MISSOURI’S GOVERNOR AND THE CIVIL WAR

Understanding the early years of the Civil War in Missouri is a little easier if you meet the Governor, Claiborne Fox Jackson, and know where he stood on the issues leading to the Civil War. 

Born in 1806 in Kentucky, his father was a wealthy tobacco plantation and slave owner.  In 1826, along with several of his brothers, he moved to Missouri.  He was elected to the state senate in 1848 as leader of the pro-slavery Democrats.   In 1857, Jackson became Banking Commissioner of Missouri and in the fall of 1860 he resigned that position to run for governor. Jackson campaigned, and was elected, as a Douglas Democrat on an anti-secession platform.

Although, as a Douglas Democrat, he presented himself during his campaign as a supporter of the Union, in his inaugural speech, he made it clear that he was determined to support the South even though a majority of Missouri’s voters, at that time, rejected secession.  After his election and after the election of Abraham Lincoln, he pushed for secession. 

Following the firing on Fort Sumter, April 1861, President Lincoln called each state to provide troops to participate in the defeat of the Confederacy.  Missouri was to send 4 regiments. Governor Jackson refused and then called up the Missouri State Militia.  

Beginning April 22, 1861, on orders from President Lincoln, Lyon established 4 regiments of Federal Missouri Volunteers (most were former members of Republican Wide Awake marching clubs - paramilitary campaign organizations affiliated with the Republican Party during the presidential election of 1860). On orders from President Lincoln, they were issued weapons from the arsenal and the weapons remaining in the arsenal were secretly transferred to Illinois the night of April 24–25, 1861.

Union leaders, realizing that Jackson intended to secede, thought he would try to seize the St. Louis Arsenal.  They appointed Captain (later General) Nathaniel Lyon of the 2nd US Infantry (commander of the St Louis Arsenal) to protect the arsenal.  Lyon prepared, knowing the governor had called on the St Louis secessionist Minutemen paramilitary organization and the local Missouri Volunteer Militia to capture the arsenal.

The State Militia affiliated with the Confederacy was camped at Camp Jackson (named for the governor) just outside of St Louis.  On May 8-9, 1861 a shipment of Confederate artillery arrived at the camp. To Lyon, this was proof of treasonous plotting at Camp Jackson and he marched his Federal Regular troops and Missouri Volunteers to the camp to arrest the militia.  

On May 10, Lyon, with his troops, surrounded Camp Jackson.  Confederate Gen Daniel M. Frost, realizing he was outnumbered, surrendered his militia. Lyon’s men took the members of the militia prisoner and marched them back to the arsenal in St Louis.  

The march back to the arsenal drew crowds and incited a deadly riot known as the Camp Jackson Affair. Some of the onlookers began protesting and throwing items as the prisoners marched. Soon a shot was fired which set off a wave of gunfire. Twenty-seven citizens, 3 militia members, and 2 Federal troops were killed.

The capture of Camp Jackson established Union control in St. Louis, but angered the people of Missouri who felt their home was under attack. This caused greater movement away from the Union and toward the Confederacy.  Representatives of the city petitioned Lincoln for Lyon's dismissal. However the “Unconditional Unionists” of St Louis supported Lyon’s action. Both Unionists and Secessionists quickly prepared for war.

Gen William S. Harney, commander of the Army's Department of the West at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis and Missouri State Guard commander Gen Sterling Price agreed that the State Guard would control most of Missouri (Price-Harney Truce). This truce fired up the concerns of the Unconditional Unionists and led to Harney's removal on May 31, 1861 on charges of disloyalty during the Missouri secession period. 

On June 10, 1861, Lyon met with Gov Jackson and Gen Price at St. Louis' Planter's House hotel in an effort to solve the conflict.  After 4 hours, with no agreement acceptable to both sides, Lyon ended the meeting.  Jackson and Price retreated to Jefferson City, ordering railroad bridges burned behind them. Jackson then called for 50,000 state volunteers for the militia. 

In response, Lyon led forces from St. Louis and captured Jefferson City, the state capital on June 13, 1861. By the time Lyon arrived, Jackson and his supporters, including most of the state legislature, had fled. The state convention passed measures removing Jackson from office and replaced him with Hamilton R. Gamble, who served as Missouri’s provisional governor for more than 2 years.

As Lyon and his Union forces advanced, Col Franz Sigel took command of a unit of Federal troops and moved them from St. Louis to southwest Missouri in an attempt to cut off Missouri State Guard forces retreat to Confederate Arkansas. 

Lyon moved 2 of his battalions, along with 5 infantry companies, 2 rifle companies, and an artillery battery towards Springfield. The Missouri State Guard retreated to Boonville, where a skirmish took place on June 17. Lyon quickly took the town and chased the Missouri State Guard south.   He did not have the logistical support to keep up with the retreating Guardsmen. 

Hearing of the defeat at Boonville, Price, with another group of State Guardsmen in Lexington, were also moving south. Commanding 1,100 Federal troops, Col. Franz Sigel was intent on keeping Missouri in the Union. He heard Gen. Price and the State Guard had left Lexington, MO, and were moving south and that Confederate Gen. Ben McCulloch was moving north to the Arkansas border to support the Missouri rebels.

Sigel planned to cut Price off at Neosho, MO and then turn north to take on Governor Jackson. When he reached Neosho, he found that Price had already escaped south to meet up with McCulloch.  He turned back north to try to hold the Governor with his forces until Gen. Lyon could catch up. 

The Jackson and Price forces met in Lamar MO on July 3, increasing Jackson’s army to 6,000 men, a large number joined along the march south.  Most of the newcomers were armed only with hunting rifles, shotguns, knives and some had no weapons at all.  Jackson did have 7 cannons in his armament.

In Richmond VA, August 1861, Jackson met with Confederate President Jefferson Davis and gained support for Missouri’s Confederate army under the command of Gen Price.  Jackson then accompanied Price’s forces to Lexington and then led a congressional session of what was left of his government in Neosho MO on Oct 28-30.  The bill for secession and membership in the Confederacy was passed during this session.  

 

When Union Gen Samuel Curtis forced Price’s State Guard out of the state in early 1862, Jackson set up his exiled government in Arkansas. It cooperated fully with the Confederacy during the remainder of war; it never again controlled Missouri. Jackson, the only sitting U.S. Governor to lead troops in battle, died of stomach cancer in Little Rock on Dec 6, 1862. 

At first denied a burial in Missouri due to the ongoing war, he was buried in Little Rock's Mount Holly Cemetery. Following the end of the war he was exhumed, and re-interred in the Sappington Cemetery near Arrow Rock MO where he had owned a business and was the town’s first postmaster in 1832.

WEBB CITY, MISSOURI

Driving into Webb City on Rt 66, you immediately notice a town with pride in their heritage.  The large praying hands monument, the flag flying from a 100 ft flag pole, then the area for statuary and monuments  recalling the town’s history, the kneeling miner and the wall dedicated to the electric rail, all located in King Jack Park.

King Jack Park, Webb City’s 144 acre community park, has a fully restored operating streetcar and the depot that is home to the area Chamber of Commerce. The first floor of the power house is now a skating rink and the clubhouse is the headquarters for the Webb City Historical Society. 

The park is home to Parks and Recreation youth baseball, softball, and soccer fields, located near the rodeo grounds and tennis courts.  There are pavilions that serve as a Farmers Market and extensive walking trails.  There are 2 fishing lakes being built next to the Georgia City Bridge in the back of the park.  The Georgia City Bridge is one the oldest all-metal vehicular bridges still in existence in the state of Missouri. Built in 1871, the one span, bowstring arch truss bridge now serves as a walking bridge over Paradise Lake. 

 Webb City, (Webbville), was platted by John C. Webb in September, 1875 and incorporated in December, 1876, with a population of 700. The city was located on a portion of Webb's 200 acre farm.  There, in 1873, Webb discovered lead while plowing.  Twenty years later 700 mines were located within the limits of Webb City and adjacent Carterville and the district ranked first in the production of zinc ore.  

The St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad came to Webb City in 1879, the Missouri Pacific in 1881.  The population increased from 1,588 in 1880 to 9,201 in 1900. 

A.H. Rogers built a mule street car line from Webb City to Carterville, 1889.  It was the predecessor of the Southwest Missouri Electric Railway, established 1893. The Southwest Missouri Railroad network expanded into Galena and Baxter Springs, Kansas, as well as Picher, Oklahoma in 1917. When complete, the electric railroad line encompassed some 94 miles, serving the Tri-State Mining Field. In 1910, Southwest Missouri Electric Railway built a Clubhouse for its employees, which was used for passing the time between shifts. It was equipped with showers, beds, card and pool tables. 

During World War I zinc and lead concentrates produced in the Webb City-Carterville Prosperity District were valued at more than $18 million. Webb City's population increased to some 15,000.

Mining declined during the post-World War I era but in the 1930s, however,  the town  diversified.  A number of factories were enticed to come to the city: leather processing,  shirts, shoes, cigars, boxes, caskets, just to name a few.  The area also expanded into the gravel industry, shipping countless tons of gravel, chat, and sand all over the country. In the 1930's and during World War II, explosives were manufactured by powder plants located near Webb City. 

In 1926, Route 66 was established, which ran right through Webb City's downtown area. Route 66 continues south on US-71 Business Route (Madison Street). 

The Second Battle of Carthage MO - Oct 17, 1863

While not having nearly the impact of the first Battle of Carthage, the second battle had its impacts on the region.

Col Joseph O. (JO) Shelby led a bold Confederate Cavalry raid through Union -controlled Missouri from his base in Arkansas in the fall of 1863. Going as far north as the Missouri River, Shelby and his raiders fought 10 actions against the Union forces and destroyed Union supply bases.

Then, in the Battle of Marshall (MO), Oct. 13, 1863, Union Gen Egbert B. Brown and 1800 soldiers turned back Shelby and his 1,200 cavalrymen in a day-long battle. Union forces attempted to encircle and divide Shelby’s troops, but the Shelby successfully withdrew and escaped approximately 200 miles southwest to Carthage.  They reached Carthage on Oct 17, 1863, setting up camp north of town.  

Early on the morning of Oct 18, 1863, General Thomas Ewing (brother-in-law of Gen. William T. Sherman) with a Union Cavalry force, attempted to block Shelby's returned trip to Arkansas. After an hour of violent action in and around the town, Shelby and his raiders managed to continue their escape to Arkansas.

Carthage continued to experience skirmishes and attacks throughout the war; pro-Confederate guerrillas and raiders returned from their base in Arkansas and burned most of the city, including the courthouse, in September 1864.  The frequent battles and skirmishes lead to the destruction and depopulation of the mineral-rich area.

The First Battle Of Carthage, July 5, 1861

The Civil War in Jasper County MO was a long, bloody era that had killed or driven out all but a handful of people by 1865. The Battle of Carthage was just the first act in the bitter struggle for control of Missouri; the fight was just beginning.  

The first Battle of Carthage, which took place on July 5, 1861 and could be labeled the first real battle of the Civil War.  Although many refer to the First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run), July 21, 1861, as the first battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Carthage was fought 16 days earlier. 

Political views in Missouri were divided, due to its economic connection to the North.  It was also home to a large immigrant German community that voted Republican; most of them were not slave holders and opposed slavery.  Missouri Governor Claiborne Jackson was pro-South; publicly he tried to appear neutral, but the Union suspected he was secretly planning to secede. He had refused President Lincoln’s request to form military units for the Union.  

  

The Battle of Carthage, also called the Battle of Dry Fork, was the only time a sitting state governor led troops against the Union to which his state belonged.  Union forces under the command of Colonel Franz Sigel set against Missouri State Guard forces under the Governor's command.  

Much of the Confederate success can be given to the new battle tactics used by General Joseph Orville "JO" Shelby and his rangers. During the "Bleeding Kansas" struggle, he organized the pro-slavery Blue Lodge group, a company of border ruffians.

Colonel Franz Sigel arrived at Carthage with 1,100 well-armed German-American soldiers and 8 cannons.  They made camp southeast of the town July 4, 1861. That evening, Sigel learned that Jackson and his men were camped 15 miles north of Carthage.

Born in Germany, Sigel, a skillful politician was a leader in the failed insurrections of 1848 in his native country.  After the insurrection was crushed by the Prussians, Sigel fled and in 1857 he came to St. Louis to teach at the German-American Institute and, like many German immigrants, joined the Republican Party.  They were an important political constituency in the 1860 election.

Sigel rallied German-Americans to the Union cause in 1861 with the slogan, "I goes to fight mit Sigel."  He was rewarded by being appointed colonel of the 3rd Missouri Infantry, one of several regiments of 90-day volunteers raised under the direction of Union General Nathaniel Lyon to expel Confederates from the state of Missouri. 

When Governor Jackson heard that Sigel was also at Carthage, he made plans to attack the smaller Union force. On the morning of July 5, the rival armies met 10 miles north of Carthage.  The State Guard raised 2 Confederate battle flags, one on either end of their line that stretched for over 1/2 mile.  Sigel’s men formed a battle line and moved within 800 yards of the State Guard troops.

Before he could open the battle, Sigel encountered a skirmish line under the command of Gen Shelby.  Shelby, with 150 men, rode between the two forces and made moves toward the Union lines. This activity drew Union artillery fire causing the Union forces to waste shot and powder defending against a believed threat.  Although a small action, it became the 'trademark' of Gen. Shelby and his "Iron Brigade."  

After pushing back Shelby's line, Sigel opened with his artillery; Jackson replied in kind. The artillery duel lasted about an hour.  Jackson and the State Guard charged Sigel's brigade. Rather than let himself be surrounded and cut off from his supplies, Sigel began a retreat back across the creek towards Carthage.  Jackson had his men divide up to surround the Union force.  

The battle continued throughout the day until both sides faced off in the town square. At this point, Sigel received word that there was a large group of Jackson's troops moving into the woods outside of town.  Jackson had sent his 2000 unarmed volunteers into the woods to take shelter. Sigel unaware they were unarmed ordered a retreat.  The State Guard pursued; Sigel conducted a successful rearguard action. By evening, Sigel was back in Carthage but that night he retreated to Sarcoxie.

From the battlefield maneuvers and pursuit to Sarcoxie, Shelby's rangers "snatched the victory at Carthage from Sigel."  The battle had little meaning, but the pro-Southern elements in Missouri, anxious for any good news, championed their first victory. A Confederate victory increased recruitment for Southern regiments. 

With Sigel retreating, Jackson and his men had a clear path south to join up with his Confederate allies, Generals Price and McCulloch.  

The stage was set for the "Bull Run of the west," the Battle of Wilson's Creek, one month later, near Springfield, MO.

Estimated Casualties: 244 total, 44 Union and 200 Confederate