Published here for the first time since they appeared in the pages of the St. Louis Republican in the 1880s, these are the stories of the Union veterans of the Civil War in the Trans-Mississippi. Part One covers the events in Missouri that led up to Missouri reluctantly entering the Civil War, including the war preparations in St. Louis, the arrival of Nathaniel Lyon in St. Louis, and the role he played in preparing the Union side for the eventual conflict in Missouri. Also included, you will be introduced to the Missouri secession crisis and the capture of Camp Jackson on May 10, 1861, which propelled Missouri into the Civil War. The 1861 volume of this series includes extensive accounts on the Battles of Carthage (July 5, 1861), Wilson's Creek (August 10, 1861), and, to a lesser extent, the Battle of Belmont on November 7, 1861, as related by the pilot of General Grant's headquarters vessel, the Belle Memphis.