Overprotected 1

Logan Cochran

U.S. History

Mr. Esselman

November 13, 2006

The Civil War. Many dark and negative connotations come along with this part of America's momentous past. From states with slavery and segregation to many epic and important battles, the Civil War shaped much of the country we have grown to love today. Some of those battles even hit close to home, including the Camp Jackson Affair, often referred to as the St. Louis Massacre. The Civil War caused riots in the streets and made many Missourians question their views on segregation, slavery and their rights as a state; thus, it helped shape the country, the Midwest and more specifically, St. Louis, Missouri. It all began 40 years prior to the Civil War when the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was signed. This compromise allowed Missouri to enter into statehood as a slave state while Maine entered the country as a free state (Garrison). Though the two states entered with opposing views to create balance in the country, looking at the events which would later occur, balance did not seem present. Some people felt strongly against slavery while others felt it was a right to own slaves, which is represented in the numbers: over 114,000 slaves in Missouri compared to the amount of free African Americans at the same time: barely over 3,500 (Garrison). Slavery had a profound effect on Missouri, strongly separating people based on their opinions on the issue. Missouri became divided into two conflicting state governments, the Union and the Confederacy (Goessle). St. Louis' location played a very important role in the Civil War, as it was right along the Mississippi River, which many people used for traveling and transporting. St. Louis was thriving and population was growing. Many immigrants, both Irish and German, came to St. Louis, longing for new opportunity after the German Revolution and the Irish Potato Famine, which happened some-20 years prior to the Civil War. Then on May 10, 1861 came the aforementioned battle, the St. Louis Massacre. Like the Boston Massacre 91 years before it, the want for independence and change helped spark revolution in the states. Radical Republicans fought for civil rights and opposed slavery. Many of these Radical Republicans were the German immigrants, who opposed native Missourian's neutral views on slavery and secession. They believed there was a need for secession and independence, so when the battle at Camp Jackson, much attention was brought to their opinions. The battle began after Union General, and unapologetic Radical Republican, Nathaniel Lyon demanded that federal troops travel to St. Louis after getting leads that the Missouri State Militia, led by Confederate Governor of Missouri, Claiborne Jackson, wanted to capture the St. Louis Arsenal. It was a hotly disputed arsenal between the Union and Confederate authorities given that it held the largest supply of weapons in the west. Lyon refused to let such a thing happen and immediately called upon many organizations, many made up of the shunned Germans, to prevent the seizing of the arsenal from happening. Many of the weapons were safely moved to Missouri's bordering state, Illinois. (“St. Louis Massacre [Camp Jackson Affair]”). Shortly thereafter, Lyon had approximately 3,000 troops surround Camp Jackson as he went incognito (as a woman; with a veil to cover his beard) to gather information in Camp Jackson (Davis). He found out that the leads he had heard about the seizing of the St. Louis Arsenal were in fact true and immediately called for a plan of action. Lyon arrested over six-hundred St. Louis soldiers without complications. However, to add more sting to the soldiers, he decided to have them march in downtown St. Louis, between two rows of German guards (just to add to the humiliation). Civilians retaliated with rage. They began throwing whatever they could find: rocks, fruit, stones from the ground...everything. Then the bystanders opened fire, directed toward the German guards, who then fired back upon Lyon's orders. Heavy gun shots and thrown debris left more than 25 people dead by dawn--men, women and children-- and countless others injured. In an attempt to end the hostility amongst all the people, Lyon ordered his German guard to cease fire, only to find that they were the only ones who would. People continued to act out, by attacking innocent people and even burning down St. Louis establishments and buildings. The brutality continued for a couple days afterwards and sparked a change in public opinion. The once neutral Missourians had begun to long for secession. Five months later, the Confederates voted to leave to the Union (“St. Louis Massacre”).

Many things provoked the incidents that happened in St. Louis: slavery, secession, two competing governments. The event helped bring many possibilities to the table, such as the idea of ending slavery in the state and secession. The state was divided by race and the Republic. Whether it was the strongly disputed and controversial near-capture of the St. Louis Arsenal or the St. Louis Massacre itself, there's no denying that these events helped change the city we know today.









Works Cited

Davis, Burke. The Civil War: Strange & Fascinating Facts. New York: Wings, December 12, 1988.

Garrison, Webb. 2,000 Questions and Answers About the Civil War. New York: Gramercy, 1998.

Hoessle, Maureen. Under Three Flags: Exploring Early St. Louis History. Virginia Publishing, November 2005.

“St. Louis Massacre (Camp Jackson Affair).” 23 November 2006. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_Massacre>

“St. Louis Massacre.” The U.S. Civil War. 23 November 2006. <http://www.us-civilwar.com/st.louis.htm>