490 



MISSOURI. 



who had hastily returned from Richmond, is- 

 sued a provisional declaration of the independ- 

 ence of the State, and her separation from the 

 Union. The reasons given to justify a separa- 

 tion of the State from the Federal Union, 

 which had emphatically bought her territory 

 and nurtured her institutions, were as fol- 

 lows: 



In repeated instances, the Government and people 

 of the States now remaining in that Union have grossly 

 violated, in their conduct towards the people and State 

 of Missouri, both the Constitution of the United States 

 and that of Missouri, as well as the general, great, and 

 essential principles of liberty and free government. 

 Their President, Abraham Lincoln, in avowed defiance 

 of law and the Constitution of the United States, and 

 under the tyrant's plea of necessity, has assumed to 

 regulate commerce with foreign nations and among 

 the several States, stopping by violence our trade with 

 our Southern neighbors, and depriving our citizens of 

 the right secured to them by a special, solemn compact 

 with the United States, to the free navigation of the 

 Mississippi River. He has usurped powers granted 

 exclusively to Congress, in declaring war against the 

 Confederate States ; to carry on this unholy attempt to 

 reduce a free people into slavish subjection to him, he 

 has, in violation of the Constitution, raised and sup- 

 ported armies, and provided and maintained a navy. 



Regardless of the right reserved to the States re- 

 spectively, of training the militia and appointing its 

 officers, he has enlisted and armed, contrary to law, 

 under the name of Home Guards, whole regiments of 

 men, foreigners and others, in our State, to defy the 

 constitutional authorities and plunder and murder our 

 citizens. By armed force and actual bloodshed he has 

 even attempted to deprive the people of their right to 

 keep and bear arms, in conformity to the State laws, 

 and to form a well-regulated militia necessary to the 

 security of a free State. With his sanction, his soldiers 

 have been quartered in houses without the consent of 

 the owners thereof, and without any authority of law. 

 The right of the people to be secure in their per- 

 sons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable 

 searches and seizures, has been habitually and grossly 

 violated by his officers, acting under his orders. He 

 has utterly ignored the binding force of our constitu- 

 tional State laws, and carried his insolence to such an 

 extent as to introduce, from other States, free negroes 

 into our midst and place them in positions of authority 

 over our white citizens. 



He has encouraged the stealing of our slave prop- 

 erty. In these and other proceedings the Govern- 

 ment and people of the Northern States have unmis- 

 takably shown their intention to overturn the social 

 institutions of Missouri, and reduce her white citizens 

 to an equality with the blacks. In the execution of 

 his despotic wishes, his agents, without even rebuke 

 from him, have exhibited a brutality scarcely credible 

 of a nation pretending to civilization. Even women 

 and children of tender age have fallen victims to the 

 unbridled license of his unfeeling soldiery. He has 

 avowedly undertaken to make the civil power subor- 

 dinate to the military ; and with the despicable and 

 cowardly design of thus protecting himself and his ac- 

 complices, by binding the consciences of the unhappy 

 victims of his tyranny, he has exacted from peaceful 

 citizens, guilty of no crime, an oath to support his de- 

 testable Government. To crush out even peaceful and 

 lawful opposition to it, he has forcibly and unconsti- 

 tutionally suspended the privilege of the writ of ha- 

 beas corpus, and abridged the freedom of speech and 

 of the press by subjecting innocent citizens to punish- 

 ment for mere opinion's sake, and by preventing the 

 publication of newspapers independent enough to ex- 

 pose his treason to liberty. 



The Governor further states that the acts of 

 President Lincoln had been endorsed by the 



Congress and people of the Northern States, 

 and the war thus commenced by him had been 

 made the act of the Government and nation 

 over which he ruled, &c. He thus concludes : 



Now, therefore, by virtue of the authority in me 

 vested by said act, I, Claiborne F. Jackson, Governor 

 of the State of Missouri, appealing to the Supreme 

 Judge of the world for the rectitude of my intentions, 

 and firmly believing that I am herein carrying into 

 effect the will of the people of Missouri, do hereby, in 

 their name, by their authority, and on their behalf, 

 and subject at all times to their free and unbiased con- 

 trol, make and publish this provisional declaration, 

 that by the acts of the people and Government of the 

 United States of America, the political connection 

 heretofore existing between said States and the people 

 and government of Missouri is, and ought to be, totally 

 dissolved ; and that the State of Missouri, as a sover- 

 eign, free, ajid independent republic, has full power 

 to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, estab- 

 lish commerce, and to do all other acts and things 

 which independent States may of right do. 



Published and declared at New Madrid, Missouri, 

 this fifth day of August, in the year of our Lord eigh- 

 teen hundred and sixty-one. 



CLAIBORNE F. JACKSON, 



Governor of Missouri. 



On the 26th of July Gen. Fremont arrived at 

 St. Louis to take command of the Western De- 

 partment. Military preparations were imme- 

 diately commenced with great vigor. Troops 

 from the adjoining States poured into St. Louis 

 and were encamped there, or were sent into 

 the interior or to Cairo. At the same time 

 Confederate forces were concentrating in South- 

 western Missouri in large numbers. Early in 

 August they advanced towards Springfield, 

 where Gen. Lyon was encamped. 



St. Louis was the prize before them, and its 

 ultimate possession would transfer the entire 

 State to the Confederate Government. The 

 force of Gen. Lyon was the first obstacle to be 

 removed. 



. The battle at Wilson's Creek had in its effects 

 proved quite disastrous to Gens. McCnlloch and 

 Price. It not only served to check their prog- 

 ress, but discouraged many lukewarm sympa- 

 thizers. Although a proclamation was issued 

 by the former on the 12th, and by the latter 

 on the 20th, boasting of a great victory, Gen. 

 Pillow remained quiet at New Madrid, and 

 Gen. Hardee at Greenville. Meanwhile, the 

 accumulation and organization of Union troops 

 at St. Louis and other points, added to the 

 strength of Gen. Fremont. Stringent regula- 

 tions were adopted by Gen. Pope on August 

 13th, under which the navigation of the Mis- 

 souri River was kept open for traffic. 



Near the close of August, however, the Con- 

 federates had acquired such strength as to be- 

 come very bold. Recruiting for them had been 

 successful in the western part of the State. In 

 the border counties bodies of men were organ- 

 izing to cooperate with McCulloch in his still 

 contemplated advance. A lack of provision 

 was the chief embarrassment to the Confeder- 

 ate force at this time. Gen. Pillow was also at 

 this time contemplating a movement, and also 

 Thompson, who was near Benton in Scott 



