Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War. Volume 1.

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Chapter 23: the War in Missouri.-doings of the Confederate Congress. --Affairs in Baltimore.--Piracies.

• Treasonable work in Missouri, 538.
-- Bird's Point fortified -- Generals Pillow, Polk, and Pope, 539. -- General Lyon's expedition to the Interior of Missouri, 540. -- battle near Booneville, 541. -- Governor Jackson gathering insurgents -- Major Sturgis in pursuit of them, 542. -- condition of Affairs in Missouri -- commotion everywhere, 543. -- character of the rebellion -- acts of the Confederate Congress, 544. -- financial schemes of the Confederates, 545. -- origin and character of the Cotton loan, 546. -- retaliatory acts -- the conspirators' head -- quarters transferred to Richmond, 547. -- Davis's journey to Richmond, 548. -- Davis's speech and residence at Richmond, 549. -- Beauregard's infamous proclamation, 550. -- disloyalty in Maryland, 551. -- martial Law in Baltimore -- arrest of Marshal Kane -- the Police Commissioners, 552. -- Colonel Kenly -- arms secreted -- arrest and imprisonment of Police Commissioners, 553. -- disloyal Marylanders in Richmond -- flag presentation, 554. -- pirates on the Chesapeake, 555. -- piratical operations en the ocean, 556. -- capture of the Savanntah, 557. -- capture and destruction of the Petrel -- increase of the National Navy -- iron-clad vessels of War, 559. -- wants of the Navy supplied, 560.

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Let us turn for a moment from the contemplation of the aspect of affairs in Virginia, and in the immediate vicinity of the National Capital, to that of the course of events in the great valley of the Mississippi, and especially in Missouri, where, as we have observed, the loyalists and disloyalists had begun a sharp conflict for the control of the State, early in May. The first substantial victory of the former had been won at St. Louis, in the loyal action of the State Convention,¹ and in the seizure of Camp Jackson ;² and its advantages, imperiled by the treaty for pacification between Generals Harney and Price,³ were secured by the refusal of the Government to sanction that arrangement, and of General Lyon to treat with the disloyal Governor Jackson. The latter plainly saw the force of this advantage, and proceeded immediately to array the State militia, under his control, in opposition to Lyon and his troops and the General Government, and, by the violence of immediate war, to sever Missouri from the Union.

As we have observed,⁴ Governor Jackson, by proclamation, called “into the service of the State”

July 12, 1861.

fifty thousand of the militia, “for the purpose of repelling invasion,” et coetera; in other words, he called into the service of the disloyal politicians of Missouri a host of men to repel the visible authority of the National Government, in the form of United States troops and regiments of loyal citizens of the Commonwealth. The Legislature worked in harmony with him, and various moneys of the State, such as the School Fund, the money provided for the payment of the July interest of the State debt, and other available means, to the amount of over three millions of dollars, were placed at the disposal of the conspirators, for military purposes. Jackson declared in his proclamation that his object was peace; that he had proposed the fairest terms for conciliation, but they were rejected, and that now nothing was left for him to do but to resist “invasion” by force of arms. At Jefferson City, the capital of the State, he raised the standard of revolt, with General Sterling Price as military commander.

General Lyon promptly took up the gauntlet cast down by the Governor. He had already taken measures for the security of the important post at