The Missouri Volunteer Militia (MVM) was the state militia organization of Missouri, before the formation of the Missouri State Guard in the American Civil War. Prior to the Civil War, Missouri had an informal state militia that could be called up by the governor for emergencies or annual drill "in accordance with the Missouri State Statutes of 1854." Larger militia elements, such as brigades or the element employed in the November 1860 Southwest Expedition of James Montgomery, were composed of independent regularly drilling volunteer companies, such as the St. Louis Grays, the National Guards, and the Washington Blues. Each of these companies wore its own distinctive, and highly ornate, uniform. Antebellum ''esprit de corps'' was enhanced by drill competitions among the independent companies.

Secession

During the 1861 secession crisis, pro-secession Missourians sought to use the state militia to their advantage. On 13 February 1861, General

Daniel M. Frost Daniel Marsh Frost (August 9, 1823 – October 29, 1900) was a former United States Army officer who became a brigadier general in the Missouri Volunteer Militia (MVM) and the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Among the han ...

formed five new MVM companies composed entirely of pro-secessionist "

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

". On 21 March 1861, the

Missouri Constitutional Convention Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

voted against secession, killing any possibility of secession by political action. Governor

Claiborne Jackson Claiborne Fox Jackson (April 4, 1806 – December 6, 1862) was an American politician of the Democratic Party in Missouri. He was elected as the 15th Governor of Missouri, serving from January 3, 1861, until July 31, 1861, when he was forc ...

, a crypto-secessionist, then called up part of the MVM under Frost, and posted them just outside St. Louis, with the intent of seizing the city by force. This alleged plot was thwarted on 10 May 1861 when the MVM force was surprised and captured by unofficial Unionist Saint Louis Home Guard, a paramilitary arm of the Unconditional Union Party organized by Francis Preston Blair, Jr., and led by U.S. Army officers including Nathaniel Lyon, during the so-called '' Camp Jackson Affair''.The Battle of Wilson's Creek: The Camp Jackson Affairs
''National Park Service'' This shocking for secessionists act prompted the Missouri legislature to pass the "Military Bill" proposed by Governor Jackson, which gave the governor near-dictatorial control over the state militia, and reorganized it into the Missouri State Guard. On June 11, Governor Jackson met with Francis Preston Blair, Jr. and Nathaniel Lyon, who on Blair's suggestion was appointed by the U.S. War Department as Commander of the Western Department of the U.S. Army, at St. Louis' Planter's House Hotel to negotiate. A compromise was not reached and both sides afterwards blamed each other. On June 12, 1861, Governor Jackson issued a Proclamation to the State: Failure to restore the Price–Harney Truce conditions escalated tensions, and though the state of Missouri formally stayed in the Union, it became engulfed in guerrilla warfare and went through a series of bitter battles at the end of the Civil war.

References

{{Missouri in the Civil War Missouri in the American Civil War

Secession

See also

References