656 



MISSOURI. 



tion, requesting the President to assign Gen. Butler or 

 some other suitable man to command this department. 

 That we regard the President's proclamation of Jan- 

 uary, 1863, irrevocable, and we request our legislature, 

 senators, and representatives of Congress, to use their 

 utmost endeavors to have our national constitution 

 amended, prohibiting slavery forever, in States now 

 free, or hereafter applying for admission into the 

 Union. 



Hutched, That in view of the serious complications 

 arising out of hostilities on the part of the Provisional 

 State Government to the national authority and na- 

 tional policy, and the absence of protection from the 

 inroads of guerillas, we hereby instruct the present 

 convention to appoint a general committee of public 

 safetv, composed of one from each congressional dis- 

 trict," whose duty it shall be to confer with the loyal 

 men of the State, to organize and arm them for pro- 

 tection ; and in the event of no relief being obtained 

 from our present troubles, to call upon the people of 

 the State to act in their sovereign capacity, and take 

 such measures of redress as shalll>e deemed necessary. 



A committee of one from each county was 

 also appointed to visit Washington and lay be- 

 fore the President their grievances. Candi- 

 dates for judges were also nominated. 



Aside from the forces under the command 

 of Gen. Schofield, the military power of the 

 State was in the hands of Gov. Gamhle. There 

 were in the State two bodies of soldiery known 

 as the Missouri militia. These were designated 

 by the terms "Missouri State militia" and "en- 

 rolled Missouri militia." The first were volun- 

 teer troops enlisted in the service of the United 

 States, and supported by the Federal Govern- 

 ment. Their distinctive feature was that they 

 were intended exclusively for the protection of 

 the State, and the governor could, at his dis- 

 cretion, remove from office all officers, and 

 could accept resignations tendered by officers. 

 Ten regiments of this force were kept in service 

 under the commanding general of the depart- 

 ment. The "enrolled Missouri militia" was 

 an entirely different force, organized by order 

 of the governor, controlled by him, and at no 

 time subject to the orders of any United States 

 officer, except the governor thought proper to 

 make them so. This force was enrolled in the 

 summer of 1862, and kept up at the expense of 

 the State when in active service. 



On the 30th of December, 1862, Governor 

 Gamble issued General Order, No. 50, in the 

 following words: 



The enrolled militia are under the exclusive com- 

 mand of their own officers, except when they are 

 byeipress orders placed under the command of Unit- 

 ed States officers, and they will be governed only by 

 such orders as may be issued from these headquarters. 

 If, therefore, any officers of the enrolled militia are en- 

 gaged in making assessments, in pursuance of orders 

 from United States commanders, they will immedi- 

 ately suspend all action under said orders. 



In consequence of this order, the provost- 

 marflhal-general of Missouri and his assistants, 

 were denied the aid of the enrolled militia in 

 enforcing their orders. 



On the 23d of April, 1863, Governor Gnmblo 

 1 General Order, No. 14, in the following 

 words: 



Hereafter no enlistments will be allowed from any 

 organization of enrolled Missouri militia iuto the vol- 



unteer service of the United States, when such militia 

 shall have been detailed for active service, and shall 

 have been embodied as a force in the field. 



These orders were issued while Gen. Curtis 

 was in command of the Department of Mis- 

 souri. The number of the enrolled militia, 

 thoroughly organized for instant service, was 

 52,056 fighting men. 



On the 24th of May, Gen. Schofield took 

 command of the department, and on the 29th, 

 Governor Gamble issued the following order : 



The command of the enrolled militia, now in active 

 service within the State, including the provisional reg- 

 iments, is conferred upon Major-General John M. Scbo- 

 field, commanding the Department of the Missouri. 



So long as Gen. Schofield and Governor 

 Gamble were in authority, the provost-mar- 

 shals could not receive aid from the local mili- 

 tia without the consent of the former, neither 

 could the unconditional Union men use this 

 force to assist them in suppressing every thing 

 which looked like sympathy with treason. 



The committee appointed by the Uncondi- 

 tional Union Convention, proceeded to "Wash- 

 ington for an interview with President Lincoln. 

 The substance of their address, made on the 

 30th of September to the President, was in 

 these words : 



It is in your power, Mr. President, to settle the 

 whole difficulty. Only three things are necessary to 

 this end : 



1. The cessation of all support from the Treasury 

 of the United States to the enrolled Missouri militia. 



2. The occupation of Missouri by United States 

 troops; and 



3. The appointment of a department commander in 

 Missouri who will not make himself a party to Gov- 

 ernor Gamble's pro-slavery policy. 



This is the sum of our requests'in regard to military 

 affairs. If they are granted, we can assure you of 

 permanent peace in Missouri. 



One other subject demands attention in connection 

 with Missouri affairs. On the 3d of next month an elec- 

 tion is to beheld in that State for judges of the Supreme 

 and Circuit Courts. We have good reason to believe, 

 and to assert, that a strenuous effort will be made to 

 carry that election against the Eadical party by the 

 votes of returned rebel guerillas, bushwnackers, and 

 others who have given aid and comfort to the rebellion. 



By an ordinance of our State Convention, passed 

 June 10th, 1862, every voter is required, in order to 

 vote, to take a prescribed oath. Unless the military 

 authorities interpose, we believe that thousands of the 

 above named classes of persons will be permitted to 

 vote without taking that oath. We ask that you will 

 be pleased to direct the department commander to is- 

 sue such an order as Gen. Burnside issued in reference 

 to the Kentucky election, holding the judges of elec- 

 tion responsible to the military authorities if they allovr 

 votes to be given by parties who do not take that oath. 

 This will tend to exclude such parties from the polls, 

 and thereby secure a fair election. 



The main points of the reply of the Presi- 

 dent in a letter to the delegation were, that he 

 failed to see that the condition of Missouri, and 

 the wrongs and sufferings of the Union men 

 were to be attributed to weakness, wickedness, 

 or immorality, but rather to civil war. lie 

 did not believe that the massacre at Lawrence 

 proved the imbecility of Schofield, as similar 

 acts could have been committed by Grierson 

 or John Morgan had they chosen to commit 



