3rd Missouri Infantry Regiment (Union)
The 3rd Missouri Volunteers evolved from one of several unofficial pro-Unionist militia units formed semi-secretly in St. Louis in the early months of 1861 by Congressman Francis Preston Blair Jr. and other Unionist (United States) activists.
The organization that would become the Third Missouri was largely composed of ethnic Germans, who were generally opposed to slavery and strongly supportive of the Unionist cause.
Although initially without any official standing, beginning on April 22, 1861, four militia regiments Blair helped organize were sworn into Federal service at the St. Louis Arsenal by Captain John Schofield acting on the authority of President Lincoln.
[2][3] Upon entry into federal service, the members of the new Third Missouri elected Franz Sigel colonel of the regiment.
President Lincoln would later confirm Lyon's promotion from Captain to Brigadier general.
On May 10, 1861, the Third Missouri under Colonel Blair and Lieutenant Colonel Franz Hassendeubel[5] participated in the arrest of the Missouri Volunteer Militia drilling at Camp Jackson at Lindell Grove on the western border of St. Louis City.
As the Missouri militiamen were being march under guard back to the Arsenal near the riverfront, angry crowds confronted the Federal forces and the confused situation soon devolved into rioting and gunfire.
Over 27 people were killed and the Camp Jackson Affair helped to polarize the state and send Missouri down the road to its own internal civil war.
One force, under Brigadier General Lyon moved up the Missouri River by steamer, to capture the State capital at Jefferson City.
Colonel Sigel took his force to Rolla, thence to Springfield, Missouri, arriving on June 25.
Two companies of the Third Missouri who formed Sigel's rear guard were captured covering the retreat.
On July 5, Sigel's force of 1,100 troops met 4,000 State Guardsmen (and 2,000 unarmed Guard recruits) at the Battle of Carthage.
The Third Missouri joined with General Lyon's force at Springfield, and participated in the August 10 Battle of Wilson's Creek.
Sigel's 2nd Brigade initially had significant success, attacking the Confederate cavalry on the southeast corner of the southern camps (at the Sharp Farm).
After driving off these southern troops, Sigel halted his brigade across the Wire Road, above Skeeg's Branch (Creek).
However, Sigel positioned his artillery badly (behind the military crest of the ridge) and cautioned his men against accidentally firing on Federal troops he expected to be advancing south down the Wire Road (the 1st Iowa Infantry was uniformed in grey).
At this point, Confederate Brigadier Ben McCulloch lead an attack south down the Wire Road, with the respected Third Louisiana Infantry in fore.
The majority of the shattered Third Missouri escaped, and eventually they rejoined the Federal force retreating to Springfield, and then back to Rolla.
Four Companies moved to Rolla, Missouri in January 1862 and joined the army of General Samuel R. Curtis.
Curtis's Campaign against Confederate General Sterling Price in Missouri and Arkansas in January to March, 1862.
The regiment lost many casualties during service in the duration of the war which are listed consisting of; 3 officers and 89 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded as well as 3 officers and 145 enlisted men by disease with a combined number of casualties totalling 240.
