Missouri

Taking its cue from St. Louis architecture, the Show Me State operates as a gateway to discovery. The wonders of the 1904 World’s Fair, the scenic passage of Route 66 and the quest for that perfect meal in Columbia all testify to that exploratory drive. But like the restless rivers that gave Mark Twain his alias and inspiration, Missouri’s history proves no frontier provides uncontested passage. In the vicinity of Civil War guerillas or Prohibition Era bootleggers, an unlocked door could invite calamity. Crack open our catalogue of Missouri history books for a portal into the state’s adventurous heritage. [View all Missouri books]
Filter
16 products
Guerrillas in Civil War Missouri
Guerrillas in Civil War Missouri
$21.99
Guerrilla Hunters in Civil War Missouri
Guerrilla Hunters in Civil War Missouri
$21.99
The Homefront in Civil War Missouri
The Homefront in Civil War Missouri
$21.99
St. Louis Civil War Sites and the Fight for Freedom
St. Louis Civil War Sites and the Fight for Freedom
$23.99
The Siege of Lexington, Missouri: The Battle of the Hemp Bales
The Siege of Lexington, Missouri: The Battle of the Hemp Bales
$21.99
Enslavement and the Underground Railroad in Missouri and Illinois
Enslavement and the Underground Railroad in Missouri and Illinois
$23.99
The Civil War Missouri Compendium: Almost Unabridged
The Civil War Missouri Compendium: Almost Unabridged
$24.99
Civil War Springfield
Civil War Springfield
$21.99
The Battle of Westport
The Battle of Westport
$21.99
Lost Jefferson City
Lost Jefferson City
$21.99
The War for Missouri
The War for Missouri
$24.99
Fort Davidson and the Battle of Pilot Knob
Fort Davidson and the Battle of Pilot Knob
$21.99
The Two Civil War Battles of Newtonia
The Two Civil War Battles of Newtonia
$21.99
Lady Rebels of Civil War Missouri
Lady Rebels of Civil War Missouri
$23.99
Only in Lamar, Missouri
Only in Lamar, Missouri
$23.99
St. Louis in the Civil War
St. Louis in the Civil War
$24.99

Guerrillas in Civil War Missouri

9781609493882

$21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Missouri ranks third in the number of Civil War battles fought on its soil. Although some sizable actions were fought in the state, most of the battles were the result of the intense guerrilla activity. These battles are only the actions reported by Federal troops against the guerrillas. The attacks on civilians were equally as numerous. Long before the Civil War began, Missouri was deeply divided over whether slavery should be extended to neighboring Kansas. This book takes an in-depth look at the guerrilla warfare grounded in this division.
Guerrillas in Civil War Missouri

Guerrilla Hunters in Civil War Missouri

9781609497453

$21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The guerrillas who terrorized Missouri during the Civil War were colorful men whose daring and vicious deeds brought them a celebrity never enjoyed by the Federal soldiers who hunted them. Many books have been written about William Quantrill, Bloody Bill" Anderson, George Todd, Tom Livingston and other noted guerrillas. You have probably not heard of George Wolz, Aaron Caton, John Durnell, Thomas Holston or Ludwick St. John. They served in Union cavalry regiments in Missouri, where neither side showed mercy to defeated foes. They are just five of the anonymous thousands who, in the end, defeated the guerrillas and have been forgotten with the passage of time. This is their story."
Guerrilla Hunters in Civil War Missouri

The Homefront in Civil War Missouri

9781626194335

$21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Over one thousand Civil War engagements were fought in Missouri, and the conflict could not be quarantined from civilian life. In the countryside, the wives and mothers of absent soldiers had to cope with marauders from both sides. Children saw their fathers and brothers beaten, hanged or shot. In the cities, a cheer for Jeff Davis could land a young boy in jail, and a letter to a sweetheart in the Confederate army could get a girl banished from the state. Women volunteered to care for the flood of wounded and sick soldiers. Slavery crumbled and created new opportunities for black men to serve in the Union army but left their families vulnerable to retaliation at home. The turbulence and bitterness of guerrilla war was everywhere.
The Homefront in Civil War Missouri

St. Louis Civil War Sites and the Fight for Freedom

9781467152723

$23.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The Monuments of a Divided State

St. Louis was at the center of several key Civil War events from the Dred Scott decision through the Mississippi Campaign that cut the Confederate States in two. Visit the site from which enslaved people tried to cross the Mississippi River to the free state of Illinois. Discover how hundreds of lawsuits by enslaved people set the stage for the Dred Scott decision that lit the fuse to the Civil War. See the military base that produced over 200 Civil War generals and the arsenal that secessionists and unionists fought to control. Author Peter Downs goes behind the monuments and historic sites to explore the people, relationships and events that influenced the course of civil war in St. Louis and the nation.

St. Louis Civil War Sites and the Fight for Freedom

The Siege of Lexington, Missouri: The Battle of the Hemp Bales

9781626195363

$21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Following victories at Carthage and Wilson's Creek in the summer of 1861, the Confederate-allied Missouri State Guard achieved its greatest success when it advanced on Lexington in September. Former Missouri governor General Sterling Price and his men laid siege for three days against a Union garrison under the command of Colonel James Mulligan. An ingenious mobile breastwork of hemp bales soaked in water, designed to absorb hot shot, enabled the Confederates to close in on September 20 and force surrender. Civil War historian Larry Wood delivers a thorough account of the battle that briefly consolidated Confederate control in the region.
The Siege of Lexington, Missouri: The Battle of the Hemp Bales

Enslavement and the Underground Railroad in Missouri and Illinois

9781467154833

$23.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The Path to Freedom in Missouri and Illinois

People enslaved here experienced the same horrors as those held captive in other states, and their stories of courage and perseverance are amazing. Priscilla Baltimore purchased her own emancipation and founded a freedom village. Caroline Quarlls escaped to Canada. Many who fled for their lives spent time bunkered in the basement of Hanson House. The region's Congregationalists brought a fiery. brand of abolitionism. And Prairie Park still holds the faded "haint" blue paint traditionally used on slave dwellings. Author Julia Nicolai details these and other adjective stories.

Enslavement and the Underground Railroad in Missouri and Illinois

The Civil War Missouri Compendium: Almost Unabridged

9781625858450

$24.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
During the Civil War, only Virginia and Tennessee saw more action than Missouri. Ulysses S. Grant first proved his ability there. Sterling Price, a former governor of Missouri, sided with the Confederacy, raised an army and led it in battle all over the state. Notorious guerrilla warriors "Bloody" Bill Anderson and William Quantrill terrorized communities and confounded Union military commanders. Brian Warren and Joseph "Whit" McCoskrie provide a chronological overview of more than three hundred of the documented engagements that took place within Missouri's borders, furnishing photos, maps, biographical sketches and military tactics.
The Civil War Missouri Compendium: Almost Unabridged

Civil War Springfield

9781609493080

$21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
During the Civil War, Springfield was a frontier community of about 1,500 people, but it was the largest and most important place in southwest Missouri. The Northern and Southern armies vied throughout the early part of the war to occupy its strategic position. The Federal defeat at Wilson's Creek in August of 1861 gave the Southern forces possession, but Zagonyi's charge two and half months later returned Springfield to the Union. The Confederacy came back near Christmas of 1861 before being ousted again in February of 1862. Marmaduke's defeat at the Battle of Springfield in January of 1863 ended the contest, placing the Union firmly in control, but Springfield continued to pulse with activity throughout the war. Historian Larry Wood chronicles this epic story.
Civil War Springfield

The Battle of Westport

9781609490065

$21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
The Battle of Westport, Missouri (today, part of Kansas City) was the largest Civil War battle west of the Mississippi. Troops from as far away as New Jersey and Pennsylvania (as well as Texas, Arkansas, Colorado and Iowa) took part in the hostilities. The battle was the climax of a desperate Confederate raid led by General Sterling Price proceeding from Arkansas across the State of Missouri to the Kansas border. The Union victory at Westport marked the end of major military operations in Missouri and secured Kansas and the trails, rails, and communication lines to the western states. Participants included future governors of both Kansas and Missouri, notorious post-war outlaws and many notable characters that would shape the growth and image of the western states. This project will tell the story of the place, the engagement, the people, and the importance of the Missouri/Kansas border war's greatest battle. The aftermath and legacy of the Battle of Westport will be presented in the broader context of westward expansion and give the reader a greater appreciation of how far-reaching the effects were of those few days in October, 1864.
The Battle of Westport

Lost Jefferson City

9781467150354

$21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Jefferson City incorporated in 1825, but so much of that history has changed or been forgotten. Today's Lincoln University practice field used to host early circus visitors. Although called St. Peter Cemetery #1, the old recently restored cemetery on West Main Street was the second Catholic cemetery, after the sight and smell at the northeast corner of Bolivar and McCarty Streets was too much for neighbors. The man who designed the Missouri State Seal and served as a longtime judge built a Steamboat-style home on a hill at the northwest corner of Adams and High Streets, where the Missouri River Regional Library is today. Author Michelle Brooks explores the world of the Mill Bottom and the Foot, as well as cemeteries, fairgrounds, ballparks and stately homes lost to time.
Lost Jefferson City

The War for Missouri

9781467143141

$24.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Missouri was filled with bitter sentiment over the Civil War. Governor Claiborne Jackson had a plan to seize the St. Louis Arsenal and arm a pro-secessionist force. Former governor and Mexican-American War hero Sterling Price commanded the Missouri State Guard charged to protect the state from Federal troops. The disagreements led to ten military actions, causing hundreds of casualties before First Bull Run in the East. The state guard garnered a series of victories before losing control to the Union in 1862. Guerrilla and bushwhacker bands roamed the state at will. Author Joseph W. McCoskrie Jr. details the fight for the Show Me State.
The War for Missouri

Fort Davidson and the Battle of Pilot Knob

9781609490232

$21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Local civilians and Civil War veterans felt a special connection to Fort Davidson long after the war. The survivors formed the Pilot Knob Memorial Association to ensure that the focal point of their battle, their glory and their Civil War would never be forgotten. Historian Walter Busch presents the association's records, along with Iron County court records, newspaper accounts and surviving photographs, to relate the history of the Battle of Pilot Knob and chronicle the diligent work to preserve Fort Davidson, now a state historic site.
Fort Davidson and the Battle of Pilot Knob

The Two Civil War Battles of Newtonia

9781596298576

$21.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Though the First and Second Battles of Newtonia did not match epic Civil War battles like Antietam, where over thirty-five hundred soldiers were killed in a single day, and Gettysburg, where twice that number died in three days of fighting, such smaller engagements were just as important to the men who lived through them. The ones who didn't were just as dead, and for a brief time at least, the combat often raged just as violently. With the approach of the sesquicentennial of the war, some of the lesser-known battles are finally getting their due. Join local resident and historian Larry Wood as he expertly chronicles both Battles of Newtonia, the first of which, in 1862, was the Confederacy's first attempt to reestablish a significant presence in Missouri and the only Civil War battle in which American Indians took opposing sides, fighting in units of regimental strength. The second battle--a fight that was fierce and furious while it lasted--stands as the last important engagement of the Civil War in the state.
The Two Civil War Battles of Newtonia

Lady Rebels of Civil War Missouri

9781467150095

$23.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
Although war was traditionally seen as the purview of men, the realities of the Civil War often brought women into the conflict. They served as nurses, sutlers and washerwomen. Some even disguised themselves as men and joined the fight on the battlefield. In the border state of Missouri, where Southern sympathies ran deep, women sometimes clashed with occupying Union forces because of illegal, covert activities like spying, smuggling and delivering mail. When caught and arrested, the women were often imprisoned or banished from the state. In at least a few cases, they were even sentenced to death. Join award-winning author Larry Wood as he chronicles the misadventures and ordeals of the lady rebels of Missouri.
Lady Rebels of Civil War Missouri

Only in Lamar, Missouri

9781467151412

$23.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%

Lamar advertises itself as the city "where legends begin," and the city of four thousand lives up to that slogan. It was the place where frontier lawman Wyatt Earp first wore a star and where President Harry S Truman was born. When Truman successfully brought World War II to an end, the submarine fleets in the Atlantic and Pacific were commanded by Lamar High School graduates. Lamar's legends, however, are not limited to those who found fame after they left the city. Lamar was home to the longest-serving mayor in Missouri history, a legendary newspaperman, a football team that captured seven straight state championships and an infamous killer whose life was ended by a lynch mob. Author Randy Turner details these stories and much more.

Only in Lamar, Missouri

St. Louis in the Civil War

9781467111263

$24.99 Save Liquid error (snippets/product-template line 248): Computation results in '-Infinity'%
On May 10, 1861, Union troops surrounded Camp Jackson, a military encampment where Confederate leaders were accused of conspiring to seize the St. Louis Arsenal, the largest store of munitions west of the Mississippi. The state militia, which numbered more than 600 men, answered the call of Missouri's pro-Southern governor Claiborne Fox Jackson to assemble but found themselves outnumbered 10 to 1 and were forced to surrender. As federal forces marched them through St. Louis, an angry crowd gathered. Gunfire crackled, leaving more than 24 people dead. St. Louis epitomized the growing tensions between the North and South. The city's strategic position enabled James Eads's shipyards to build ironclads, Jefferson Barracks to muster troops, and Gratiot Street Prison to hold POWs. The list of notables with ties to St. Louis reads like a who's who of the Civil War: Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, William T. Sherman, Nathaniel Lyon, James Longstreet, George Pickett, and others.
St. Louis in the Civil War