The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-05-08


Capt. James H. Stokes, of Chicago,
the Regular Amy, volunteered to undertake -
perOus mission; and Gov. Yates placed in his
hands the requs.tion of the Secretary of War
for ten thousand muskets. Captain Stokes went
10 st. Louis and made his way as rapidly as pos
sible to the Arsenal He found it surrounded
by an immense mob, and the pOstern gates all
closed. His utmost efforts to penetrate the
crowd were, for a long time, unavailing. At
last he managed to attract the attention of one
of the guards, by whom he sent for the Captain
of the Company stationed at that part o: the
Arsenal yard, and to him he made known that
he was bearer Of dispatches from the War De-
partment With some difficulty, he was admit
ted without attracting the particular notice of
the crowd. On reaching the Arsenal proper, he
learned that Major Hayner, OF the Ordinance De-
partment, had just been ordered to Leavenworth,
whittier he had gone on the preceding day. He
had been superseded by Major Calender, an old
class mate Of Capt. Stokes, at West Point. A
council was Immediately held between Capt.
Stokes, Major Calender and Capt. Lyon, the lat
ter being the officer in command of the regular
troops ard volunteers. The requisition was
shown. Capt. Lyon doubted the possibility of
executing it. He said the Arsenal was surroun-
ded by thousand spies, and every movement
of the secessionists, who could throw an over.
powering force upon them at any moment. Capt
Stokes represented that every hours delay was
rendering the capture of the Arsenal more Ger.
tain /; aud the arms must be removed to Illinois,
now or never. Major Calender agreed with him
and told him to take them at his own time and
in his own way. This was Wednesday night.
Capt. Stokes had a spy in the camp of the seces-
siOnists, whom he met at intervals in a certain
place in the city. On Thursday he received in
formation that Gov. Jackson had ordered two
thousand armed men down from Jefferson City,
whose movements could only contemplate sci
zure Of the Arsenal, by occupying the heights
around it, and planting batteries thereon. The
job would have been an easy one. They had
already planted one battery on the st. Louis
levee, and another at Powder Point, short dis
tance below the arsenal. Capt. Stokes immedi-
ately telegraphed to Alton, to have the steamer
City OF Alton drop down to the Arsenal landing,
about midnight He then returned to the Ar
senal and commenced moving the boxes Of guns,
weighing some three hundred pounds each,
down to the lower floor. About seven hundred
men were employed in the work. He then took
FIVE hundred Kentucky flint lock muskets which
had been sent there to be altered, and sent them
| to be placed on steamer as blind to corer has
Jeut MOueHcHS. luc SeCeSSOuISts uaOOeu tUeII
at once, and raised perfect bedlam over the
capture. large portion of the outside crowd
left the Arsenal when this movement was exc
cuted; and Capt. Lyon took the remainder who
we're lying around as spies, and locked them up
in his guard house. About ii o'clock, the
steamer City of Alton came along, side plank.
we're showed out from the window to the mair
deck, and the boxes slid down. When the ter
thousand we're safely on board, Capt. Stoke.
went to Capt Lyon and Major Calender, ant
urged them, by the most pressing appeals, Il
let him empty the Arsenal. They told him t.
60 ahead and take whatever he wanted. Ac
cordingly he took eleven thousand more mus
kets. five hundred new rifle carbines five hun
dred reviewers, one hundred and ten thousan,
musket cartridges, to say nothing of the cannon
and large quantity OF miscellaneous aecoutre
ments, leaving only seven thousand muskets il
the Arsenal, to arm the st. Louis volunteers.
When the whole were on board, about tw
o'clock Friday morning, the order was give
BY the captain of the steamer, to cast of. Judg
OF the CONSERVATION Of all hands when it wa
found that she would not move. The arms ha
been piled in great quantities around the engine
to protect them against the battery on the levee
and the great weight had fastened the bows &
the boat firmly on q rock, which was tearing
hole through the bottom at every turn of th
wheels.
A man of less nerve than Csptain Stoke
would have gone crazy on the spot. He calle
the Arsenal men on board, and commenced mt