Exciting News ... "A State Divided: The Civil War Letters of James Callaway Hale and Benjamin Petree of Andrew County, Missouri" is Coming Soon!

Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Blog Post #36

By Tonya Graham McQuade

It's hard to believe, but after two years of reading through family letters, researching the Civil War, making two trips to Missouri and one to Virginia to visit relevant sites, and doing lots of writing and editing, A State Divided: The Civil War Letters of James Callaway Hale and Benjamin Petree of Andrew County, Missouri is ready to be launched into the world! On February 1, the two-year anniversary of my receiving the email from Jeremy telling be about these letter, I will be joined by family, friends, and colleagues in a "Zoom Celebration" of these amazing letters, the fascinating journey they inspired, and the end product that has finally taken shape.

A State Divided will be available on Amazon.com beginning Feb. 1 at midnight - and of course I hope you'll order a copy! On January 23, I will begin a 10-day "countdown" on Facebook ("Tonya Graham McQuade - Author") and Instagram (@tonyamcquade) featuring brief excerpts from the book to introduce some of the key people, events, and topics it will address. If you're not on social media, I will also share my countdown items here on this blog.

I thought it would be fun to try to capture some of the key elements of the first couple chapters in a poem to help promote the book to my "poetry friends," who are used to me doing a very different kind of writing. So, unable to sleep since my mind was awhirl, I got up early Saturday and wrote the following. It throws a lot at you - names of people, places, events, laws, etc. - without a lot of explanations. But, if you read the book, you'll get all the details and have a much better understanding of the important role Missouri played in the Civil War and and know why many people believe the war actually started there!

A State Divided: Poetic Thoughts on Missouri in the Civil War

By Tonya McQuade

A state divided, a nation torn;

Neighbors fighting, all forlorn –

Many believe the Civil War started

In “Show Me” Missouri, its causes here charted.

Missouri and Maine in 1821 became states,

Keeping the balance in slavery debates.

Bordering eight states – four slave, four free –

With ten percent slaves - was Missouri.

The northwest Platte Purchase slavery extended,

The Missouri Compromise challenged, amended.

The Indian Removal Act was, too, set aquiver –

The new border pushed tribes west of the river.

The population exploded, “new land” for the taking;

Northerners, Southerners new homes were making –

St. Joseph, the start to the Oregon Trail

And the Pony Express, now delivering mail.

The Fugitive Slave Law triggered more strife;

Caught in the middle, tensions were rife.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act meant slave or free

Was now left to popular sovereignty.

"Bleeding Kansas" erupted in border war killing

And fraudulent voting, with much blood spilling.

John Brown and sons rampaged at Pottawatomie;

Bushwhackers retaliated – Osawatomie.

The Dred Scott decision – one of the worst –

Was fought in the courts of Missouri first.

Lincoln was elected, but only this state

Had Douglas on top; they soon questioned their fate.

In a vote for secession, a Union win carried;

But in much disunity the state soon was buried.

Liberty Arsenal, the Camp Jackson Affair,

Lyon, and Wide-Awakes made tempers flare.

At Planter’s House Hotel, leaders disagreed;

Jackson and Price each raced off on a steed.

The Capitol abandoned, soon armed conflict stirred;

The Battle of Boonville saw Missouri secured.

Two governments emerged – with Gamble appointed

And Jackson in exile, Missouri was disjointed.

Then Fremont’s Emancipation and martial law

Earned condemnation; feelings ran raw.

To all this melee, my ancestors arrived;

Through family letters, their stories survived.

The Hales and Petrees built family farms,

But “Bloody Andrew” County threatened them harms.

By Confederate guerrillas, a brother was killed;

In the Missouri militia, six months they fulfilled.

Confederate Camp Highly – Missouri State Guard;

Union Camp Gentry – Missouri Home Guard.

Clashes and killings, romps, raids, and routs;

Cities divided – worries spawned doubts.

After Wilson’s Creek, Lyon roared no more,

The first Union General killed in the war.

All ensued in Missouri, a state quite divided;

Here much transpired, and never one-sided.

If you want to know more, then read my new book -

The details are there if you just take a look!

Some of the letters that were in the box I received from Jeremy

How many of the allusions did you catch? Did you know Missouri had more than 1,000 military engagements on its soil during the Civil War - the third most of any state after Virginia and Tennessee? Or that the Confederate General Edmurd Kirby Smith, who commanded the Trans-Mississippi Department (which included Missouri), didn't surrender until 45 days after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox?

Find out more interesting facts during the 10-Day Countdown starting January 23, and be sure to order my book on February 1 on Amazon! If you want to take a look back at how this journey began, here's a link to my very first blog post on April 30, 2022. And if you want to attend the Book Launch Zoom Party on Feb. 1, email me at tonyagrahammcquade@gmail.com with your address so I can add you to the Evite list. I'll be sharing favorite book excerpts, photos from relevant historical sites, and some of the other items that were included with the letters, and talking a bit about what comes next. Hope to see you there!

The flag James C. Hale carried with him throughout the war,

made for him by his daughter Mary Ann