In 1861, Union Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon marched through the divided slave state Missouri en route to St. Louis. Lyon was to arrest a state militia unit at Camp Jackson that planned to raid a federal arsenal in the city. Upon capturing the men, Lyon’s troops encountered crowds of hostile citizens and, after a gun shot, they fired on the mob, killing at least 28 civilians in what is now known as the Camp Jackson affair, or the St. Louis massacre.
In this book, the author describes partisan activities leading to hostilities, promotes awareness about the history of slavery in America, and explores political divisions still evident in American culture. Previously unpublished materials about Governor Claiborne Jackson are included, as well as the role of Montgomery Blair in the fight for Missouri, an analysis of the number of arms in the St. Louis Arsenal and the unknown total number of casualties of the St. Louis massacre.

Kenneth E. Burchett is a retired professor emeritus from the University of Central Arkansas and is the author of 12 books. He lives in Branson, Missouri.

Kenneth E. Burchett
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 334
Bibliographic Info: 69 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-9465-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5265-8
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments ix
Preface 1
Introduction 3
◆ A Less Perfect Union ◆
1. Certain Unalienable Rights 7
2. One Boundless Cotton Field 13
3. ­Trans-Mississippi Warning 21
◆ Article IV ◆
4. The Land Between Them 27
5. Two Squirrel Guns and a Revolver 34
6. “A heap o’ trouble” 41
◆ Perils of Bondage ◆
7. The Augury 47
8. Matters of Opinion 57
9. Center State Outlier 62
◆ Politics of Conflict ◆
10. 1860 71
11. Choosing Sides 79
12. The Arsenal 86
◆ Unconditional Men ◆
13. House of Blair 95
14. “I’ll blow it to hell first” 102
15. Captain Lyon 113
◆ Turning Point ◆
16. Upsurge 121
17. Hayfoot and Strawfoot 128
18. Boomerang Convention 137
◆ Forces of War ◆
19. Trouble in Charleston Harbor 149
20. Point Counter Point 158
21. Home Guard Volunteers 167
22. Illinois Strategy 173
◆ Power Grab ◆
23. The Germans 181
24. Lindell Grove 193
25. Forcing Move 204
◆ Fateful Decisions ◆
26. March on Camp Jackson 213
27. Showdown at Lindell Grove 220
28. Captain Lyon’s Blunder 226
29. Hostile Defiance 232
◆ The St. Louis Massacre ◆
30. Black Friday 241
31. Casualties 247
Epilogue 253
Chapter Notes 257
Bibliography 309
Index 319