The Civil War in Missouri: A Military History (Shades of Blue and Gray)

by Louis S. Gerteis

Guerrilla warfare, border fights, and unorganized skirmishes are all too often the only battles associated with Missouri during the Civil War. Combined with the state’s distance from both sides’ capitals, this misguided impression paints Missouri as an insignificant player in the nation’s struggle to define itself. Such notions, however, are far from an accurate picture of the Midwest state’s contributions to the war’s outcome. Though traditionally cast in a peripheral role, the conventional warfare of Missouri was integral in the Civil War’s development and ultimate conclusion. The strategic battles fought by organized armies are often lost amidst the stories of guerrilla tactics and bloody combat, but in The Civil War in Missouri, Louis S. Gerteis explores the state’s conventional warfare and its effects on the unfolding of national history.

Both the Union and the Confederacy had a vested interest in Missouri throughout the war. The state offered control of both the lower Mississippi valley and the Missouri River, strategic areas that could greatly factor into either side’s success or failure. Control of St. Louis and mid-Missouri were vital for controlling the West, and rail lines leading across the state offered an important connection between eastern states and the communities out west. The Confederacy sought to maintain the Ozark Mountains as a northern border, which allowed concentrations of rebel troops to build in the Mississippi valley. With such valuable stock at risk, Lincoln registered the importance of keeping rebel troops out of Missouri, and so began the conventional battles investigated by Gerteis.

The first book-length examination of its kind, The Civil War in A Military History dares to challenge the prevailing opinion that Missouri battles made only minor contributions to the war. Gerteis specifically focuses not only on the principal conventional battles in the state but also on the effects these battles had on both sides’ national aspirations. This work broadens the scope of traditional Civil War studies to include the losses and wins of Missouri, in turn creating a more accurate and encompassing narrative of the nation’s history.

Genres: History, Civil War, American Civil War, Nonfiction, Transmississippi, Civil War History, Military History

256 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2012

About the author

Professor of history at University of Missouri at St. Louis

Reviews

[Kenneth Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the exception of the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, we most hear about the Civil War that was fought east of the Mississippi. Living in Missouri this book has given me more history of what took place in Missouri and in places not far removed from where I live. My great-grandfather, Daniel Brockus, enrolled October 5, 1862 in Company M, 8th Regiment of the Missouri Volunteer Cavalry and was transferred to Company H, 11th Regiment of the Missouri Volunteer Cavalry until his discharge August 12, 1865. They were actively involved in southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas. The history shared in this book gives me a deeper appreciation for not only his service, but all those who fought in Missouri. This is not a book you can read quickly, but the history learned from its pages is well worth the time.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this work provides an overview of Missouri during the Civil War including strategy and politics of the era, it leans heavily to 1861 for details and broad overview covering 1862-1865. For example, it covers Wilson's Creek and Lexington in great detail (both 1861), but not so much Fort Davidson and Westport (both part of Price's 1864 Raid). Given Fort Davidson was the second largest battle in the state (Wilson's Creek was the first) with larger consequences should the Union have lost, that's a glaring oversight.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book just reading a few pages at a time, but soon realized that it needed a concentrated and continuous reading. The Civil War in Missouri was extremely complicated. St. Louis was a stronghold of the Union. Most of the rest of the state was Confederate. As each side won and lost battles, the balance of power waxed and waned. Often miscommunication, lack of discipline, troops without weapons, rivalries between commanding officers, new recruits without any training, etc. meant the difference between success and failure of a battle or campaign.
The book is very interesting although I know next to nothing about military strategy. I did find it difficult at times to remember which side many of the people were on and needed to backtrack to figure it out. Also, I believe it would have been easier to understand what was happening if there had been more maps of the state. The author did include several of these, but more would have been better, at least for me. Lacking these, a detailed map of the state would come in handy. Even without the maps, the book gives a good feel for the strategies and results of the campaigns. Weather, timing, and geography were very important, as rain or swamp or other hindrances often changed a well planned campaign to one that completely failed.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the scope of this book - it helped me understand the politics and the campaigns of Missouri during the Civil War. There are also some (brief) introductions to a number of key players. Gerteis does a good job of covering the full scope (politics, conventional conflict, irregular warfare) and providing context for the importance of Missouri.
I think the 2 downsides are that the material is not always presented clearly and logically, and the book is really hurt by the quality of the maps. The maps provided show towns and railway lines, but don't provide real context. There are also very few maps showing the battles and campaigns.

[Damon Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about 2 1/2 stars. Good information and well written, and I would think enjoyable for most Civil War buffs, even those already familiar with the Civil War in Missouri. Unfortunately poorly edited or proofread. Little errors took away from my enjoyment of the book, like getting my hometown's name mixed up (its Cole Camp not Camp Cole), placing Warsaw, MO on the Gasconde River when it is on the Osage River etc. There were other errors, confusing sentences (cut and paste the likely culprit). Good maps, and like most military history books not enough maps.

[John Holloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly a must-read for anyone interested in Missouri history. Keep in mind this is a military history. It is essentially one long battle report with biographical information about the players. This book also serves as a great geographical guide to visiting historic battlefields. Much of Civil War history rightly focuses on action east of the Mississippi. However the history and role of the state of Missouri in the war is one of the more interesting and misunderstood aspects of America's bloodiest conflict.