| DATE |
EVENT |
DESCRIPTION |
MORE INFO |
| February 15, 1764 |
St. Louis founded |
St.
Louis was founded by Pierre LaClede and his step-son Auguste Chouteau with a
land grant from the King of France.
|
It
was a fur trading post. St. Louis was named for King Louis IX. Positioned on
the Mississippi River just below the point where it was joined by the
Missouri River, the new settlement of St. Louis was ideally positioned to
become a powerhouse of commerce for the upper Mississippi and to serve as a
gateway to land further west. Already in the area were French settlers, many
of them slave owners.
To the south of St. Louis, the town of Ste. Genevieve had been settled
between 1735 and 1750, with French fur traders arriving in the area even
earlier. |
| April 30, 1803 |
Louisiana Purchase |
In
1803 the United States paid France $15 million for the Louisiana
Territory--828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River. The
lands acquired stretched from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains
and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border. Thirteen states were
carved from the Louisiana Territory. The Louisiana Purchase nearly doubled
the size of the United States, making it one of the largest nations in the
world. |
See the National Archives Online Exhibit |
| March 9, 1804 |
Joins the United States |
Among the areas added to
the United States was the Missouri area with the thriving French river town
of St. Louis which was actually under Spanish rule at that time. Upper
Louisiana (Missouri) was surrendered to the Americans March 9, 1804 in St.
Louis. In St. Louis the proclamation was read to the people in French and
was greeted by many with tears. Lt. Governor DeLassus, after the transfer,
wrote of the event, "The Devil may take all." French and Spanish citizens
suddenly became reluctant Americans as their national homeland was sold from
beneath their feet to a nation foreign to them. This conflict of
allegiances, and the new Americans regarding America as a foreign nation,
came into play as a factor in Civil War allegiances in their children's and
grandchildren's generation. In Civil War Missouri, there were areas where
French was still the dominant language, and culture.
|
Lion of the Valley, St. Louis, Missouri,
1764-1980by James Neal
Primm
An
interesting and well-written general history of St. Louis.
available from Amazon.com |
| April 4, 1806 |
Jackson |
Claiborne Fox Jackson
born in Fleming County, Kentucky. |
|
| September 11, 1809 |
Price |
Sterling Price born in
Prince Edward County, Virginia |
available from Amazon.com |
| June 4, 1812 |
Missouri Territory |
Part of the territory of
Louisiana became the Territory of Missouri. |
|
| August 2, 1817 |
Steamer Zebulon M.
Pike |
The first steamboat on
the Mississippi river north of the Ohio river reached St. Louis. |
|
| July 14, 1818 |
Lyon |
Nathaniel Lyon born in Ashford, Connecticut. |
available from Amazon.com |
| 1820 |
Missouri Compromise |
The Anti‑Slavery men everywhere, and at that
time there were very many in the Southern States, protested vigorously
against the admission of Missouri into the Union as a Slave State, and
the controversy soon became so violent as to convulse the Nation. In
1818, when the bill for the admission of Missouri was being considered by
the House of Representatives, Gen. James Tallmadge, of New York,
introduced the following amendment:
And provided, That the introduction
of slavery, or involuntary servitude, be prohibited, except for the
punishment of crimes, whereof the party has been duly convicted; and that
all children born within the said State; after the admission thereof into
the Union, shall be declared free at the age of 25 years.
This was adopted by practically all the
votes from the Free States, with a few from the Border States, which
constituted a majority in the House. But the Senate, in which the Slave
States had a majority, rejected the amendment, and the struggle began
which was only ended two years later by the adoption of the famous
Missouri Compromise of 1820, which admitted Missouri as a Slave State, but
prohibited for the future any "Slavery or involuntary servitude" outside
the limits of that State north of 36 degrees 30 minutes [Missouri's
southern border].
- John McElroy, The Struggle for Missouri |
The Struggle for Missouri by John McElroy
available on the Missouri Civil War Reader |
| Feb. 19, 1821 |
Blair |
Francis Preston Blair, Jr. born in Lexington, Kentucky. |
available from Amazon.com |
| August 10, 1821 |
State of Missouri |
Missouri entered the
Union as the 24th state with the temporary capitol in St. Charles. Missouri
was admitted as a slave state. |
|
| October 11, 1821 |
Reynolds |
Thomas Caute Reynolds
born in South Carolina. |
|
| ~1825 |
McCoy |
Arthur C. McCoy born in
Ireland, raised in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Later St. Louis secessionist Minute Man, officer under Shelby, bank
and train robber with the James and Younger brothers. |
More on Arthur C. McCoy |
| ~1830 |
Louden |
Robert Louden born in
Philadelphia. Later a St. Louis secessionist Minute Man, brother-in-law of
Arthur C. McCoy. A secret service agent under General Price, spy and
smugger. Saboteur of Mississippi River steamers as one of the organized
Boat-Burners. Confessed saboteur of the steamers Ruth and Sultana. |
More on Louden in the Boat-Burners |
| April 26th, 1836-November
7, 1837 |
McIntosh & Lovejoy |
Francis L. McIntosh, a
mulatto riverman, lynched by St. Louis mob after he murdered deputy sheriff
George Hammond, who was trying to arrest him. Abolitionist editor Elijah
Lovejoy murdered in nearby Alton, Illinois for continual criticism of
McIntosh lynching. |
More on McIntosh and Lovejoy |
| January 10, 1843 |
Frank James |
Frank James born. |
More on the James-Younger gang |
| January 14, 1844 |
Cole Younger |
Cole Younger born. |
| September 27, 1847 |
Jesse James |
Jesse James born. |
| 1846-1847 |
Wilmot Proviso |
Named for Pennsylvania
congressman David Wilmot. This proposal would have excluded slavery from all
territories acquired as a result of the Mexican War. Passed in the House of
Representatives but defeated in the Senate. Caused great bitterness in both
abolitionist and pro-slavery circles. |
|
| 1853-1856 |
Price - Slavery |
Sterling Price (Democrat)
governor of Missouri. Price, a pro-Union/pro-Slavery man attempts to bridge
the widening gaps that will soon swallow the nation. |
|
| May 30, 1854 |
Kansas-Nebraska Act |
Stephen A. Douglas of
Illinois secured passage of a bill that repealed the Missouri Compromise
and, in its place, divided the remaining land of the Louisiana Purchase into
the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The people of these territories were
authorized to determine the status of slavery according to popular
("squatter") sovereignty. This leads to bloody warfare between pro-slavery
Missourians and northern "immigrant aid societies" struggling for political
control of Kansas and the right to include or forbid slavery in the state
constitution. |
|
| Aug. 27, 1856 |
Brown- Reynolds Duel |
B. Gratz Brown, cousin of
Frank Blair and J. O. Shelby and editor of Free-Soil Missouri Democrat, is
wounded in a duel with pro-slavery U.S. Attorney Thomas C. Reynolds. It is
the last resort to the code duello in St. Louis history. |
Brown- Reynolds Duel |
| 1857 |
Dred Scott Case |
Dred Scott was a slave who had been sold to a family named Emerson who had
lived for years in free territories. In St. Louis, Dred Scott and his wife
Harriet had two children. They sued for their freedom based on the time they
had lived in a free territory. The cases began in 1846 and lasted 11 years.
This
U.S. Supreme Court case decided whether or not Scott was a citizen
and had the right to sue, whether or not he was entitled to freedom, and the
constitutionality of the Missouri Compromise, which established unclear
boundaries of slavery. A majority of the justices decided that Scott's stay
in free states had not made him free. The Missouri Compromise was found to
be unconstitutional on the grounds that it deprived people of property
without the due process of law. Scott was declared to be property and not a
citizen of the United States; therefore, he had no right to sue. Scott's
lawyer before the Supreme Court was Montgomery Blair, brother of Frank
Blair, and later Postmaster General under President Lincoln.
Following the conclusion of the case, the Emersons returned Dred Scott to
his original owners, the Blows. The Blows freed the Scotts. Dred Scott died
of consumption September 17, 1858. |
See this
site from Washington University in St. Louis to see original documents from
the Dred Scott case |
| April 10, 1858 |
Benton |
 Long-time
Missouri political titan, Thomas Hart Benton, dies in Washington, D.C.
Benton's political career was ended over his refusal to "agitate" over the
Slavery question, and his fall from power in the period 1849-1856 presaged
the coming war |
Thomas Hart Benton in
Defense of Dueling |
| August 6, 1860 |
Jackson |
Claiborne Jackson elected
governor of Missouri. Thomas C. Reynolds elected Lt. Gov. Both run as
"Douglas Democrats" (i.e. anti-secession) and not "Breckenridge Democrats"
(i.e. pro-States Rights). |
available from Amazon.com |
| Nov. 1860 |
Lincoln |
Abraham Lincoln elected
President of the United States |
|
| Dec. 20, 1860 |
secession |
South Carolina secedes
from the Union. |
|
| Jan. 9, 1861 |
secession |
Mississippi secedes from
the Union. |
|
| Jan. 10, 1861 |
secession |
Florida secedes from the
Union. |
|
| Jan. 11, 1861 |
secession |
Alabama secedes from the
Union. |
|
| Jan. 11, 1861 |
Federal Troops arrive in
St. Louis |
"Sturgeon's Folly" --
Federal troops arrive in St. Louis to guard U.S. subtreasury in response to
alarm raised by Assistant U.S. Treasurer Isaac Sturgeon. Pro-secession
Minute Men formed in response, Charles McLaren first chairman. |
|
| Jan. 19, 1861 |
secession |
Georgia secedes from the
Union. |
|
| Jan. 26, 1861 |
secession |
Louisiana secedes from
the Union. |
|
| Feb. 2, 1861 |
Arsenal |
Captain Nathaniel Lyon
arrives for duty at St. Louis Arsenal. |
|
| Feb. 13, 1861 |
Militias |
New state law bans
"unauthorized militias" (aimed at
Blair's Home Guards). Minute Men organization (approx. 300 men) mustered
into Missouri State Guard, forming 5 companies under Captains Barret, Duke,
Shaler, Green,
and Hubbard. |
|
| Feb. 18, 1861 |
|
Voting for delegates to
convention to determine whether Missouri would stay in the Union. No avowed
secessionists elected. |
|
| Feb 23, 1861 |
secession |
Texas secedes from the
Union. |
|
| Feb. 28, 1861 |
|
Convention meets in
Jefferson City, but soon adjourns to Mercantile Hall in St. Louis. |
The Missouri
Convention |
| March 4, 1861 |
Lincoln inaugurated |
 Abraham
Lincoln inaugurated 16th President of the United States. Near riot at Minute
Men headquarters as secessionist flag sewn by Arthur C. McCoy's wife, Louisa
Gibson McCoy, flies defiantly at Berthold Mansion. |
The Minute Men |
| March 22, 1861 |
|
Convention adjourns
subject to call of the chair. Final report determines that "That at present
there is no adequate cause to impel Missouri to dissolve her connection with
the Federal Union." |
|
| April 12-14, 1861 |
battle - Fort Sumter |
Confederate troops open
an artillery barrage against Fort Sumter, South Carolina, still in Federal
hands. Major Anderson, commanding the Federal garrison, agrees to surrender
the fort on April 13th. Federal troops evacuate on April 14th. |
Sumter by Peckham |
| April 15, 1861 |
Lincoln & Missouri |
President Lincoln calls
for 75,000 volunteers for 90 days to put down the rebellion. Missouri's
quota is four regiments. |
|
| April 17, 1861 |
Lincoln & Missouri |
Governor Jackson refuses
the Federal government
Missouri's regiments, saying, "Your requisition, in my judgment, is
illegal, unconstitutional, and revolutionary in its objects, inhuman and
diabolical, and cannot be complied with." |
Blair & Lyon
Save the Union |
| April 26, 1861 |
arsenal |
Captain James H. Stokes
transfers all the excess arms at the St. Louis Arsenal to Illinois in the
steamer City of Alton |
The 140 Year Debate Over
the Number of Guns at the Arsenal |
| May 6, 1861 |
secession |
Arkansas secedes from the
Union. |
|
| May 9, 1861 |
Camp Jackson |
Siege guns provided by
Jefferson Davis for the purpose of taking the federal arsenal arrive on the
steamer J.C. Swon in boxes marked "marble" and are taken to Camp Jackson |
|
| May 9, 1861 |
Camp Jackson |
Nathaniel Lyon, dressed
as a woman, scouts the secessionist Camp Jackson. |
Lady in Spurs |
| May 10, 1861 |
Camp Jackson |
 Camp Jackson captured by
Unionist forces. 28 people are killed in fighting/shooting
incident in streets following."A woman and child were
killed outright; two or three men were also killed, and several others were
wounded. The great mass of the people on that occasion were simply curious
spectators, though men were sprinkled through the crowd calling out, “Hurrah
for Jeff Davis!” and others were particularly abusive of the “damned Dutch”
Lyon posted a guard in charge of the vacant camp, and marched his prisoners
down to the arsenal; some were paroled, and others held, till afterward they
were regularly exchanged." --William T. Sherman |
Camp Jackson by PeckhamDescription of the Camp
Jackson events by W. T. Sherman |
| May 12, 1861 |
Jackson - Price |
Governor Jackson appoints ex-Governor --and current president of the State
Convention-- Sterling Price as Major General commanding the Missouri State
Guard. |
|
| May 20, 1861 |
secession |
North Carolina secedes
from the Union. |
|
| May 23, 1861 |
secession |
Virginia secedes from the
Union. |
|
| May 31, 1861 |
Gratiot St. Prison |
McDowell Medical College,
owned by southern-sympathizer Joseph Nash McDowell, was searched and
confiscated by Federal authorities. At first the building was used as a
barracks. In December it was converted for use as a prison. |
Gratiot Street Prison |
| June 8, 1861 |
secession |
Tennessee secedes from
the Union. |
|
| June 11, 1861 |
Price, Jackson, Snead,
Blair, Lyon |
 The
meeting at Planter's House hotel between Gov. Claiborne F. Jackson, Gen.
Sterling Price (accompanied by Col. Thomas L. Snead) and Nathanial Lyon,
Frank Blair (accompanied by Maj. Conant). It ended with Lyon making the
famous proclamation as recorded by Snead:"Finally, when
the conference had lasted four or five hours, Lyon closed it, as he had
opened it, Rather,' said he (he was still seated, and spoke deliberately,
slowly, and with a peculiar emphasis), 'rather than concede to the State of
Missouri the right to demand that my Government shall not enlist troops
within her limits, or bring troops into the State whenever it pleases, or
move its troops at its own will into, out of, or through the State; rather
than concede to the State of Missouri for one single instant the right to
dictate to my Government in any matter however unimportant, I would (rising
as he said this and pointing in turn to every one in the room) see you, and
you, and you, and you, and every man, woman, and child in the State, dead
and buried.'
"Then turning to the Governor, he said: 'This means war.
In an hour one of my officers will call for you and conduct you out of my
lines.' |
Meeting at
Planter's House
The Fight for Missouri by Thomas L. Snead
available on the Missouri Civil War Reader from Civil War St. Louis |
| June 17, 1861 |
battle |
Battle of Boonville,
Missouri. Union victory. |
|
| July 5, 1861 |
battle |
Battle of Carthage,
Missouri. Confederate victory. |
|
| July 26, 1861 |
State Convention |
State Convention - shorn
of almost all but Unconditional Union Men - reconvenes in Jefferson City |
|
| July 26, 1861 |
Fremont arrives |
Major-General John
Charles Fremont arrives in St. Louis to take command of Western Department |
|
| July 30, 1861 |
State Convention |
State Convention declares
vacant all state-wide offices, including governor and lieutenant-governor. |
|
| July 31, 1861 |
State Convention |
State Convention State
Convention appoints Hamilton R. Gamble as provisional and acting Governor,
and Willard P. Hall as Lieutenant-Governor. They are inaugurated the next
day (Aug 1). Missouri now has two governors for her citizens to choose from.
Historian William E. Parrish calls this "one of the most unusual extralegal
actions any state ever witnessed". |
|
| Aug. 5, 1861 |
Jackson |
Governor Jackson declares
Missouri to be an Independent State. |
|
| Aug. 10, 1861 |
battle |
Battle of Wilson's Creek
near Springfield, Missouri. Second major battle of the Civil War and a
significant Confederate victory. Union General Nathaniel Lyon left dead on the
field. |
Battle of Wilson's Creek |
| Aug. 14, 1861 |
martial law |
Martial law declared in
St. Louis. Maj. McKinstry, then acting Quartermaster, appointed Provost
Marshal. |
Justus McKinstry and
His Enemies |
| Aug. 30, 1861 |
martial law |
Martial law declared
throughout Missouri by Fremont. |
|
| Sept. 15, 1861 |
Blair & Fremont |
Col. Frank P. Blair
arrested by Fremont. |
|
| Sept. 24, 1861 |
Gen. Curtis |
Gen. Samuel R. Curtis
assumed command of the city of St. Louis, and vicinity. |
|
| Oct. 3, 1861 |
Provost Marshals |
George E. Leighton
assigned as Provost Marshal of St. Louis. |
Provost Marshals |
| Oct. 8, 1861 |
Boat-burners |
First steamer burned in
St. Louis that is attributed, by Union authorities, to sabotage. |
The Boat-Burners |
| Nov. 2, 1861 |
secession |
Rump session of
pro-southern legislators, meeting at Neosho, passes ordinance of secession
and elects congressmen and senators to the Confederate congress. |
|
| Nov. 2, 1861 |
Fremont relieved |
Fremont relieved of
command. Maj. Gen. Hunter placed in command. |
|
| Nov. 9, 1861 |
Halleck |
Major-General Henry W.
Halleck takes command of Department of the Missouri. Maj. Gen. Hunter
relinquishes command to Halleck Nov. 18, 1861. |
|
| Nov. 28, 1861 |
Missouri, CSA |
Missouri admitted to the
Confederacy. Whether Missouri actually seceded or not depends on
perspective--the state never fully left Union control, nor was it considered
part of the Confederacy by the Union. |
|
| Dec. 4, 1861 |
Provost Marshals |
Col. B. G. Farrar
appointed Provost Marshal General of the Department of Missouri. Capt.
George E. Leighton Provost Marshal of the city of St. Louis. & vicinity. |
Provost Marshals |
| Dec. 10, 1861 |
secession - Kentucky |
Confederates held
meetings in Russellville, Kentucky in late October and mid-November and
established a provisional Kentucky state government that was admitted into
the Confederate States of America on December 10,1861. Its capital was
Bowling Green, but this government withdrew with the Confederate army in
mid-February 1862 and, despite a brief return the same year, spent most of
the Civil War in exile. |
|
| Dec. 22, 1861 |
Gratiot St. Prison |
The first prisoners arrive at Gratiot Street Prison. One dies practically on
the doorstep as the prisoners wait outside in the cold for entry. There were
about 1300 men who arrived in 36 train cars. They were escorted by the 25th
Indiana and 2nd Iowa Regiments. Crowds followed the column, occasionally
cheering for the prisoners. |
Gratiot Street Prison |
| March 6-8, 1862 |
battle |
Battle of Pea Ridge
(Elkhorn Tavern), Arkansas. Heavy Missouri involvement. Significant Union
victory. |
|
| April 1862 |
Halleck |
General Halleck left for
Corinth, Mississippi. General J. M. Schofield in command of most of Missouri. |
|
| Sept. 10, 1862 |
Provost Marshals |
Col. Thomas T. Gantt
appointed Provost Marshal General replacing Farrar. Gantt relieved by Gen.
Curtis on Nov. 1, 1862. Col. F. A. Dick was the next appointed Provost
Marshal General. |
Provost Marshals |
| Oct. 13, 1862 |
Gratiot St. Prison |
Twenty prisoners escaped
by cutting through a wall. Those who escaped were: Nolan, Truelove, Ferlawn,
Smith, Jones, Dawner, Edens, Moody, Davis, Cooper, Pollard, Trussell, Budson,
Farris, Hicks, Sweeny, Breeden, Brooke, Ribbs, Barcom. |
Gratiot Street Prison |
| Oct. 18, 1862 |
massacre |
Palmyra Massacre - ten
prisoners executed in Palmyra, Missouri in retaliation for the presumed
murder of a Union man. |
The Palmyra
Massacre |
| December 7, 1862 |
Jackson |
Claib Jackson dies in
Little Rock, Arkansas. Lt. Gov. Thomas C. Reynolds becomes Confederate
governor-in-exile of Missouri |
|
| March 1863 |
OAK |
Order of American
Knights, a copperhead organization, formed. |
Northwest
Conspiracy |
| March 9, 1863 |
Curtis, Sumner, Schofield |
General S. R. Curtis
replaced in command of Department of Missouri by Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner,
but Sumner died enroute to Missouri and died in Syracuse, New York March 21.
1863. Gen. Schofield was appointed to command of the Department of Missouri
May 24, 1863. |
|
| April 25, 1863 |
arrests |
Mary Louden, wife of
Confederate spy, saboteur, and courier Robert Louden, is arrested in St.
Louis, the first in a series of arrests from among the women of Grimes' and
Louden's mail smuggling ring. |
See the Gratiot Street
Prison Women and Children Prisoner Lists and Prisoner Notes |
| May 13, 1863 |
banishments |
A large number of
prominent southern-sympathizing citizens, mainly women, are banished from
St. Louis, sent south by steamer. Among those banished are:Mrs. Robert
Louden, Margaret McClure, Mrs. Charles Clark, Mrs. Addie M. Haynes, Miss
Harriet Snodgrass, (all accused of being rebel mail agents) Eliza Lily Brown
Graham Frost (Mrs. General D. M. Frost), Mrs. Joseph Chaytor, Mrs. Montrose
Pallen, Mrs. David Sappington, and Mrs. William Smizer, and Miss Lucie
Nicoholson |
| June 1863 |
Boat-burners |
J. W. Tucker receives
$20,000 from General Joseph E. Johnston for his boat-burning scheme.
|
The Boat-Burners |
| June 9, 1863 |
Provost Marshals |
James O. Broadhead
appointed Provost Marshal General of the Department of Missouri which, at
that time, consisted of Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, the Indian Territory,
and southern Iowa. |
Provost Marshals |
| July 1, 1863 |
slavery |
The Missouri State
Convention, meeting for the express purpose of considering emancipation of
Missouri's slaves, passes a gradual plan that would begin to take effect in
1870. |
|
| July 4, 1863 |
battle |
Confederate surrender of
Vicksburg, including 1st and 2nd Missouri brigades. |
|
| Aug. 4, 1863 |
Louden |
Steamer Ruth is burned
near Cairo, Ill., with $2.6 million in payroll for Grant's army aboard.
Saboteur is Robert Louden who is later convicted of the incident and
ultimately confesses. |
The Boat-Burners-
Steamer Ruth |
| Aug. 13, 1863 |
massacre |
A jail building in Kansas
City collapses, killing or maiming a number of women relatives of
Quantrill's guerrillas. This is the final trigger that sparks Quantrill's
Lawrence raid. |
|
| Aug. 21, 1863 |
Lawrence massacre |
The abolitionist town of
Lawrence, Kansas is raided by several hundred Missouri guerrillas led by
William Clarke Quantrill. Over 150 men and boys were killed, the town looted
and burned. |
Aftermath of the
Lawrence Massacre |
| Aug. 25, 1863 |
Order 11 banishments |
As a direct response to
Quantrill's Lawrence raid, the Union issues Order 11 which forcibly
depopulated Missouri counties bordering Kansas. Numerous women and children
were made into refugees. Homes were burned behind people leaving only
chimneys standing giving rise to the name "Burnt District" that referred to
this area for years to come. Counties that were part of Order 11 were Cass,
Jackson, and Bates counties, and part of Vernon county. |
|
| Sept. 3, 1863 |
Louden |
Confederate agent Robert
Louden arrested in St. Louis. He's tried and convicted in December on
charges of spying, mail carrying, and boat-burning (Steamer Ruth & others),
and sentenced to death. |
The Boat-Burners |
| Sept. 13, 1863 |
Boat-burners |
Steamers Imperial, Jesse
K. Bell, Hiawatha, Post Boy, and a barge loaded with freight, burn in St.
Louis at the foot of Market St. |
The Boat-Burners |
| Oct. 4, 1863 |
Boat-burners |
Steamers Forest Queen,
Catahoula, Chancelor burned in St. Louis at foot of Carr St. |
The Boat-Burners |
| Nov. 7, 1863 |
Grimes |
Confederate agent Absalom
Grimes arrested in Memphis. He's taken to St. Louis the following month,
tried and sentenced to death. |
Absalom Grimes |
| Dec. 12, 1863 |
Gratiot St. Prison |
The "great escape"--as
many as sixty men escaped from Gratiot in a single night via a tunnel. |
Gratiot Street Prison |
| January 29, 1864 |
Dept. of Missouri |
Major-General William S.
Rosecrans arrives in St. Louis to take command of the Department of
Missouri. |
|
| January 31, 1864 |
Governor Gamble |
Governor Gamble, who had been in ill-health for
several years, dies of pneumonia at St. Louis. Lt.-Gov Williard P. Hall
becomes head of the Provisional Government |
|
| Feb. 10, 1864 |
McCoy |
Arthur C. McCoy is
captured in Arkansas. He escapes a few months later while being transferred
to Alton prison. |
Arthur C. McCoy |
| May 6, 1864 |
Louden |
Robert Louden's execution
is post-poned by order of President Lincoln only hours before it was to
take place. |
|
| June 18, 1864 |
Gratiot St. Prison |
A daring escape attempt
is made by the highest security prisoners. Absalom Grimes,
William
McElheney, and John F. Abshire are all shot and fail to escape (Abshire
is executed a few months later). Two men, James A. Colcleazier and
Lewis Y.
Schultz are killed. Among those who escape are several members of OAK,
including William Douglass. Also escaping were William Sebring and J. C.
Hill who made their way to Canada and took part in the failed OAK effort to
free the prisoners at Camp Douglas in Chicago. Alfred Yates and Col. John
Carlin also escaped but Carlin was killed in Illinois a few months later. |
Gratiot Street Prison |
| July 15, 1864 |
Boat-burners |
Steamers Cherokee, Northerner,
Glasgow, and Sunshine burned in St. Louis. |
The Boat-Burners |
| July 28, 1864 |
OAK |
The Missouri Democrat publishes long expose of
O.A.K. prepared by Provost Marshal J. P. Sanderson. |
|
| Sept. 16, 1864 |
Price |
General Price's great invasion begins |
|
| Sept 27, 1864 |
massacre |
Centralia Massacre and battle.
Guerrilla Bloody Bill Anderson and followers massacre Union soldiers in
Centralia, Missouri, then win an overwhelming victory over Union pursuers.
The James brothers, Frank and Jesse, were probably present. |
available from Amazon.com |
| Oct. 1, 1864 |
OAK |
OAK Supreme Commander for Missouri calls for the membership to rise in
support of Price's invasion |
|
| Oct. 3, 1864 |
Louden |
Believing the security of
the St. Louis prisons was threatened by Price's raid into Missouri,
officials transferred most high-security prisoners to Alton prison. Robert
Louden escaped enroute, cutting off his handcuffs, slipping over the side of
the boat and swimming away. |
The Boat-Burners |
| Oct. 23, 1864 |
battle |
Price defeated at the
Battle of Westport just outside Kansas City. It is the largest battle west
of the Mississippi. Confederates begin long retreat to Arkansas |
|
| Oct. 27, 1864 |
Bloody Bill Anderson |
Notorious guerrilla, Bloody Bill
Anderson, killed near Albany, Missouri. |
|
| Nov. 1864 |
governor |
Thomas C. Fletcher elected governor of
Missouri. New
Constitutional Convention approved and delegates elected. |
|
| Dec. 9, 1864 |
Grimes |
Confederate agent, Absalom Grimes
is pardoned and released by order of the president. |
Absalom Grimes |
| Dec. 11, 1864 |
Boat-burners |
Boilers on steamer Maria explode at Carondelet,
MO, killing at least 25. Crew suspects a Courtenay torpedo. Generations of
rivermen will memorialize her with the epithet "Hell and Maria". |
Hell and Maria |
| December 18, 1864 |
Dept. of Missouri |
Major-General Grenville M. Dodge of Iowa named
commander of the Department of Missouri. |
|
| January 6, 1865 |
Missouri constitutional
convention |
Missouri constitutional convention
Constitutional convention meets in Mercantile Hall, St. Louis. Charles D.
Drake, Radical Republican, is the guiding light. They quickly pass a new
ordinance of emancipation to replace the gradual plan adopted in 1863. |
|
| January 11, 1865 |
slavery |
Missouri Ordinance of
Emancipation goes into effect. Slavery is dead in Missouri. |
|
| March 7, 1865 |
end of Federal rule |
Governor Fletcher issues
proclamation declaring that no organized Confederate force exists in
Missouri. Dismantling of Federal apparatus in Missouri begins. |
|
| April 8, 1865 |
Missouri constitutional
convention |
Constitutional convention
approves new state constitution for Missouri. Critics call it "the Draconian
Constitution" to mock Charles D. Drake. It includes the "Iron-clad Test
Oath" that disenfranchises many Missourians. Delegate William F. Switzler,
who voted against it, observed, "The Constitution was not conceived in
statesmanship, but in a spirit of malice and revenge --a spirit at war with
the wise policy of the times, and unworthy of a victorious and magnanimous
people." |
Oath of Loyalty |
| April 9, 1865 |
War's end? |
General Lee surrenders
the army of Northern Virginia. Though most erroneously consider this the end
of the war, on the 29th of April the Department of Missouri vowed to fight
on... and did. They did not surrender for over a month. |
|
| April 14-15 1865 |
Lincoln |
Abraham Lincoln, 16th
President of the United States, is shot from behind by pro-southern actor
John Wilkes Booth while watching the play Our American Cousin at Fords
theatre. Lincoln dies the next morning. Booth and his fellow conspirators
connections to the Confederate secret service lead many to believe that the
Confederate government was responsible for the assassination --which is
hotly denied by many others. |
|
| April 25, 1865 |
Boat-burners |
Colonel James H. Baker,
Provost Marshal of the Department of Missouri, issues his first report on
Confederate boat-burners working under Joseph W. Tucker. A later, updated,
version of Bakers report will be included in the trials of the Lincoln
conspirators. |
|
| April 27, 1865 |
Louden - Boat-burners |
Robert Louden's last
known boat-burning strike--he plants a Courtenay Torpedo on the Steamer
Sultana at Memphis killing nearly 2000, mostly Union POWs returning north.
Louden's brother-in-law Arthur McCoy is in the area, sending spies into
Memphis regularly, assigned to do "what damage they could" to river
steamers. |
The Boat-Burners |
| May 10, 1865 |
Jefferson Davis |
Jefferson Davis, 1st --and only-- President of the Confederate States of
America, is captured by Union troops near Irwinville, Georgia. Davis and his
cabinet had abandoned Richmond just before its fall on April 2. He was
believed to be attempting to reach the Trans Mississppi theatre to continue
the war. |
|
| May 15, 1865 |
outlaws - Jesse James |
Jesse James takes a minie
ball through the right lung. He surrenders at Lexington a week later. |
James-Younger gang |
| May 26, 1865 |
War's end |
Department of the Trans-Mississippi
surrenders at New Orleans. |
|
| June 6, 1865 |
Missouri constitution |
Election to ratify
Drake's Constitution held under the new voting rules. After several weeks
suspense while the vote is counted, it passes by 1,862 votes out of 85,478
cast. |
|
| June 6, 1865 |
Quantrill |
William Clarke Quantrill
dies in Kentucky. |
|
| June-July 1865 |
Price, Shelby |
Gen. Price, Gen. Shelby,
Thomas C. Reynolds, Kirby Smith, and other Missouri leaders and men go to Mexico rather than
surrender. Because of the unusual position of Missouri Confederates as
Confederate soldiers from a Union state, many believe they may never be
allowed to return home in peace. |
|
| July 4, 1865 |
Missouri constitution |
New Constitution goes
into effect. |
|
| 1866 |
Lyon |
Publication of James
Peckham's "General Nathaniel Lyon and Missouri in 1861". Peckham's position
close to Blair and his allies in the early days of the conflict gives him
excellent sources to chronicle events from a Unionist perspective through
the Battle of Wilson's Creek. This book will be copied from, sometimes with
attribution, by many that follow. |
James Peckham's "General Nathaniel Lyon and Missouri in 1861". |
| February 14, 1866 |
Liberty Bank Robbery |
The first daylight,
peacetime bank robbery in US history in Liberty, Clay County, Missouri
conducted by a band of ex-guerrillas, most of whom had served under
Quantrill. Frank James considered a likely participant. A series of bank
robberies across Missouri follow, usually conducted by a variable band of ex-guerrillas. |
James-Younger
gang robberies |
| January 11, 1867 |
Price |
Sterling Price returns
from Mexican exile to St. Louis for the first time since the Meeting at the
Planters House in June of 1861. Price does not request presidential pardon |
|
| Feb. 18, 1867 |
outlaws - Jesse James |
Five pro-Union militia
men try to kill a still-recovering Jesse James at the family farm. |
James-Younger gang |
| Sept 13, 1867 |
Louden |
After having to leave St.
Louis in haste after admitting to having sabotaged the Steamer Sultana,
Robert Louden contracts yellow fever in New Orleans and dies. |
|
| September 29, 1867 |
Price |
 Sterling Price dies in
St. Louis, occasioning "the largest funeral procession in the city's
history" (Sterling Price: Portrait of a Southerner, Robert E. Shalhope).
Available from ABEBOOKs |
|
| March 20, 1868 |
McCoy, bank robbery |
Arthur McCoy, ex-St.
Louis Minute Man, is connected to the bank robbery at Russellville,
Kentucky. Several ex-guerrillas were also involved including--possibly--the
James and Younger brothers. |
James-Younger
gang robberies |
| 1868 |
Grant, Blair |
U.S. Grant elected 18th
President. Frank Blair is vice
presidential candidate on losing Democratic ticket. |
|
| 1869 |
Reynolds |
Thomas C. Reynolds, last
Confederate governor of Missouri, returns to St. Louis from Mexican exile |
|
| December 7, 1869 |
Gallatin Bank Robbery |
The bank at Gallatin,
Missouri is robbed and the cashier killed. A horse used in the robbery is
traced to Jesse James of Kearney, Missouri. This is the first robbery
attributed to the James brothers at the time of the robbery. |
James-Younger
gang robberies |
| 1870 |
|
15th Amendment to U.S.
Constitution passes guaranteeing the vote to African-Americans |
|
| 1870 |
|
B. Gratz Brown elected
Governor of Missouri on Liberal/Democrat ticket. Test Oath repealed,
restoring the franchise to ex-Confederates. |
|
| 1871 |
Blair |
Frank Blair elected U.S.
Senator by Missouri legislature |
|
| 1872 |
Grant, Brown |
B. Gratz Brown runs for
Vice President on ticket with Horace Greeley, and is defeated by U.S. Grant
winning his second term. |
|
| May 27, 1873 |
Ste. Genevieve Bank
Robbery |
A bank in Ste. Genevieve,
Missouri is robbed. The robbers shout "Hurrah for Hildebrand" as they leave,
a tribute to the former bushwhacker/guerrilla recently killed in Iowa.
Arthur C. McCoy, with a Ste. Genevieve upbringing, is the likely
leader of this robbery accompanied by the James brothers. |
James-Younger
gang robberies |
| July 21, 1873 |
Adair, Iowa train robbery |
The first train robbery
by the "James-Younger gang" of outlaws. Arthur C. McCoy, the James brothers,
and Cole Younger are suspected as the robbers. With this robbery, that
resulted in the death of the engineer as the train derailed, the outlaw band
achieves national notoriety. |
James-Younger
gang robberies |
| Nov. 22, 1873 |
outlaws |
John Newman Edwards,
formerly Gen. Shelby's adjutant, published "A Terrible Quintette" about
Jesse and Frank James, Cole and John Younger, and Arthur C. McCoy. It is the
beginning of the outlaw hero-mythos that came to surround the James brothers. |
A
Terrible Quintette |
| March 10, 1874 |
McCoy |
Arthur McCoy is named as
a participant in the murder of a Pinkerton agent in Clay County, Missouri. A
few weeks earlier he had also been named as a participant in the Gads Hill
train robbery. |
James-Younger
gang robberies |
| 1874 |
Lyon |
Red granite obelisk
memorial to Nathaniel Lyon. |
|
| July 9, 1875 |
Blair |
Frank Blair dies in St.
Louis. |
|
| Sept. 7, 1876 |
outlaws |
The James and Younger
brothers take part in the disastrous Northfield, Minnesota bank robbery
attempt. All three Younger brothers--Cole, Jim, Bob--are wounded and
captured in a massive manhunt across the state. The James brothers are the
only participants to escape. |
James-Younger
gang robberies |
| April 3, 1882 |
outlaws - Jesse James |
Jesse James killed by Bob
Ford. |
James-Younger gang |
| Oct. 5, 1882 |
outlaws - Frank James |
Frank James surrenders
himself to the governor of Missouri, and stands trial for robbery and
murder. He is acquitted. This is considered by some to mark the end of the
Civil War in Missouri. |
Frank
James Trial |
| 1885 |
Blair |
Statue of Frank Blair
erected in Forest Park. |
|
| 1886 |
Snead |
Publication of Thomas L.
Snead's "The Fight for Missouri". Snead had been close to the center of all
things Missouri Confederate during the war. |
Civil War Reader |
| March 30, 1887 |
Reynolds |
Thomas C. Reynolds dies
in St. Louis, probably by his own hand |
|
| 1888 |
Grant |
Statue of U.S. Grant
unveiled at City Hall. |
|
| 1901 |
Winston Churchill |
Publication of
"The Crisis" by St. Louis native Winston Churchill. This fictional account
of the war in St. Louis meets with both commercial and critical success. |
Civil War Reader |
| 1903 |
outlaws - Cole Younger |
Convicted bank robber,
Thomas Coleman Younger ("Cole" Younger) writes an autobiography of his life
and adventures. The book is largely written to bolster pardon/parole
attempts to free him after 25 years of prison in Minnesota and so contains
considerable denials of involvement in other robberies and claims of utter
innocence. The book is as interesting for what isn't said as what is, and
for the semantic contortions Cole Younger goes through in phrasing some
assertations. |
by Cole Younger
available from Amazon.com |
| 1906 |
Sigel |
Equestrian statue of U.S.
General--and "Dutch" favorite--Franz Sigel erected in Forest Park. |
|
| 1908 |
Galusha Anderson |
Baptist minister Galusha Anderson publishes his "The Story of a
Border City During the Civil War". |
Galusha Anderson |
| 1909 |
McElroy |
Publication of John
McElroy's "The Struggle for Missouri" |
Civil War Reader |
| 1911 |
Basil Duke |
Publication of Minute Men
leader Basil Duke's "The Reminiscences of General Basil Duke". |
available from Amazon.com |
| 1914 |
|
Confederate Memorial
approved for Forest Park.
|
|
| 1926 |
Grimes |
Publication of
"Confederate Mail Runner" by Absalom Grimes. |
|
