Missouri Militia in the Civil War

(Many thanks to StLGS treasurer, Viki Fagyal, for submitting this week's blog post.) 

Did you have an ancestor who served in the Civil War, but not in the Union or Confederate Army? Maybe they served in the Missouri Home Guard or the Enrolled Missouri Militia (EMM)? Did you know there were two groups?

The Home Guards organized in the summer of 1861 to “stay at home and go into action only to defend their neighborhoods.” They disbanded in late 1861. The Enrolled Missouri Militia formed in the summer of 1862 and “were meant to stay at home and come into service only when needed in their home areas.”

There were other groups formed in different years:

• Six-Month Militia, 1861
• Missouri State Militia, 1861–1865
• Enrolled Missouri Militia, 1862–1865
• Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia, 1863–1865
• Provisional Enrolled Militia, (G.O. #107 [General Order]), 1864–1865;
• Missouri Militia (G.O. #3), 1865; and Missouri Militia (State Convention), 1865–late nineteenth century. 

Your ancestor may have served in one or more of these militia groups.
Records are available at the Missouri State Archives and Missouri Historical Society.  Research collections are also available in the History and Genealogy Department at St. Louis County Library Headquarters and in the Downtown St. Louis Public Library Genealogy Collection.

If you want to read more about the Missouri Militia in the Civil War, there are several good online resources:

“Guide to Civil War Resources at the Missouri State Archives,” Missouri Digital Heritage, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City, 2019, https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/civilwar/.

“Life of a Home Guard and Enrolled Missouri Militia,” For Educators: The Civil War in Missouri, The Missouri History Museum, 2011, http://www.civilwarmo.org/educators/resources/info-sheets/life-home-guard-and-enrolled-missouri-militia.

Kirby Ross, "Federal Militia in Missouri," http://www.civilwarstlouis.com/militia/federalmilitia.htm.