The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, 1917-11-20
MISSOURI IN PREVIOUS WARS

of her position as border slave stat
was of great strategic and politics
value and was, therefore. the fightin
ground of contending armies Mis-
souri, was the kindergarten of tn
Civil War, for from the little arm
with which Lyon fought the battle O
Wilson's Creek, came seven major
generals and thirteen brigadier
generals. Of the Missourians VIII
fought in that battle on the Southern
side, seven came to be general of
ficers of the Confederate Army. WheI
the year 1861 closed. there had beer
fought i'm Missouri, and for the mos
part between Missourians, 161 battles
with losses of about six hundred kill
ed on each side.
The first blood shed on Missouri
soil, that at Camp Jackson when SOL
diers fired on the multitude after the
surrender of the fort, killing and
wounding nearly hundred turned
many Northern sympathizers into
hearty supporters of the Confederacy.
And this act helped to impart to the
whole strife in Missouri vindictive-
ness which it bore to the end. The
fighting in Missouri was more desper-
ate and deadly on account of this.
Altogether, Missouri furnished
1O9,111 to the Union and about 10000
to the Confederacy.
Many Missourians had been trained
in the war with Mexico so that they
could take command when the Civil
War broke out. Missouri sent 5000
men to fight Mexico. Only two other
states did more, Kentucky with 1882
and Louisiana with 7,011. In his army
of the West as first organized, Kearney
had two Missouri regiments under
Doniphan and Price. There were four
companies too many, those from
Marion, Ray, Platte and Polk coun-
ties. These were formed into a
battalion under David Wilcox. The
Missourians marched across the plains
to Sante Fe and proceeded to occupy
the domain that is now four states.
Kearney went to make sure of Csii-
fornia Doniphan's march was to be-
come one of the famous military
feats of America. William Cullen
Bryant wrote: This body Of men
conquered the States of New Mexico
and Chihuahua and traversed Durango
and New Leon. On this march Doni- (!
rhan's famous expedition soon was
known throughout the country. They
travelled more than 5000 miles, con-
suming twelve months. During all this !
time, no word reached them from the
government, nor any order whatso-
ever; they neither received supplies of /
any kind nor one cent of pay. They /
lived exclusively on the country |
through which they passed and sup
piled themselves with powder and /
balls by capturing them from the !;
enemy. From Chihuahua to Matamor !;
as, a distance of 900 miles, they march !;
ed in As days. bringing with them II
pieces of heavy artillery as trophies /
were appointed to govern
all of the conquered territory.
In the Spanish-American War, sons
of Union and Confederate soldiers
fought side by side Missouri heartily
supported President Mckinley in
everything he did in the brief term of
the war The northwest part of the
state furnished the Fourth Missouri
regiment which went down to Camp
Alger and marched by the President
the day after it arrived as an object
lesson in citizen soldiery coming right
from the shops and farms without
waiting for arms. uniform or equip
ment. But it had energetic officers
who soon worked it into one of the :
best regiments in the service. The
Fourth was the first Missouri regi- :
nent under orders to go to the front
md was about to move when the war
collapsed.
So through every war, Missouri has :
,een a foremost state in loyalty. She
las been quick to answer the nations :
all and has stayed in the struggle :
With all her resources until peace was
gain declared. In the Civil War Mis- .
ouri was the only state which sup
lied its quota both to the Union and :
confederate armies. In frontier days s
he was continually forced to fight
indians and many a tale is still told
f the stirring events of those days and s s
Il the heroism of Missourians. =
The Italians firmly believe in the :
fficacy Of the wa+ar oura A. Iooct =