Camp Jackson

In 1861, divided loyalties in St. Louis reflected Missouri’s struggle over secession. Although a state convention voted for Unionism, Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson favored taking Missouri into the Confederacy and ordered members of the Missouri Volunteer Militia to establish a camp just outside St. Louis near this spot. Union General Nathaniel Lyon learned that men in the camp were preparing to seize the federal arsenal at St. Louis and lead the state into the Confederacy, so on May 10, 1861, he mobilized thousands of local soldiers, mostly ethnic German volunteers, and marched against the camp. After a short but intense standoff, the camp surrendered, and Jackson’s militia were marched as prisoners through the streets of St. Louis to the arsenal. As they were marched, tensions with pro-secession residents rose, much of the hostility aimed at the German volunteers. Rocks were thrown, insults were shouted, and the confrontation worsened until Union-controlled troops opened fire. When it ended, 28 people were dead or wounded, including a few children. The prisoners were then marched to the arsenal and paroled. The outcome left St. Louis under firm Union control and kept Missouri in the Union.

St. Louis, Missouri · United States