Civil War

Annual Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Event Celebrates 150th Emancipation Proclamation Anniversary

Erin Williams — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:04:06 +0000

The Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing, on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. Louis, will be turned into a Civil War training camp tomorrow at the 11th annual Freedom Crossing Event Celebration.

Missouri’s Contentious Role In Civil War Explored Through Music

Alex Heuer and Mary Edwards — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 20:00:00 +0000

As a border state during the Civil War, the state of Missouri was home to numerous battles and skirmishes. The state’s residents were divided, supporting both sides of the war.

Barbara Harbach is the composer of a new work called “A State Divided – Missouri Symphony for String Orchestra.” The piece has three movements and each represents a major chapter in the history of Missouri’s role in the Civil War.

Bringing the Civil War in Missouri to life

Maria Altman — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 12:35:06 +0000

The Missouri History Museum is opening a new exhibit Saturday called “The Civil War in Missouri.”

There’s a lot of ground to cover in a state that was bitterly divided by the war and saw more than 1,200 battles and skirmishes.

But the museum, founded just one year after the Civil War ended, has a treasure trove of artifacts from the era that bring the conflict to life.

St. Louis Public Radio’s Maria Altman got a sneak peak.

The Battle of Wilson's Creek: remembering the 150th anniversary

Maria Altman — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:35:56 +0000

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/national/local-national-981240.mp3

"It's not the large, organized, and, later in the war, the drafted armies that you see on the East Coast. This is very personal. You know, you better know who your neighbor is, and where their sympathies lie, or they're going to be turning you in, so to speak."
- Connie Langum, National Park historian on the nature of Civil War battles in Missouri

Today marks the 150-year anniversary of the Battle of Wilson's Creek near Springfield, Mo.

It was the second major battle of the Civil War, after Bull Run, and the first major battle to take place west of the Mississippi River.

About 2,500 men died or were wounded at the site, which is now known as Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.

St. Louis Public Radio's Maria Altman spoke with National Park historian Connie Langum about what happened on that day a century and a half ago, and how it will be remembered this week.

Listen to their conversation above.

Morning headlines: Thursday, July 7, 2011

Julie Bierach and The Associated Press — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 14:22:55 +0000

Ameren's plan to dump coal waste moves forward

Ameren’s plan for a coal waste dump in an eastern Missouri floodway has moved a step forward.

Ameren operates a power plant along the Missouri River in the Franklin County town of Labadie and dumps coal ash into two ponds. Those ponds are near capacity and Ameren wants to fill the river bottom with coal waste and surround it with a 20-foot-tall levee.