Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-05-23

Fifty years ago today a large guam
tity of small arms and ammunition,
taken from the threatened arsenal at
st. Louis. were removed across the Mis-
sissippi to Illinois for distribution
among the volunteer militia
The effort OF this coup, quickly ana
quietly accomplished in the early morn.
ing hours, was not only to furnish arms
to men eager to answer Lincoln's call,
but also to make it impossible for the
southern party in Missouri to obtain
them. and thereby the better to insure
lAe retention of that state in the un-
ion.
Missouri 80 years ago today was very
near joining the ranks of the Confeder-
acy, anu IT was only by bold, certain
strokes that such action on her part
could be prevented.
From March, when the state conven-
tion had voted against secession. little
of Importance had happened@eh the
state until the firing upon Fort Sumter
had marked the beginning of war, and
Lincoln hau issued his call for troops.
Missouri's quota being set at four regi-
ments.
To this Gov. Claiborne +. jackson, a
thorough disunionist, had replied:
Your requisition in my judgment is IL
legal, unconstitutional and revolution
ary in its object. inhuman and diaboli-
cal, ana cannot be complied with"
THE ARSENAL THREATENED.
If such were the governors opinion,
there seemed little doubt that he would
make every effort to unite his state to
the Confederaey One step to such an
end would be the possession of the St
Louis arsenal
In the arsenal were. thousands of
stands of arms, with cartridges and
powder enough to equip so large a force
as to make Missouri's retention in the
union difficult If not impossible.
Months before Governor Jackson hao
looked with covetous eyes at the ar
senal and it's contents. but orders had
been issued in time for it's defense, and
garrison of several hundred men un-
der Capt Nathaniel Lyon, Connecti-
cut yankee, veteran of the Mexican
war, and a hard fighter, had sufficed
to preserve It intact
war begun, however, there was dan
ger that an organized attack might be
made upon the arsenal by the friends or
the south in and about st. Louis that
I,von and his men could not resist
That this danger was by no means an
ina ginary one is attested by the letters
sent from St Louis Unionists to federal
officials. Captain Lyon" wrote one
man April % to Attorney General Ed
ward Bates. has only about 800 men in
all. and Of these about 80 are sick and
30 others are prisoners The walls are
long and cannot be lined with so few
men. Captain Lyon has received no au-
thor1ty TO accept and arm volunteers.
=. LYON AND HARVEY.
with Francis P. Blair, Jr.. brother of
the postmaster general. Lyon had work.
ed to create a military organization
among the Germans and New Englanders
of st. Louis, and had sought to have
them officially accepted as state militia.
Gen. william s. Harvey, commander
of the department of the west, had put
his conservatism IN the way of these
plans and created an antagonism that
reached its climax when, even after the
governments call for troops, 1t appeared
that Lyon could not get his volunteers
mustered into service
Further difficulty had arisen from the
desire of Gov. Richard Yates, of Illinois,
to secure arms for his men. General
Harvey refused his application for sup
ply of arms from the arsenal, but Lyon
Endorsed it and recommended large
transfer to Illinois.
This recommendation and the COVER
nor's own requisition for 10000 stand
of arms were hurried to washington by
special messenger, who arrived the
day after the Baltimore riot. When that
same evening he started back he bore
orders OF the highest importance.
Governor Yates application was APP
proved and the governor was Instructed
to send two or three Illinois regiments
to support the arsenal garrison and re-
cover the arms.
General Harvey was relieved OF the
command of the department, and IA his
place was appointed Captale Lyon. The
latter was empowered to transfer the
arms to Governor Yates agent, and also
to raise four regiments for the Union
army.
CAPTAIN STOKES AT ST. LOUIS
The governors agent in the matter
was Capt. James II. Stokes, of Chicago,
formerly Of the regular army. He re-