Missouri Secession - St. Louis Arsenal

St. Louis Arsenal

In early February, United States Army Captain Nathaniel Lyon, a vocal member of the Radical Republicans, was transferred to Missouri and stationed at the St. Louis Arsenal. The arsenal was under the command of Brevet Major Peter V. Hagner, and the supervision of Brigadier General William S. Harney Commander of the U.S. Army's Department of the West. Both men were considered moderates on the issues of slavery and sectional conflict by the James Buchanan administration. Lyon by contrast had a reputation as an outspoken political radical, and would soon validate that reputation in the eyes of the Missouri government.

The St. Louis Arsenal, containing one of the largest caches of military supplies in the West, was sought by both the Union and Confederate armies. Several plots to obtain control of its arms were initiated in early 1861 by paramilitary organizations from both sides. The secessionist group was called the "St. Louis Minute Men." A Radical Republican paramilitary group from the 1860 campaign known as the Wide Awakes was also enlisted with plans to take the arsenal. The Wide Awakes were organized under great secrecy by Congressman Frank Blair, an ally of Abraham Lincoln with powerful connections to the incoming president through his brother Montgomery Blair.

Lyon was also an old political ally of Blair and secretly supported the Wide Awakes plot to seize the arsenal. After Lincoln called for Union troops in preparation for the Civil War, Lyon recognized an opportunity to provide the Wide Awakes the arms they desired by mustering them into the Federal army. Up until that point, the Wide Awakes had limited arms, consisting only of what they successfully smuggled into Missouri from Illinois. As of March however, Hagner still supervised the arsenal and Harney still commanded the Department of the West. Neither Hagner nor Harney were supportive of Lyon's plans with the Wide Awakes, and Hagner denied Lyon's attempts to release the arsenal's weapons to them. As soon as Lincoln was inaugurated, Lyon began exerting pressure on the president through the politically connected Blair to have himself named the new commander of the arsenal.

After Hagner denied Lyon's request, the ambitious captain threatened to "pitch him in the river" and asked Blair to arrange for the major's replacement with himself. Blair promptly did so and, as an added assurance, secured orders for Harney to travel to Washington for consultations with the War Department. With Lyon's control of the arsenal now unimpeded, he opened its gates to several Wide Awake "reinforcements" around midnight on April 21.

This action set the stage for Lyon's arrest of a Missouri State Militia encampment near St. Louis on May 10 and the ensuing riot known as the Camp Jackson Affair when the militiamen were paraded as prisoners toward the arsenal, much to the outrage of gathering civilian mobs. The deaths at St. Louis set off the first serious push for secession in Missouri and was harshly condemned by the state legislature and Price, the President of the now-adjourned State Convention. Both had previously resisted Jackson's call for secession and requests for more control over the state militia. After the massacre though, the legislature authorized Jackson to reorganize the militia into the Missouri State Guard and appointed Price as its commander.

Harney returned from Washington on May 12 and immediately attempted to alleviate the commotion caused by Lyon's actions two days earlier. On May 16, responding to requests from the Mayor of St. Louis to have Lyon relieved of his post in Missouri, Attorney General Edward Bates presented two representatives of the city to President Lincoln. Frank Blair's brother and Postmaster General Montgomery Blair and War Secretary Simon Cameron intervened on Lyon's behalf, urging Lincoln to retain him. Lincoln sided with the Blairs and Cameron. A week later Harney met with Price and drafted the Price-Harney Truce, reading

"General Price, having by commission full authority over the militia of the State of Missouri, undertakes, with the sanction of the governor of the State, already declared, to direct the whole power of the State officers to maintain order within the State among the people thereof, and General Harney publicly declares that, this object being thus assured, he can have no occasion, as he has no wish, to make military movements, which might otherwise create excitements and jealousies which he most earnestly desires to avoid."

The truce temporarily alleviated the mounting hostilities in Missouri but also left Lyon and Blair discontent. Blair, however, had obtained a trump card the previous month when Lincoln reluctantly authorized Blair to dismiss Harney from command at Blair's discretion. Blair did so on May 30 and orchestrated the promotion of Lyon to be Harney's successor. Facing reassignment, Harney pleaded with the Lincoln administration to continue cooperation in good faith with Price and protested the acts of unnamed persons - a likely reference to Blair and Lyon - "who clamored for blood have not ceased to impugn my motives."