The Civil War in the Ozarks: A Review
Only Virginia surpasses Missouri in the number of Civil War battlefields. While there were traditional battles, such as Wilson’s Creek, fought in Missouri, much of the fighting was between irregular Bushwackers and Kansas Jayhawkers. In The Civil War in the Ozarks Phillip W. Steele and Steve Cottrell provide a concise chronology of the events in Missouri from 1861 to 1865 and an introduction to the citizens and soldiers, from the martyred Nathaniel Lyon to the folk hero, yet murderer, William Quantrill, who fought throughout the Ozarks during this period.
While the book does not provide in depth analysis as to the causes or the consequences of the violence in the Ozarks, it does provide a quick synopsis in an easy to grasp fashion. I first read this book as a high school student and it was a great introduction into the Civil War history of the Ozark region. Of particular interest was the last chapter, Jesse James and the Civil War. My grandmother has often told stories of our distant relations to the Younger Brothers that rode with Jesse James and it was interesting comparing the literary history with that of my grandmother’s oral history of the Younger Clan.
I think I’ll continue to search for more in depth discussions of the Civil War History in the Ozarks, but The Civil War in the Ozarks is well worth the quick read that it is.