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142 The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861.
its main strength, however, was its location, surrounded by a loyal
population. The St. Louis ward lines run at that time from the
river west to the city limits, the numbers commencing at the south
end with the First Ward. The wards south of Market street, peo-
pled mainly by Germans and other immigrants, were so strongly
imbued by Union sentiments, that besides furnishing the bulk of
the first four Volunteer Regiments, they also raised three Regiments
of Reserves or Home Guards, and all of this before the sun set on
the 8th of May.
In January and February, 1861, the Arsenal at St. Louis was
also comparatively safe, because actual hostilities against the Union
had not commenced and the Secessionists of Missouri trusted to the
State Convention to give them a kind of a legal standing by passing
a Secession Ordinance; besides this they relied upon the State Rights
proclivities of Major Bell, the Commander of the Arsenal, as the
following highly interesting letter of General D. M. Frost shows:
A TELL TALE LETTER.
"ST. Louis, January 24, 1861.
"To C. T. JACKSON, Governor of Missouri:
"Dear Sir-I have just returned from the Arsenal, where I have had
an interview with Major Bell, the commanding officer of that place. I
found the Major everything that you or I could desire. He assured me that
he considered that Missouri had, whenever the time came, a right to claim
it as being on her soil. He asserted his determination to defend it against
any and all irresponsible mobs, come from whence they might, but at the
same time gave me to understand that he would not attempt any defense
against the proper State authorities.
"He promised me, upon the honor of an officer and a gentleman, that he
would not suffer any arms to be removed from the place without first
giving me timely information, and I, in return, promised him that I would
use all the force at my command to prevent him being annoyed by irrespon-
sible persons.
"I at the same time gave him notice that if affairs assumed so threaten-
ing a character as to render it unsafe, to leave the place in its compara-
tively unprotected condition, that I might come down and quarter a proper
force there, to protect it from the assaults of any persons whatsoever, to
which he assented. In a word, the Major is with us, where he ought to be,
for all his worldly wealth lies here in St. Louis (and it is very large); and
then, again, his sympathies are with us.
"I shall therefore rest perfectly easy and use all my influence to stop
the sensationists from attracting the particular attention of the Govern-
ment to this particular spot. The telegrams you received were the sheerest
"canards" of persons who, without discretion, are extremely anxious to
Object Description
| Title | The Union cause in St. Louis in 1861, an historical sketch |
| Author | Rombauer, Robert J. (Robert Julius), 1830-1925 |
| Subject.LCSH |
Missouri -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Saint Louis (Mo.) -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Regimental histories Missouri -- Militia |
| Coverage | United State -- Missouri |
| Source |
475 p. : front., illus. (maps, plans) pl., ports. ; 24 cm. St. Louis, Mo. : Press of Nixon-Jones prtg. co., 1909 |
| Language | English |
| Date.Original | 1909 |
| Date.Digital | 2004? |
| Type |
Books and pamphlets |
| Format | JPEG |
| Collection Name | Civil War in Missouri - Monographs |
| Editorial Note | All blank pages have been eliminated |
| Publisher.Digital | University of Missouri Digital Library Production Services |
| Rights | These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact contributing institution for information. |
| Contributing Institution |
University of Missouri--Columbia. Libraries |
| Copy Request | Contact Ellis Library Special Collection, University of Missouri - Columbia at (573) 882-0076 or email: SpecialCollections@missouri.edu |
Description
| Title | civm000005p0142 |
| Description | 142 The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861. its main strength, however, was its location, surrounded by a loyal population. The St. Louis ward lines run at that time from the river west to the city limits, the numbers commencing at the south end with the First Ward. The wards south of Market street, peo- pled mainly by Germans and other immigrants, were so strongly imbued by Union sentiments, that besides furnishing the bulk of the first four Volunteer Regiments, they also raised three Regiments of Reserves or Home Guards, and all of this before the sun set on the 8th of May. In January and February, 1861, the Arsenal at St. Louis was also comparatively safe, because actual hostilities against the Union had not commenced and the Secessionists of Missouri trusted to the State Convention to give them a kind of a legal standing by passing a Secession Ordinance; besides this they relied upon the State Rights proclivities of Major Bell, the Commander of the Arsenal, as the following highly interesting letter of General D. M. Frost shows: A TELL TALE LETTER. "ST. Louis, January 24, 1861. "To C. T. JACKSON, Governor of Missouri: "Dear Sir-I have just returned from the Arsenal, where I have had an interview with Major Bell, the commanding officer of that place. I found the Major everything that you or I could desire. He assured me that he considered that Missouri had, whenever the time came, a right to claim it as being on her soil. He asserted his determination to defend it against any and all irresponsible mobs, come from whence they might, but at the same time gave me to understand that he would not attempt any defense against the proper State authorities. "He promised me, upon the honor of an officer and a gentleman, that he would not suffer any arms to be removed from the place without first giving me timely information, and I, in return, promised him that I would use all the force at my command to prevent him being annoyed by irrespon- sible persons. "I at the same time gave him notice that if affairs assumed so threaten- ing a character as to render it unsafe, to leave the place in its compara- tively unprotected condition, that I might come down and quarter a proper force there, to protect it from the assaults of any persons whatsoever, to which he assented. In a word, the Major is with us, where he ought to be, for all his worldly wealth lies here in St. Louis (and it is very large); and then, again, his sympathies are with us. "I shall therefore rest perfectly easy and use all my influence to stop the sensationists from attracting the particular attention of the Govern- ment to this particular spot. The telegrams you received were the sheerest "canards" of persons who, without discretion, are extremely anxious to |
| Source | The Union Cause in St. Louis in 1861 |
| Type | Books and monographs |
| Format | JPEG |
| Identifier | civm000005p0142.jpg |
| Collection Name | Civil War in Missouri - Monographs |
| Editorial Note | All blank pages have been eliminated |
| Publisher.Digital | University of Missouri Digital Library Production Services |
| Rights | These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact koppk@umsystem.edu for more information. |
| Copy Request | Contact Ellis Library special collection at: SpecialCollections@missouri.edu |
