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Traveling exhibit portrays Missouri's role in Civil War
Editors note: Will Tollerton is the new director of the Bushwhacker Museum.
Nevada's own Bushwhacker Museum is currently hosting a Civil War exhibit on loan from the Missouri State Archives in Jefferson City.
The exhibit, titled "Divided Loyalties" tells the tale of Missouri citizens from the time of the Border War in the 1850s, through the tragedy of the Civil War, and the war's aftermath in the late 1860s and early 1870s. The exhibit is based on documents which are held by the Missouri State Archives.
While the display panels cover well-known historical issues such as the infamous Order No. 11 and slavery, there are also many poignant anecdotes culled from the correspondence of soldiers and civilians. Documents drawn upon to create the exhibit include muster roles, court cases, and personal letters from both Union and Confederate sympathizers.
An excerpt from the Jan. 3, 1861, inaugural address of Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson expresses the sympathies of pro-Southern Missourians: "Missouri will not be found to shrink from the duty ... her honor, interests, and her sympathies point alike in one direction and determine her to stand by the South."
In contrast to such official proclamations, "Divided Loyalties" also includes the struggles of ordinary individuals, such as Capt. Ross Jekel, commander of Company B of the pro-Union 68th Regiment, Enrolled Missouri Militia. In March 1863, Jekel wrote to Missouri Governor Hamilton Gamble (Jackson's pro-Union successor) "I never hear the men complain or grumble, but they now ask to be released during the crop time ... These men all have stock as well as wives and children, and great suffering must be the result if they cannot be permitted to be at their homes," Despite this plea, Jekel's request for leave for his men was denied.
These are but a taste of the stories and images featured by "Divided Loyalties."
The exhibit will be open until Oct. 20 and can be viewed in the museum building at 212 W. Walnut during normal visiting hours, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday or by appointment. There is no charge to view only the "Divided Loyalties" exhibit.