Civil war in Pacific
Audio recording
The Civil War reached Pacific, Missouri, in June 1861 when local Postmaster William Inks was recruited by Union General Nathaniel Lyon to lead the Pacific Battalion Home Guard. This force, comprising six companies and 316 men, was tasked with protecting the Pacific Railroad bridges in Franklin, Jefferson, and St. Louis counties. By September, the Home Guard disbanded as Lieutenant Colonel Francis J. Herron and the 9th Iowa regiment took over, setting up Camp Herron amidst the natural beauty but challenging terrain between two bluffs.
read more
The regiment faced hardships, notably a malaria outbreak, necessitating the use of a requisitioned mansion on St. Louis Street as a makeshift hospital, later dubbed the Blue Goose. Despite these adversities, the soldiers found solace in Pacific, culminating in a Grand Union Ball on December 5th, 1861, a festive morale booster organized by Colonel Herron and attended by notable generals and colonels, demonstrating the town’s significance and the community’s spirit during the turmoil of the Civil War.