LOYALTY IN ST. LOUIS. were safely on board, Captain Stokes went to Captain Lyon and Major Callender and urged them, by the most pressing appeals, to let him empty the arsenal. They told him to go ahead and take whatever he wanted. Accordingly, he took 10,000 more muskets, 500 new rifle carbines, 500 revolvers, 110,000 musket cartridges, to say nothing of the cannon and a large quantity of miscellaneous accoutrements, leaving only 7,000 muskets in the arsenal to arm the St. Louis volunteers. "When the whole were on board, about two o'clock on Friday morning the order was given by the captain of the steamer to cast off. Judge of the consternation of all hands when it was found that she would not move. The arms had been piled in great quantities around the engines to protect them against the battery on the levee, and the great weight had fastened the bows of the boat firmly on a rock, which was tearing a hole through the bottom at every turn of the wheels. A man of less nerve than Captain Stokes would have gone crazy on the spot. He called the arsenal men on board, and commenced moving the boxes to the stern. 66 เ 247 Captain Mitchell. Run her to the deepest part of the river, and sink her,' replied Captain Stokes. 'I'll do it,' was the heroic answer of Captain Mitchell; and away they went past the secession battery, past the entire St. Louis levee, and on to Alton, in the regular channel, where they arrived at five o'clock in the morning. "When the boat touched the landing, Captain Stokes, fearing pursuit by some two or three of the secession military companies by which the city of St. Louis is disgraced, ran to the market-house and rang the fire-bell. The citizens came flocking pell-mell to the river in all sorts of habiliments. Captain Stokes informed them of the situation of things, and pointed out the freight-cars. Instantly men, women, and children boarded the steamer, seized the freight, and clambered up the levees to the cars. Rich and poor tugged together with might and main for two hours, when the cargo was all deposited in the cars, and the train moved off, amid their enthusiastic cheers, for Springfield." The loyal men of St. Louis, the majority of whose citizens were of unquestioned fidelity to the Union, were also on the alert. Four regiments of volunteers were immediately mustered, ready to do service for the United States, so that the energetic Colonel Frank P. Blair, to whose efforts this success was greatly due, had the satisfaction of writing to Washington that Missouri, in spite of the Governor's insulting rewe will fight,' said Captain Stokes. fusal, had responded faithfully, within a 'What if we are overpowered?' said week, to the President's call for troops. Fortunately, when about two hundred boxes had been shifted, the boat fell away from the shore, and floated in deep water. 'Which way?' said Captain Mitchell, of the steamer. 'Straight to Alton, in the regular channel.' replied Captain Stokes. 'What if we are attacked?' said Captain Mitchell. Then At the same time, several thousands of the citizens of St. Louis had enrolled themselves as a home guard, and were stationed at the arsenal to guard its important stores, and be in readiness for other loyal service. The Government at Washington had, with more than usual foresight and promptitude, sent orders to Captain Lyon, in command of the small Federal force of regulars at St. Louis, to enrol, if necessary, ten thousand men for the maintenance of the authority of the United States Government. This spirited young officer at once zealously applied himself to the work, and immediately, with the aid of Blair's regiments, was able to muster a force of nearly six thousand. Lyon's first movement was to check the military operations of the Governor, who had encamped some eight hundred militia at Camp Jackson,* on the outskirts of the city of St. Louis. Lyon May accordingly marched with his whole 10. force through the streets of the city, which was greatly agitated by the then unusual event, to the undulating country beyond. On reaching the camp, he drew up the First and Third regiments, under the respective commands of Colonel Siegel and Colonel F. P. Blair, and his small detachment of United States regulars, on the northern side, where he also posted four pieces of artillery. The Second Regiment, under Colonel Borenstein, was so placed as to command the western, and Colonel Shuttner, with his force of volunteers, took position on the south. Guards were posted at the entrance to the camp to prevent any one either going out or in, and several pieces of flying artillery were placed upon the surrounding heights commanding the encampment. Having thus effectually surrounded in less than a half hour the Governor's force, which had no alternative but submission, Lyon summoned the general in command to surrender. "HEADQUARTERS U. S. TROOPS, ST. LOUIS, May 10. "To GENERAL D. M. FROST: "SIR: Your command is regarded as evidently hostile toward the Government of the United States. It is, for the most part, made up of those secessionists who have openly avowed their hostility to the General Government, and have been plotting for the seizure of its property and the overthrow of its authority. You are openly in communication with the so-called Southern Confederacy, which is now at war with the United States; and you are receiving at your camp, from the said Confederacy, under its flag, large supplies of material of war, most of which is known to be the property of the United States. senal at Baton Rouge, and surreptitiously passed up the These extraordinary preparations plainly "The main avenue of Camp Jackson, recently under command of General Frost, had the name of Davis, and a principal street of the same camp that of Beauregard; and a body of men had also been received into that camp by its commander which had been notoriously organized in the interests of the secessionists, the men openly wearing the dress and badge distinguishing the army of the so called Southern Confederacy. It is also a notorious fact that a quantity of arms had been received into the camp which were unlawfully taken from the United States ar river in boxes marked 'marble.'"-General Harney's Proclamation, May 14th. indicate none other than the well-known SURRENDER OF CAMP JACKSON. 249 yells, curses, and groans," in which they were joined by a portion of the large purpose of the Governor of this State, under whose orders you are acting, and whose purpose, recently communicated mob which had in the mean time gathto the Legislature, has just been respond-ered and followed the troops from the ed to by that body in the most unparalleled legislation, having in direct view hostilities toward the General Government, and co-operation with its enemics. "In view of these considerations, and your failure to disperse in obedience to the proclamation of the President, and of the eminent necessity of State policy and welfare, and obligations imposed upon me by instructions from Washington, it is my duty to demand, and I do hereby demand of you, an immediate surrender of your command, with no other conditions than that all persons surrendering under this demand shall be humanely and kindly treated. Believing myself prepared to enforce this demand, one half hour's time before doing so will be allowed for your compliance therewith. "N. LYON, "Captain Second Infantry." The general in command of the socalled State troops, believed, however, to be in arms to sustain the cause of secession, finding that resistance would be of no avail, promptly surrendered himself and his whole force, while emphatically declaring that his men had been enrolled under the authority of the State with no hostile object. city. When Captain Lyon proceeded to take possession of the surrendered camp, the crowd became still more excited, and beginning with casting insults and imprecations upon the United States soldiers, finally threw at them stones and any other missile at hand. The troops, however, did not lose their self-control, and went calmly on. Finally, one of the mob fired a revolver and shot a soldier dead. As he fell, his comrades turned round and presented their muskets, when some of the crowd again fired. On the second discharge, one of the captains ordered his company to fire, which dispersed the throng, killing a large number, of whom several were women and children drawn to the spot by a fatal curiosity. The following statement, given on the authority of Captain Lyon, explicitly justifies the conduct of the United States soldiers: "The first firing was some half dozen shots near the head of the column, composed of the First Regiment, which was guarding the prisoners. It occurred in this wise: The artillery were stationed on the bluff northeast of Camp Jackson, with their pieces bearing on the camp. The men of this command were most The troops, when they discovered insultingly treated by the mob; with that they had been so unceremoniously the foulest epithets, were pushed, struck, disposed of, gave vent to their dissatis- and pelted with stones and dirt. All faction, as they were marched out and this was patiently borne, until one of placed under guard, in the "wildest the mob discharged a revolver at the men. At this they fired, but not more than six shots, which were sufficient to disperse that portion of the mob. How many were killed by this fire is not known. None of the First Regiment (Colonel Blair's) fired, although continually and shamefully abused both by the prisoners and the mob. "The second and most destructive firing was from the rear of the column guarding the prisoners. The mob at the point intervening between Camp Jackson and the rear of the column, and, in fact, on all sides, were very abusive, and one of them, on being expostulated with, became very belligerent, drew his revolver, and fired at Lieutenant Saxton, of the regular army, three times, during which a crowd around him cheered him on, many of them drawing their revolvers and firing on the United States troops. The man who commenced the firing, preparatory to a fourth shot, laid his pistol across his arm, and was taking deliberate aim at Lieutenant Saxton, when he was thrust through with a bayonet, and fired upon at the same time, being killed instantly. Here the column of troops having received the order to march, Lieutenant Saxton's command passed on, and a company in the rear became the objects of a furious attack, when, several of their number having been shot, the company came to a halt, and fired with fatal effect. The mob, in retreating from both sides of the line, returned the fire, and the troops replied again. The command was then given by Captain Lyon to cease firing, and the order was promptly obeyed, as rapidly as it could be passed along the line. "The sad results are much to be lamented. The killing of innocent men, women, and children is deplorable. There was no intention to fire upon peaceable citizens. The regular troops were over in the camp, beyond the mob, and in range of the firing. The troops. manifested every forbearance, and at last discharged their guns, simply obeying the impulse, natural to us all, of self-defence. If innocent men, women, and children, whose curiosity placed them in a dangerous position, suffered with the guilty, it is no fault of the troops." The fatal collision of the mob of St. Louis with the United States volunteers was the cause of great excitement, and increased the exasperation, of that portion of the populace favorable to the secessionists, against the Federal troops and officers. The Germans, prominent in the ranks of loyalty, were more especially the objects of the indignation of the infuriated disunionists, who sought the earliest opportunity of venting their rage and revenging upon them the fall of their confederates. On the very next May day after the capture of Fort Jackson, an occasion occurred which resulted in another tragedy. A body of German Home Guards having been enrolled at the arsenal and supplied with arms, proceeded to march through the city. Great crowds had collected, which received the troops with hootings and hisses, and a man out of the throng fired a revolver, shooting dead one of GENERAL HARNEY. the soldiers. This discharge being immediately followed by two others from the neighboring houses, the troops suddenly turned round, presented their muskets, and fired a volley down the street. A promiscuous slaughter followed, in which innocent women and children again suffered the fate of the guilty. These two fatal collisions had resulted in the death and wounding of some fifty in all, and served to embitter still more the unhappy feeling already existing among the inhabitants of the same city. The return, however, of Major-General Harney, the commander of the department of the West, to St. Louis, where he had established his headquarters, served for a time to compose the angry dissensions in Missouri, and to give hopes of saving that State from the evils of a civil conflict. William Selby Harney was born in Tennessee in the year 1800, and entered the army as a second lieutenant of the First Infantry at the age of eighteen. He had acquired, during his long service, the reputation of an energetic, though arbitrary officer. His characteristic impulsiveness and headstrong disregard of consequences led him to assume possession of the island of San Juan, in Vancouver's Bay, during the dispute with Great Britain in regard to the boundary line between the northwestern possessions of that power and Oregon. This unauthorized act excited greatly the anger of England, which was only appeased by the recall of Harney and the conciliatory action of the veteran 251 Scott, who was sent to supersede him in command. At the beginning of the present civil war, Harney was the commander-inchief of the Western Department, but was temporarily absent from St. Louis during the disturbances in that city, having been summoned to Washington. On his way he was taken prisoner by the Confederates at Harper's Ferry, but being soon released, he hastened, after a brief visit to the capital, to resume his duties in the West. Though the ties of birth and property attached him strongly to the slave States, he promptly declared his firm loyalty to the Union : "The Government, whose honors have been bestowed upon me, I shall serve," he wrote, in a published letter, "for the remainder of my days. The flag whose glories I have witnessed shall never be forsaken by me while I can strike a blow for its defense. While I have breath I shall be ready to serve the Government of the United States, and be its faithful, loyal soldier." To these expressions of loyalty the General added some pertinent advice to Missouri: Secession would, in my opinion," he emphatically declared, "be her ruin. The only special interest of Missouri, in common with the Confederate States, is slavery. Her interest in that institution is now protected by the Federal Constitution. But if Missouri secedes, that protection is gone. Surrounded on three sides by free States, which might soon become hostile, it would not be long until a slave could not be found |