Minutemen (Missouri Secessionist Paramilitaries)

The Minutemen was a secessionist paramilitary organization in St. Louis, Missouri in the early months of 1861. Many members joined the 2nd Regiment of the Missouri Volunteer Militia, and after May 10, 1861 the Missouri State Guard or the Confederate States Army.

The (St. Louis) Minutemen organization was founded in January, 1861 by pro-southern St. Louisans who opposed Federal "coercion" of seceding southern states, or who actively supported Missouri's secession from the Union. Members signed a pledge which stated that they opposed coercion, supported armed aid to southern states in case of coercion, and called for secession in case of sectional conflict. Many members had previously been members of Democratic Party marching clubs or Breckenridge activists during the 1860 Presidential Election

The organization was established simultaneously with similar Unionist organizations, which also grew out of Republican Party organizations (such as the Wide Awakes), or the ethnic German Turnverien movement. Members were predominantly younger men, who culturally identified with the South. Organizers included South Carolina born Colton Green, Kentuckian Basil Wilson Duke, and Irish immigrant J. Rock Champion.

The Minutemen had their headquarters in the Berthold Mansion in downtown St. Louis, at the corner of 5th and Pine Streets. Members confronted St. Louis Unionists and maintained surveillance on the Federal Arsenal at the St. Louis riverfront. Members of the organization collected weapons, organized themselves into provisional companies, and engaged in military drill (as did pro-Union activists). Although unofficial military organizations were prohibited by the newly enacted Militia Law, state authorities did not interfere with the activities of the Minutemen. Instead, on February 13, 1861, Brigadier General Daniel M. Frost, Missouri Volunteer Militia (MVM) commander of the 1st (St. Louis) Military District of Missouri, enrolled the Minutemen as companies in a new (pro-secessionist) 2nd Regiment MVM.

Though March and April the members of the Minutemen continued to recruit members, prepare for war, and confront their Unionist opponents in St. Louis. One incident nearly led to bloodshed. In the early morning of March 4, 1861, members of the organization raised "secessionist" flags over the St. Louis Courthouse and their Berthold Mansion headquarters. Although the flag at the courthouse was quickly removed, the flag at Berthold Mansion continued to fly. Pro-Union activists, feeling provoked by the "secessionist" symbol demanded its removal and attempted to enter the building to take it down. The confrontation lead to scuffles and could have escalated to armed violence except for the intervention of the Mayor and several prominent St. Louis Unionists. The "secessionist" flag would continue to fly through May.

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