Victims and victors

Today is the 89th Anniversary of Armistice Day. This anniversary signifies the end of what was known as the War to End all Wars, the "Great World War" and became identified historically as World War I in the second half of the 20th Century. The end of this war occurred at the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day of November in 1918. This day has been renamed "Veteran's Day" to honor and remember all United States military veterans and their families and this is as it should be.

We as a country are blessed in many ways, and one of those blessings is that we have not had to fight an all encompassing war on our soil since the Civil War. The memory and repercussions of the "Civil War" or the "War Between the States" are very much with us today, and this is as it should be. This is especially true in eastern Kansas and western Missouri because the type of warfare conducted here from 1856-1865. During the era of "Bleeding Kansas" from 1856-1861, so labeled by the northern press of the day, most of the violent acts occurred in Kansas and were perpetrated against anti-slave free-state and abolitionist Kansans who were victims of the pro-slave "Border Ruffians" from Missouri. From a military perspective, the Missourians were the victors because they were victorious in most of the battles. However, in the political war, the Kansans were successful when Kansas joined the United States as a state free of slavery and became the 34th state of the Union on Jan. 29, 1861.

During the declared "Civil War" from 1861-1865, the victors and victims would be reversed. Missouri ranks third as the state where the most battles and skirmishes (small battles) occurred, behind Virginia first and Tennessee second. Missouri and Missourians became the victims and the Yankees won the war and were the victors. In essence, when comparing Kansas and Missouri in the Civil War, the majority of the violence and destruction occurred in Missouri! There was, however, a major difference in the violence and destruction that occurred in Kansas and Missouri between 1856 and 1865. During "Bleeding Kansas," there was some destruction of personal property.

For example, part of Lawrence and Osawatomie and some farms and homes were destroyed by the Border Ruffians, but this was not "Total War." Rather, this was a psychological war of intimidation. Total war, which includes the wholesale destruction of just about everything whenever possible, was conducted in western Missouri with a vengeance between 1861 and 1865 and is well remembered to this day, especially by the citizens of the "Burned District."

The "Burned District included Jackson, Cass, Bates and Vernon counties and was a result of the infamous (if you are from Missouri) Order No. 11 that affected all civilians (Union, Confederate, Bushwhackers and their supporters). The civilians, no matter what their alliance was, were all victims of "Total War." However, contrary to popular belief, not everything was destroyed. If a citizen proclaimed his or her loyalty to the United States, he or she and their family had to leave or abandon their farm, but the buildings were not destroyed.

On Nov. 20, 1863, Brigadier General Thomas Ewing Jr., who commanded the District of the Border which included the Burned District, issued Order No. 20 that allowed loyal Union citizens to return to their farms and homes in the Burned District. On Nov.13, 1863, Gen. Ewing received the following approval from the commander of the Department of the Missouri to issue "Order No. 20, which is located on pages 707 and 708 in Vol. 22, Part II of the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion:

Headquarters Department of the Missouri, St. Louis, Nov. 13, 1863

(To) Brig. Gen. Thomas Ewing Jr., Comdg. District of the Border, Kansas City, Mo.

General: I approve the conditions you name relative to the return of the people to their homes in the border counties, at least for the present. If found unnecessarily strict, they can be modified hereafter without injury, while if made to liberal at the beginning, they cannot be changed without much trouble. Your suggestion that proof of loyalty should be made in your district exclusively is perfectly correct and is approved. It will be difficult to cure the evil in La Fayette County by any means short of that adopted for the border, but it is too late for that now. The most we can now do is to banish known friends of the guerrillas. I regard the return of the border people as only an experiment, yet one I feel bound to make. They may have to leave their homes next summer. At all events, they will be able to winter there in comparative comfort and security. In this connection, I deem it important that all who return be armed and taught to rely upon themselves as far as possible. I will suggest one modification in your propositions, viz, that the punishment for [any] violation of obligation by any member of a family be banishment of the family, rather than destruction of property.

It is not worth the while to send your order to me before publication. I regret very much your sickness; it is not surprising since your severe campaign.

Very respectfully,

J. M. Schofield,

Major General

It is not known, how many Missourians were victims and died during the Civil War. Accepted documented statistics indicate that 109,000 Missourians served in the Union Army and 14,000 died from wounds or disease.

Approximately 30,000 served in the Confederate forces and 6,500 died from wounds or disease. The number of civilians who died is unknown. What is known is that between 1861 and 1865 Union and Confederate Missouri soldiers and civilians disliked each other so much that they killed each other in large numbers.

This "Missouri Mayhem" is an aspect of the Civil War that is often overlooked today and is not part of the contemporary memory of the war. To be sure and without a doubt, the Kansas "Jayhawkers" and "Redlegs" did their share of killing in Missouri. However, the internal Civil War in the "Show Me State" between Union and Confederate Missourians was a bigger bloodbath and probably accounted for more civilian and military deaths than the "Blue Bellied Billy Yanks" from Kansas caused.

In the final analysis, all who die in war and their surviving families are victims of war. This, as a nation, we know very well today on this, the 89th Anniversary of Armistice Day!