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Modern War Studies
Civil War St. Louis
In the Civil War, rough-and-tumble St. Louis played a key role as a strategic staging ground for the Union army. A citadel of free labor in a slave state, it also harbored deeply divided loyalties that mirrored those of its troubled nation. Until now, however, the fascinating story of wartime St. Louis has remained largely unchronicled.
By the mid-nineteenth century, St. Louis had become the nation's greatest inland city, providing a "gateway to the West," a riverine crossroads for national commerce, and an ideal base for expansion-minded industrialists from the abolitionist Northeast. Yet as Louis Gerteis reveals, many of its citizens were staunchly dedicated to both slavery and the southern agrarian tradition. For them especially, federal martial law was an outrage, one that only served to nail the coffin shut on their loyalty to the Union.
Gerteis's rich and engaging narrative encompasses a wide range of episodes and events involving the lynching of freeman Francis McIntosh and murder of publisher Elijah Lovejoy, the infamous Dred Scott saga (which began in St. Louis), city politics and martial law, battles in and around the city (at Camp Jackson, Wilson's Creek, and Pea Ridge), major river campaigns, manufacture of ironclad combat ships, prison camps and hospitals, and efforts to secure civil rights for blacks while denying the same to former Confederates who would not swear loyalty to the Union.
Featuring famous figures like Thomas Hart Benton, John C. Fremont, Claiborne Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Sterling Price, Gerteis's study also sheds considerable light on the participation of women and the status of blacks throughout the conflict, offering gripping images of black and white Missourians contending with the issue of emancipation.
Ultimately, Gerteis offers a compelling portrait of a war-torn city--teeming with wounded soldiers, displaced civilians, runaway slaves, federal prisoners, and profiteers--that was forever changed by its wartime experiences, even as it anchored Union victory in the west.
By the mid-nineteenth century, St. Louis had become the nation's greatest inland city, providing a "gateway to the West," a riverine crossroads for national commerce, and an ideal base for expansion-minded industrialists from the abolitionist Northeast. Yet as Louis Gerteis reveals, many of its citizens were staunchly dedicated to both slavery and the southern agrarian tradition. For them especially, federal martial law was an outrage, one that only served to nail the coffin shut on their loyalty to the Union.
Gerteis's rich and engaging narrative encompasses a wide range of episodes and events involving the lynching of freeman Francis McIntosh and murder of publisher Elijah Lovejoy, the infamous Dred Scott saga (which began in St. Louis), city politics and martial law, battles in and around the city (at Camp Jackson, Wilson's Creek, and Pea Ridge), major river campaigns, manufacture of ironclad combat ships, prison camps and hospitals, and efforts to secure civil rights for blacks while denying the same to former Confederates who would not swear loyalty to the Union.
Featuring famous figures like Thomas Hart Benton, John C. Fremont, Claiborne Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Sterling Price, Gerteis's study also sheds considerable light on the participation of women and the status of blacks throughout the conflict, offering gripping images of black and white Missourians contending with the issue of emancipation.
Ultimately, Gerteis offers a compelling portrait of a war-torn city--teeming with wounded soldiers, displaced civilians, runaway slaves, federal prisoners, and profiteers--that was forever changed by its wartime experiences, even as it anchored Union victory in the west.
422 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2001
94 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 20, 2014
Being a border city in a slave state, St. Louis might have gone either way in the secession crisis. This is the story of how and why it emerged as a citadel of free labor within the Union. The reasons were economic, political, legal, demographic, military, certainly not moral. The side that prevailed saw slavery as obsolete, a relic of the past, an obstacle to progress. The raid on Camp Jackson asserted federal control over the city, and the Stars and Bars went underground.
This book captures the angst and excitement of the time. The illustrations bring to life some of the prominent people and places. Good coverage of the Dred Scott case, the Camp Jackson affair, the refugee and fugitive slave crises, martial law and civil liberties issues, military prisons, the sanitary commissions and the ladies' relief societies, gunboat building at the Carondelet boatyard. The story extends beyond the war.
This book is about the big shots at the top--the Fremonts, the Bentons, bankers, politicians, generals, lawyers, the courts, etc. If you want to learn how the Civil War affected the lives of ordinary St. Louisans, black and white, Galusha Anderson's book is probably a better choice. But if you want the legal fine points and the politics at the top, this is your book. It goes into great detail and is lavishly sourced.
This book captures the angst and excitement of the time. The illustrations bring to life some of the prominent people and places. Good coverage of the Dred Scott case, the Camp Jackson affair, the refugee and fugitive slave crises, martial law and civil liberties issues, military prisons, the sanitary commissions and the ladies' relief societies, gunboat building at the Carondelet boatyard. The story extends beyond the war.
This book is about the big shots at the top--the Fremonts, the Bentons, bankers, politicians, generals, lawyers, the courts, etc. If you want to learn how the Civil War affected the lives of ordinary St. Louisans, black and white, Galusha Anderson's book is probably a better choice. But if you want the legal fine points and the politics at the top, this is your book. It goes into great detail and is lavishly sourced.
August 2, 2014
The Civil War was fought in many areas and many arenas. While the famous battles and leaders are what first springs to mind, a true understanding of the war can only be gained with a broader view of the war's myriad impacts. With Civil War St. Louis, Louis S. Gerteis offers an excellent study focused upon a city in the years before, during, and after the Civil War. From the role of women, the fate of slaves, the military and political tension, and issues of immigration, Gerteis covers it all.
Gerteis is very thorough in his writing. The book follows a vaguely chronological order, particularly at the beginning and end of the book. The narrative opens with early clashes over slavery, and the deepening divisions of St. Louis' political and societal elite. The outbreak of war brings tensions of loyalty, and the politics of Missouri are discussed at length. Two chapters are devoted to two of the more prominent generals in Saint Louis: Nathanial Lyon and the capture of Camp Jackson, and John C. Fremont.
About halfway through the book, then, the narrative has not progressed beyond 1861. This might seem odd for a comprehensive study of a city through the entire war, but it works very clearly. Events occur with great speed early on, when the question of Missouri's loyalty is still undecided. Gerteis delves into each event and its impact with all due detail.
The latter half of the book works more like a series of essays. The first discusses disloyalty, martial law, and prisons; the second covers the role of women and the home front. The final such chapter focuses upon the growing complexity of slavery in a North growing more hostile to it. The book concludes with a brief chapter focusing upon the post-war years, including summaries of the later careers of several of the key players.
Throughout, Gerteis maintains an even outlook, and is remarkably fair in his judgements. This is certainly no easy task, given how deeply Missouri was riven during the war. However, whether it is dissecting differing views of the Camp Jackson riot or the McIntosh lynching, Gerteis conveys the complexities of the period. Many people are given voices in Gerteis' work, from slaves to soldiers, politicians to workers, national figures to local. Indeed, as these figures emerge and disappear and reemerge, the key political and social figures of the day are very clearly illuminated.
Gerteis is careful not to focus upon Saint Louis so much that he separates it from outside events. The events of broader Missouri play a key role throughout, and Gerteis also shows how events in Saint Louis occasionally explode on the national stage. That said, the book is about Saint Louis' place in the war, so the reader should not expect pages and pages about Wilson's Creek or Franz Sigel, for instance.
There can be no questioning that Gerteis has done his research. His endnotes are comprehensive, to say the least. Primary sources are abundant, and analyzed fairly and objectively. Quotes are frequently used, allowing the voices of the past to talk, rather than Gerteis to dictate. While there is no out-and-out bibliography, the notes are accompanied by a bibliographic essay that goes through the key works on various subjects. Of immense use to scholars, or those interested in specific topics, the essay is definitely worth a look. The book also has several pictures, although they are located rather randomly through the book, and all are full page, which limits the number that can be included.
In the end, students of history cannot go wrong in reading Civil War St. Louis. It is an interesting topic, it is thorough and very readable, well researched, and adds an important new view to the topic-rich Civil War.
Gerteis is very thorough in his writing. The book follows a vaguely chronological order, particularly at the beginning and end of the book. The narrative opens with early clashes over slavery, and the deepening divisions of St. Louis' political and societal elite. The outbreak of war brings tensions of loyalty, and the politics of Missouri are discussed at length. Two chapters are devoted to two of the more prominent generals in Saint Louis: Nathanial Lyon and the capture of Camp Jackson, and John C. Fremont.
About halfway through the book, then, the narrative has not progressed beyond 1861. This might seem odd for a comprehensive study of a city through the entire war, but it works very clearly. Events occur with great speed early on, when the question of Missouri's loyalty is still undecided. Gerteis delves into each event and its impact with all due detail.
The latter half of the book works more like a series of essays. The first discusses disloyalty, martial law, and prisons; the second covers the role of women and the home front. The final such chapter focuses upon the growing complexity of slavery in a North growing more hostile to it. The book concludes with a brief chapter focusing upon the post-war years, including summaries of the later careers of several of the key players.
Throughout, Gerteis maintains an even outlook, and is remarkably fair in his judgements. This is certainly no easy task, given how deeply Missouri was riven during the war. However, whether it is dissecting differing views of the Camp Jackson riot or the McIntosh lynching, Gerteis conveys the complexities of the period. Many people are given voices in Gerteis' work, from slaves to soldiers, politicians to workers, national figures to local. Indeed, as these figures emerge and disappear and reemerge, the key political and social figures of the day are very clearly illuminated.
Gerteis is careful not to focus upon Saint Louis so much that he separates it from outside events. The events of broader Missouri play a key role throughout, and Gerteis also shows how events in Saint Louis occasionally explode on the national stage. That said, the book is about Saint Louis' place in the war, so the reader should not expect pages and pages about Wilson's Creek or Franz Sigel, for instance.
There can be no questioning that Gerteis has done his research. His endnotes are comprehensive, to say the least. Primary sources are abundant, and analyzed fairly and objectively. Quotes are frequently used, allowing the voices of the past to talk, rather than Gerteis to dictate. While there is no out-and-out bibliography, the notes are accompanied by a bibliographic essay that goes through the key works on various subjects. Of immense use to scholars, or those interested in specific topics, the essay is definitely worth a look. The book also has several pictures, although they are located rather randomly through the book, and all are full page, which limits the number that can be included.
In the end, students of history cannot go wrong in reading Civil War St. Louis. It is an interesting topic, it is thorough and very readable, well researched, and adds an important new view to the topic-rich Civil War.
October 2, 2021
The scope of “Civil War St. Louis” is broader than its title would suggest. Although centered on St. Louis, it extends to much of the Civil War as waged in Missouri and by Missourians.
This work begins with an introduction to the background of the years leading up to Lincoln’s election, projected largely through the prism of Thomas Hart Benton’s career and the critical importance of St. Louis to control of the Mississippi. It continues with an examination of the contest between abolitionist element, who often projected their voices through the St. Louis German language press and Elijah P. Lovejoy, and pro-slavery forces. After the murder of Lovejoy and others the contest moved into the judicial realm in the unsuccessful freedom suit brought by Dred Scott who was held, by the U. S. Supreme Court, not to be a citizen of the United States. Attention is then directed toward the competing interests in Missouri between the arriving northern industrialists and the southern oriented agrarians.
When Union or Succession rose to the surface of public debate, Missourians divided into three camps: the unconditional Unionists, “Union without an if”, conditional Unionists “Union if…” and pro-successionists. I found this segment of the book to be the most interesting as the state political figures and military units negotiated and, in some cases, fought with those adhering to the Union. When the short-lived truce permitted by the Harney-Price Agreement of 1861 melted before the fiery wrath of Union General Nathanial Lyon, Missouri was plunged into four years of most uncivil war.
The inability of Confederate General Sterling Price to hold his victorious armies together after Wilson’s Creek prevented Confederates from establishing control over Missouri during the period of Union disorder in wake of its army’s rout and Lyon’s death in that battle. With the withdrawal of Price’s Army to Arkansas, Missouri receded into a backwater of the War in which operations, no matter how painful to the inhabitants, had little bearing on the outcome.
Thereafter Author Louis Gerteis chronicles the contentious abolition of slavery in Missouri which, not being in rebellion, was excluded from the Lincoln’s (as distinguished from Lyon’s 1861 edict that was overruled by Lincoln) Emancipation Proclamation as well as the intense scrutiny of loyalties that led to imprisonments on a scale exceeding those of about any other region of the country. He includes the saga of a St. Louis clergyman whose loyalty was questioned after he baptized an infant with the given names “Sterling Price”. There are also uplifting accounts of the work of the Western Sanitary Commission that raised funds for soldiers’ relief and the hospitals and workers who cared for the ill and wounded.
Gerteis has crafted a well-researched, engagingly written narrative of the Civil War in St. Louis and more broadly, in Missouri. I enjoyed this book on two levels. One is the insights it provides into the War in the city and state that I call home. It sheds light on the allegiances of the dominant ethnic groups of St. Louis, the Creole French and immigrant Germans and Irish and why the St. Louis Police Department remained under state control until recently to cite two examples.
It was believed by some at the time that control pf the border states would be critical to the outcome of War. “Civil War St. Louis” shines the spotlight on one state’s ordeal of the political and military processes determined the fate of a state, its citizens and the nation. I recommend this tome for anyone interested in how life played out in the Border States or the Civil War history of Missouri in general and St. Louis in particular.
This work begins with an introduction to the background of the years leading up to Lincoln’s election, projected largely through the prism of Thomas Hart Benton’s career and the critical importance of St. Louis to control of the Mississippi. It continues with an examination of the contest between abolitionist element, who often projected their voices through the St. Louis German language press and Elijah P. Lovejoy, and pro-slavery forces. After the murder of Lovejoy and others the contest moved into the judicial realm in the unsuccessful freedom suit brought by Dred Scott who was held, by the U. S. Supreme Court, not to be a citizen of the United States. Attention is then directed toward the competing interests in Missouri between the arriving northern industrialists and the southern oriented agrarians.
When Union or Succession rose to the surface of public debate, Missourians divided into three camps: the unconditional Unionists, “Union without an if”, conditional Unionists “Union if…” and pro-successionists. I found this segment of the book to be the most interesting as the state political figures and military units negotiated and, in some cases, fought with those adhering to the Union. When the short-lived truce permitted by the Harney-Price Agreement of 1861 melted before the fiery wrath of Union General Nathanial Lyon, Missouri was plunged into four years of most uncivil war.
The inability of Confederate General Sterling Price to hold his victorious armies together after Wilson’s Creek prevented Confederates from establishing control over Missouri during the period of Union disorder in wake of its army’s rout and Lyon’s death in that battle. With the withdrawal of Price’s Army to Arkansas, Missouri receded into a backwater of the War in which operations, no matter how painful to the inhabitants, had little bearing on the outcome.
Thereafter Author Louis Gerteis chronicles the contentious abolition of slavery in Missouri which, not being in rebellion, was excluded from the Lincoln’s (as distinguished from Lyon’s 1861 edict that was overruled by Lincoln) Emancipation Proclamation as well as the intense scrutiny of loyalties that led to imprisonments on a scale exceeding those of about any other region of the country. He includes the saga of a St. Louis clergyman whose loyalty was questioned after he baptized an infant with the given names “Sterling Price”. There are also uplifting accounts of the work of the Western Sanitary Commission that raised funds for soldiers’ relief and the hospitals and workers who cared for the ill and wounded.
Gerteis has crafted a well-researched, engagingly written narrative of the Civil War in St. Louis and more broadly, in Missouri. I enjoyed this book on two levels. One is the insights it provides into the War in the city and state that I call home. It sheds light on the allegiances of the dominant ethnic groups of St. Louis, the Creole French and immigrant Germans and Irish and why the St. Louis Police Department remained under state control until recently to cite two examples.
It was believed by some at the time that control pf the border states would be critical to the outcome of War. “Civil War St. Louis” shines the spotlight on one state’s ordeal of the political and military processes determined the fate of a state, its citizens and the nation. I recommend this tome for anyone interested in how life played out in the Border States or the Civil War history of Missouri in general and St. Louis in particular.
July 9, 2017
This is a well-written and informative book, but it is somewhat of a tough read. The author touches on a huge number of people, places, and events during the Civil War that make it difficult to follow at times. One of the contributing factors to this is that chapter focus on topics rather than time periods so the narrative seems to jump back and forth. All that being said, there are some really great insights and nuances that can be learned if you’re willing to do the hard work of reading the book carefully. What is revealed is the incredibly complex circumstances and views that were present in St. Louis during the Civil War. As a slave state that stayed in the Union, Missouri holds a somewhat unique place in the history of the war. Most in Missouri held what was considered a moderate position, to preserve the Union but to continue slavery without expansion. This led to huge complications and conflicts regarding slave owners civil rights and military authority that are well-documented in the book. For people who are interested in St. Louis, Missouri, or Civil War history this book is worth reading. But I would recommend brushing up on your civil war knowledge first if possible.
July 26, 2021
I found this book at a Half Priced Books store in St. Louis and knew I had to read it as it seemed like something I could only find in St. Louis. I agree with some of the previous reviews on several items such as how the timeline jumped back and forth when talking about different subjects. It is an authoritative text and the result of meticulous research, but some of that meticulous research was meticulous to read. A lot of names were put forward and I often glossed over that material. The book is at its strongest when discussing events as those sections had more narrative momentum. I particularly liked reading about the events of winter 1860 / spring 1861 in St. Louis as well as James Eads and the ironclads.
March 26, 2024
This is really an in-depth look at St. Louis's issues and role during the Civil War. There is a brief discussion of Reconstruction politics in the last chapter, but this shines at the slavery/political rivalries found throughout the period.
April 7, 2018
I thought the book was well written but there was too much politics in it.
November 7, 2014
The author gets a lot of things right in this book, but he makes one huge mistake. He refers to Abraham Lincoln as the 14th President, when, in fact, he's the 16th President. Someone should have caught that mistake before it was published.
July 31, 2015
More political than antecdotal.
March 23, 2014
great reading
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews