Area Historian Publishes New Book that Highlights Civil War Role of Slaves from Farmington and Surrounding Area Who Joined the Union Army
Historian Bob Schmidt
March 24 -- Local historian Bob Schmidt has published a new book about slaves in Farmington and the surrounding area during the Civil War. In a program given tonight at the St. Francois County Historical Society, he noted that the Union Army, which maintained a military unit in our town during the war, operated a program which recruited black male slaves into the U.S. Army -- a policy that gave those slaves their freedom even though, technically, slaves in states loyal to the Union were not freed until passage of the 13th (1865) and 14th (1868) Amendments to the U.S. Constitution following the end of the Civil War.
His book, The Military Destruction of Slavery in Southeast Missouri: 1861-1964, and the Rise of the U.S. Colored Troops, focuses on those slaves from Farmington, St. Francois County, and other surrounding Southeast Missouri counties who were recruited into the Union Army during those volatile years of the Civil War.
"About five or six thousand colored troops from Missouri joined the Union Army (and thereby secured their freedom from slavery) during the Civil War beginning in 1863," Schmidt noted during his presentation. Most of those blacks from St. Francois County were taken to St. Louis where they enlisted in the Union Army, he added. Some of those black "recruits" were taken forcibly from their owners in this county and surrounding areas. "The state government of Missouri did not approve the recruitment of slaves into the Army at that time," Schmidt noted. Indeed, many officials and lawmakers at Jefferson City were staunch supporters of the Confederacy, but at that time they were powerless to stop the Union military recruitment process.
Many of those former slaves serving in the U.S. Army died from various causes during the war. Schmidt also noted that it was difficult to track most of these Army recruits from our area since some of them changed their names while in the military and there were few public records dealing with the activities of slaves and freed blacks. When these black recruits died, most were buried with no grave markers or newspaper obituaries. However, Schmidt's extensive research revealed the name of one of the black Union recruits, Sandy Taylor, who is buried at the black Masonic Cemetery here.
Schmidt noted that a lot of things happened during the war in the Farmington area, including a raid on the town in November, 1863, by Confederate guerrilla leader Sam Hildebrand. His group "roughed up" some of the townspeople and robbed a general store here. Some of that booty was later found at a nearby home, which included at least one bolt of cloth. Schmidt also said that Union Forces here required that everyone be "pro-Union," -- at least in outward appearances.
At the start of the war there were 877 slaves in St. Francois County, while the white population and freed slaves totaled 6,372. In the election of 1860, a grand total of 19 people voted for Lincoln versus a total of 1,100 votes for the three candidates who ran on splinter Democratic party tickets.
His book, The Military Destruction of Slavery in Southeast Missouri: 1861-1964, and the Rise of the U.S. Colored Troops, focuses on those slaves from Farmington, St. Francois County, and other surrounding Southeast Missouri counties who were recruited into the Union Army during those volatile years of the Civil War.
"About five or six thousand colored troops from Missouri joined the Union Army (and thereby secured their freedom from slavery) during the Civil War beginning in 1863," Schmidt noted during his presentation. Most of those blacks from St. Francois County were taken to St. Louis where they enlisted in the Union Army, he added. Some of those black "recruits" were taken forcibly from their owners in this county and surrounding areas. "The state government of Missouri did not approve the recruitment of slaves into the Army at that time," Schmidt noted. Indeed, many officials and lawmakers at Jefferson City were staunch supporters of the Confederacy, but at that time they were powerless to stop the Union military recruitment process.
Many of those former slaves serving in the U.S. Army died from various causes during the war. Schmidt also noted that it was difficult to track most of these Army recruits from our area since some of them changed their names while in the military and there were few public records dealing with the activities of slaves and freed blacks. When these black recruits died, most were buried with no grave markers or newspaper obituaries. However, Schmidt's extensive research revealed the name of one of the black Union recruits, Sandy Taylor, who is buried at the black Masonic Cemetery here.
Schmidt noted that a lot of things happened during the war in the Farmington area, including a raid on the town in November, 1863, by Confederate guerrilla leader Sam Hildebrand. His group "roughed up" some of the townspeople and robbed a general store here. Some of that booty was later found at a nearby home, which included at least one bolt of cloth. Schmidt also said that Union Forces here required that everyone be "pro-Union," -- at least in outward appearances.
At the start of the war there were 877 slaves in St. Francois County, while the white population and freed slaves totaled 6,372. In the election of 1860, a grand total of 19 people voted for Lincoln versus a total of 1,100 votes for the three candidates who ran on splinter Democratic party tickets.
