, 2018 This kettle was purchased by Joseph Schaedler at a farm auction on one of the Coleman farms in the mid-1900s. The kettle was later purchased by the Wildwood Historical Society at Ervin Schaedler’s farm auction. Oral stories passed down tell us that this kettle was used by local slaves for cooking. Kettles such as this were typically set up in the yard. The handles on the side were designed to raise it over a large fire. Early ownership of this kettle has been attributed to both the Link and Coleman families from the Wild Horse Creek Valley. The kettle shown here is said to have been used by Link’s slaves to make apple butter. The Link family were descendants of Absolom Link (1775-1841) who served as a Mounted Rifleman in the Territorial Militia during the War of 1812.