Mid Missouri Civil War Tour

Make Columbia your home base and take a few days to branch out to the east, west and south, exploring mid-Missouri's rich Civil War heritage.

On your first day, head south to the Missouri State Capital of Jefferson City. The first stop is the Missouri State Museum located inside the Capitol building. The museum includes an extensive collection of Civil War exhibits and artifacts, including a superb collection of Union regimental battle flags.

Just down the street is the Jefferson Landing State Historic Site. The site contains three buildings built prior to the Civil War. Also, be sure and check out the Cole County Historical Museum and the National Guard's Museum of Missouri Military History.

Soldiers of the 62nd and 65th U.S. Colored Infantries donated more than $5,000 of their pay to establish a school for newly-freed blacks in Missouri. For many of them, that may have been a year's salary. Lincoln Institute opened its doors in 1866 and later became a land-grant university. A monument honoring these visionaries will anchor the The Soldier's Memorial Plaza on campus. It is scheduled to be dedicated in the fall of 2006.

The Jefferson City National Cemetery, officially established in 1867, is the resting place of both Union and Confederate soldiers. A mass grave, containing 79 soldiers of the 39th Missouri Volunteer Infantry as well as their leader, Major A.V.E. Johnson, will be found here.

Traveling east, visit Danville, a stop on the newly opened Gray Ghosts Trail, which runs from Danville in the central part of the state, to Liberty, near Kansas City. This Civil War trail marks the sites of many guerilla clashes. In Danville, "Bloody" Bill Anderson and his guerillas raided the town but spared the Danville Female Academy. Legend has it the young ladies professed their southern sympathies. A marker sits at the building.

The Gray Ghosts Trail also takes you to Centralia, with a marker that tells the story of the Centralia Massacre and subsequent battle. A visit to the Centralia Historical Society Museum further explains the town's past and includes a Civil War room.

To the west of Columbia, you'll come to Boonville, the site of two battles. The first, known as the "Boonville Races," June 17, 1861, was one of the Civil War's first battles. The second battle occurred in September of 1861. Both battle sites have interpretive plaques. However, the First Battle of Boonville site is in private ownership and not accessible to the public. While in Boonville, take a driving tour around the area to see some of the historic homes and points of interest including Walnut Grove Cemetery and Thespian Hall, which served as a hospital and barracks at various times during the Civil War. Other must-see locations are the Roslyn House, Missouri State Society Daughters of the American Revolution Headquarters; Forest Hill, the only known building to be the subject of a painting by George Caleb Bingham; Kemper Military Academy, the oldest military academy west of the Mississippi until 2002; and the Old Cooper County Jail, Sheriff's Residence and Hanging Barn, where one of the last public hangings took place in 1930.

From Boonville, take State Route 41 to Arrow Rock, originally a principal stop on the Santa Fe Trail. It was the site of an engagement in Oct. 1864, during Price's Expedition. Restored buildings include the home of George Caleb Bingham and the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre. While in Arrow Rock, dine, shop and stay in places of the past. Visit shops filled with antiques, specialty gifts and old-time crafts.

Next, it's off to Marshall. The Battle of Marshall marker in Indian Foothills Park, describes this 1864 battle. Contact the Marshall Chamber of Commerce for information on the Civil War driving tour.

From there it's a short trip northeast to Glasgow where an interpretive panel at Market and Water streets on the Glasgow waterfront contains battle information and illustrations of troop movements. Glasgow was rumored to contain a cache of 5,000 rifles for Union soldiers, which prompted Confederate forces to strike. On Oct. 15, 1864, the Battle of Glasgow was fought and won by the overwhelming Confederate forces.

Don't forget to explore the Civil War treasures to be found in Columbia. Missouri artist George Caleb Bingham's famous painting of Order No. 11, which banished suspected southern sympathizers from a swath of land along the border between Missouri and Kansas, hangs at the State Historical Society of Missouri, in the basement of Ellis Library at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The library houses the Western Historical Manuscript Collection. Found in the collection are the letters of Lewis Riley, who joined the 6th Missouri cavalry unit. In his letters he shares his experiences with his wife. Many members of the 62nd U.S. Colored Infantry are buried at Columbia Cemetery. The 62nd engaged in the last fighting of the war in Texas, more than a month after the official surrender in Virginia.