STAND BY YOUR STATE:
RESEARCHING MISSOURI CIVIL WAR MILITIA
SOLDIERS & ORGANIZATIONS
Tom Pearson, Reference Librarian
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
314-539-0381
tpearson@slpl.org
NOTES:
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Many Missouri men served in more than one type of military unit during the four-year
conflict. Men serving in short-term militia units organized shortly after the attack on Fort
Sumter in April 1861, for instance, later often enlisted in Missouri Volunteer Regiments or in
Enrolled Missouri Militia units.
Some men served in units on both sides of the conflict during the war (in some cases,
men detained in prison camps volunteered to serve in the enemy army in order to avoid the
possibility of dying due to diseases contracted while being held prisoner).
Missouri Civil War Confederate soldiers were eligible to receive a state veteran’s pension
if they lived in a Southern of border state. The pension would have been paid by the state
they lived in after the war, not necessarily the state with which they served.
Missouri Civil War Union soldiers were eligible to receive a postwar federal military
pension and benefits if:
1. the unit in which they served had been sworn into federal service for the entire term of
their service;
2. if the unit in which they served was formally recognized by the War Department as
having been at some point in the service of the United States;
3. f they had been disabled by wounds or other injuries incurred while their unit "was
temporarily cooperating with a unit of the military forces of the United States," and had
filed a pension or benefit claim based on that wound or injury prior to July 4, 1874.
MISSOURI STATE GUARD
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Missouri’s Confederate militia—raised in May-June 1861. Most units disbanded by early
1862.
Missouri was divided in nine MSG divisions based on congressional districts.
Missouri men 18-45 were expected to serve in the MSG unless specifically exempted for
occupation, religion, or disability.
Men who served in the MSG were eligible after the war to receive a state veteran’s pension if
they lived in a Southern or border state. Pension was paid by the state they lived in, not
necessarily the state they served with.
HOME GUARDS
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Raised in June-December 1861. The men were to be armed by the federal government, but
would only be paid if called to active duty. Several thousand were called to three months
active duty during Union General Nathaniel Lyon's advance on Springfield, Missouri in late
summer 1861.
At its height, the Home Guard organization consisted overall of approximately 19,000 men
who served in approximately 240 companies during the war.
Men who served in the Home Guards were eligible to receive postwar federal military
pensions and benefits if the units they served in had been recognized by the Hawkins Taylor
Commission as having been "called out or accepted by proper authority." The Commission
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bestowed that distinction upon six regiments, 22 battalions, and 49 independent companies
of Home Guards.
Men who had served in the Home Guards in units recognized by the Hawkins Taylor
Commission were authorized in 1886 by the Secretary of War to receive certificates of
honorable discharge from military service from the War Department.
MISSOURI MILITIA (THREE-MONTH)
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Raised in April 1861. Consisted of five regiments of infantry, one battalion of light artillery,
and one company of pioneers, all of which were mustered out July 1861.
Men who served in three-month Missouri militia units were eligible to receive postwar federal
military pensions and benefits.
UNITED STATES RESERVE CORPS (THREE-MONTH)
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Raised in St. Louis in May 1861. The men were to serve only in St. Louis County.
This organization consisted initially of five regiments of infantry and one company of cavalry.
Men who served in three-month U.S. Reserve Corps units were ruled eligible in an 1897
decision by the Assistant Secretary of War to receive federal military pensions and benefits
as authorized by the pension act of June 1890.
UNITED STATES RESERVE CORPS (THREE-YEAR)
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Raised in August & September 1861 from members of the United States Reserve Corps
(three-month). These men were to serve without geographic restrictions, but many believed
that their service would be within Missouri's boundaries only.
This organization consisted initially of five regiments, three battalions, and two independent
companies of infantry; one battalion of cavalry; and one regiment of artillery.
Men who served in three-year U.S. Reserve Corps units were eligible to receive postwar
federal military pensions and benefits.
MISSOURI MILITIA (SIX-MONTH)
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Raised in fall 1861 in the seven military districts into which Missouri was divided. Men
enlisted in these units were armed and paid by the state, and would serve when called to
active duty by the governor.
At its height, the Missouri six-month militia consisted of five regiments, 11 battalions, and
eight independent companies of infantry, and one company each of cavalry and artillery
(approximately 6,000 men and officers total).
These units were disbanded on January 25, 1862, to make way for the Missouri State Militia
that was then being organized.
Service in a six-month Missouri militia unit did not qualify a man to receive a postwar federal
military pension or benefits.
ENROLLED MISSOURI MILITIA
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Raised in late summer and fall of 1862. All able-bodied Missouri men between the ages of
18-45 who were not already in a state or federal military organization were required to enroll
(although an annual $10.00 exemption fee could be paid by men not wishing to serve). Men
in EMM units were to be used to fight rebel guerrillas operating in the local area.
The men supplied their own horses, guns, and ammunition, and were instructed during their
first year of existence to "subsist on the disloyal population." They were later furnished
surplus uniforms, and allowed to draw rations and forage when on duty. The men could be
called out for up to 30 days active duty at a time.
At its height in 1863, the EMM consisted of 89 regiments, 16 battalions, and 42 independent
companies, which were all disbanded by March 12, 1865.
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Service in a unit of the EMM did not qualify a man to receive a postwar federal military
pension and benefits (except that three companies of the 1st Regiment EMM, and four
companies of the 63rd Regiment EMM were sworn into federal service for 30 days during
Price's invasion of Missouri in fall 1864).
Note: Enrolled Missouri Militia members who were disabled by wounds or other injuries
received while "temporarily cooperating with a military unit or units in the service of the United
States" were entitled to receive federal military pensions and benefits if they had initiated a
claim for such pensions and/or benefits prior to July 4, 1874).
MISSOURI STATE MILITIA (THREE-YEAR)
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Raised in Missouri in December 1861-April 1862. Men who enlisted in these units were to
serve within state boundaries. The MSM consisted initially of one regiment of infantry and
one company of sappers and miners; two batteries of light artillery; and 14 regiments, three
battalions, and one independent company of cavalry. All MSM enlistees were mustered out
by July 1865.
Men who served in Missouri State Militia units were ruled eligible in March 1873 to receive a
federal military pension and/or benefits if they had been disabled by wounds or injuries
incurred or diseases contracted while their MSM unit "was cooperating with United States
forces."
In February 1895, officers and men of the MSM were ruled eligible to receive federal military
pensions authorized under the pension act of June 1890 if they had served for ninety days or
more, and if they had been honorably discharged from the MSM.
PROVISIONAL ENROLLED MISSOURI MILITIA
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Raised in spring and summer of 1863 from men who had been in units of the Enrolled
Missouri Militia. Intended to serve as a smaller, more permanent version of the Enrolled
Missouri Militia. These men were uniformed, and all the men in a unit were issued weapons
of the same caliber.
These units performed at a less than desired rate of effectiveness, however, and were
disbanded gradually as the need for them appeared to have abated.
At its height, the PEMM consisted of 11 regiments (which generally served, however, in units
called battalions which consisted of four companies each). The last remaining PEMM
companies disbanded on March 12, 1865.
Men who served in Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia units were not initially eligible to
receive postwar federal military pensions and benefits (except for the 6 th and 7th Regiments of
the PEMM, which were sworn into federal service for periods of 20 months each).
In 1873 a federal law granted pensions and benefits to those members of the PEMM who had
been disabled by wounds or other injuries incurred while their units were "temporarily
cooperating with units in the military service of the United States."
In February 1895, entitlement to a federal military pension and benefits authorized by
the pension act of June 1890 was extended to any officer or enlisted man of the
PEMM who had served at least 90 days on active duty and been honorably
discharged.
CITIZEN GUARDS
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Raised by company in late 1863 in those counties which had been affected by General
Thomas Ewing's infamous General Order No. 11 (which forced residents to evacuate certain
counties in western Missouri which had been host to prior activities of rebel guerrillas).
Men who agreed to serve in these Citizen Guard companies were allowed to move back into
their homes in the affected counties. These men were to be furnished pistols and rifled
muskets, and were to be issued rations and be paid when called to active duty. 20
companies of Citizen Guards were known to be formed in the affected counties. Companies
were also formed in some unaffected counties, but
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these initially had no legal status as military organizations.
During Confederate General Sterling Price's invasion of Missouri in late 1864, some 5,000
men who had previously been exempted from militia service were enrolled in five regiments,
two battalions, and approximately 15 independent companies of Citizen Guards.
Service in a unit of the Citizen Guards did not qualify a man to receive a postwar federal
military pension and benefits.
PROVISIONAL COMPANIES OF ENROLLED MISSOURI MILITIA (ONE YEAR)
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These units were formed in late summer and fall of 1864, but only in counties considered
"disloyal." Such counties could form one or two such companies. These companies were to
be armed and paid by the state, but were to be clothed and provided subsistence by the
federal government.
62 provisional companies of Enrolled Missouri Militia were formed in this way; all were
mounted except for four companies that were used to protect vital bridges. These companies
had all been disbanded by the end of July 1865.
Service in Provisional Companies of Enrolled Missouri Militia did not make men eligible to
receive postwar federal military pensions and benefits.
Members of the Provisional Companies of Enrolled Missouri Militia who were disabled by
wounds or other injuries incurred while their units were "temporarily cooperating with units in
the military service of the United States" could receive postwar federal military pensions and
benefits if they had filed claims for such pensions and benefits prior to July 1, 1874.
MISSOURI MILITIA (1865)
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Organized in 1865 according to the provisions of the Missouri Militia Act of February 10,
1865. By December 1865, there were 84 regiments and six battalions of Missouri militia that
had been raised according to the provisions of the Missouri Militia Act.
None of these units, however, appear to have been called into either state or federal service
during the Civil War. Service in one of these units did not, therefore, entitle a man to receive
a postwar federal military pension or benefits.
SOURCES:
1. Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Missouri for the Year 1863. St.
Louis, MO, 1864. Central-HG 353.9 (location at St. Louis Public Library's Central Library)
Listings by regiment usually include a list of officers of the regiment by company, plus an
“Historical Memorandum” which recounts the activities of the regiment for the past year by
company. Occasionally includes other information.
2. Annual Report of the Adjutant General of Missouri for 1864. Jefferson City, MO: W. A.
Curry, Public Printer, 1865. Central-HG 353.9
Sections on each Missouri Union military organization in existence during 1864 usually includes a
list of officers of the unit by company, plus an “Historical Memorandum” which recounts the
activities of the regiment for the past year by company. Occasionally includes other information.
3. Annual Report of the Quartermaster General of Missouri for the Year 1865. Saint Louis,
MO: R. P. Studley & Co., Printers & Lithographers, 1866, pp.149. Central-HG 353.9
Includes for some Missouri Union militia organizations a list of small arms furnished to or turned
in by one or more companies of the organization during the past year. Occasionally includes
other information.
4. Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, compiled and arranged
from official records of the Federal and Confederate armies, etc. Des Moines, IA: Dyer
Publishing Co., 1908, 3 vols., pp. 1339. Central-HG 353.9
Volume 3 has brief histories by state of Union military organizations, including many militia units.
Histories , which vary in length from one line to one page, include information on a regiment’s
organization and the commands it was attached to, with a chronology of its wartime activities.
5. Fannin, William. Defenders of the Border: Missouri's Union Military Organizations in the
Civil War. Jefferson City: Mid-Missouri Genealogical Society, 1982. Central-HG 973.741
A reprinting of an article that originally appeared in Pioneer Times magazine (vol. 6, no. 3- July
1982).
6. Hamilton, James A. "The Enrolled Missouri Militia: Its Creation and Controversial History."
Missouri Historical Review 69 (July 1975): 422-432. Central-HG-L P
An article on the complicated history of the Enrolled Missouri Militia.
7. Missouri Commandery. Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Missouri in
the Civil War Links & Resources. http://home.usmo.com/~momollus/Mocwlink.htm.
8. Missouri Division. Sons of Confederate Veterans. Grave Registration, State Guard, & Unit
Rosters. http://www.missouridivision-scv.org/.
9. Missouri State Archives. Guide to Civil War Resources at the Missouri State Archives.
http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/civilwar/ .
10. Missouri State Archives. Missouri Soldiers Records.
http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/soldiers/.
Has listings for many Missouri militia soldiers, Union & Confederate. Listings provide access to
an image of that man’s Missouri State Archives service card.
11. Pearson, Thomas A. Divided State: Missouri Military Organizations in the Civil War.
http://previous.slpl.org/libsrc/cvwara.htm.
A guide to periodical articles containing information about Missouri Civil War military
organizations (Union & Confederate).
12. Pearson, Thomas A. The Missouri State Guard: a Selected, Annotated Bibliography. St.
Louis: Self-published, 2009. Available via http://www.lulu.com/.
13. Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. National Graves Registration Database.
http://www.suvcwdb.org/home/search.php?action=search .
You can find entries for Missouri militia members by searching for UnionMissouriMilitia. A
search for ConfederateMissouriMilitia reveals only 13 entries.
14. Supplement to the Official Records of the Union & Confederate Armies, volume 36,
serial no. 48, Part II- Record of Events- Missouri Troops (Union). Edited by Janet B. Hewitt.
Wilmington, NC: Broadfoot Publishing Co., 1996, pp.3-77. Central-HG 973.74
Chronologies by company of the wartime activities of Missouri Union Civil War military
organizations .
15. United States. National Park Service. Civil War Soldiers & Sailors System.
http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/index.html.
Has listings for some Missouri militia soldiers, Union & Confederate. Listings provide name, unit,
company, rank in & rank out, AKAs, and NARA CMSR index microfilm series & roll number.
16. United States. Record and Pension Office. Organization and Status of Missouri Troops
(Union and Confederate) in Service During the Civil War. Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Government Printing Office, 1902. Central-ST 973.74
Listings of Missouri Civil War military organizations, with historical sketches and determinations
as to whether men of a particular organization were eligible for post-war military pensions and
benefits.
17. War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union & Confederate
Armies. Published under direction of Elihu Root, Secretary of War. Washington, D. C.:
Government Printing Office, 1880-1901. Central-HG 973.74
This book set includes numerous after-action reports and other information about various Civil
War regiments (Union and Confederate), including some Missouri militia units.
18. Wikipedia. Enrolled Missouri Militia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrolled_Missouri_Militia.
19. Wikipedia. Home Guard (Union). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_Guard_(Unionist).
20. Wikipedia. Missouri State Guard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_State_Guard.
21. Wikipedia. Missouri State Militia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_State_Militia.
22. Wikipedia. Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_
Enrolled_Missouri_Militia.