Nathaniel Lyon

• 1. A Boy With A Short Temper

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  Nathaniel Lyon was born on the 14th of July 1818, to Amasa and Kezia Lyon. His father worked as a sawmill operator while also farming the land they owned. Young Nathaniel performed heavy farm chores from an early age. He gained a reputation for seriousness and having a short temper among his neighbors. Amasa was strict and not affectionate towards his children. This lack of warmth drove Nathaniel closer to his mother. Kezia was a devoted Christian who raised doubts about religion in her son's mind. Her husband tended towards rejecting organized Christianity. Family acquaintances recommended him for a military career. United States Representative Orrin Holt secured Lyon's appointment to West Point in early 1837.

• 2. The Bloody Island Massacre

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  Lyon served with the 2nd U.S. Infantry Regiment during the Seminole Wars. He fought in the Mexican, American War despite denouncing American involvement. He received a brevet promotion to captain for battles at Contreras and Churubusco. After the war he posted to the frontier where forces under his command perpetrated violence against Native Americans. In 1850 he co-led the Bloody Island Massacre of 60 to 200 Pomo people. The victims included old men, women, and children. Several days later Lyon was responsible for another massacre in Cokadjal. That event killed 75 to 100 Native Americans though the number was likely double that figure. These actions occurred as part of the wider California genocide.

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• 3. Bleeding Kansas And Unionism

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  After being reassigned to Fort Riley in Kansas Lyon became staunchly antislavery. He did not support the radicalism of the abolitionists. Warner states that Lyon was far from being an abolitionist and was not even in favor of disturbing slavery where it existed. He came to support the Republican Party while serving in the border wars known as Bleeding Kansas. In January 1861 he wrote about the secession crisis. His words stated It is no longer useful to appeal to reason but to the sword. This shift marked his transition to strong pro-Union views during violent conflicts over slavery in Kansas.

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• 4. The Arsenal Seizure

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  In March 1861 Lyon arrived in St. Louis commanding Company B of the 2nd U.S. Infantry. Governor Claiborne F. Jackson was a strong Southern sympathizer. Many state legislators shared this view despite Missouri's relative neutrality. Lyon guessed correctly that Jackson would seize the federal arsenal if the state seceded. He employed friendship with Francis P. Blair Jr. to become commander of the arsenal. Lyon armed Wide Awake units under guise of night. He moved excess weapons secretly to Illinois. On May 10 he directed volunteer regiments to force the surrender of pro-Confederate militia. Riots broke out as he marched prisoners through the city. The event provoked the Camp Jackson Affair of the 10th of May 1861. His troops opened fire on civilians injuring at least 75 and killing 28.

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• 5. Driving The Governor West

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  Lyon met with Governor Jackson and Major General Sterling Price at Planter's House hotel on the 12th of June 1861. Discussions were conducted largely between Lyon and Jackson who held intransigent positions. After four unproductive hours Lyon halted the meeting. He informed them that Jackson's demanded limitations meant war. The governor fled first to Jefferson City ordering tracks destroyed behind him. He then retreated with the State Guard to Boonville. Lyon moved up the Missouri River by steamer. He occupied Jefferson City without a fight on June 13. On June 17 he defeated a portion of the State Guard at the Battle of Boonville. The governor and his administration retreated to the southwest.

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• 6. The Countercharge At Wilson Creek

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  By July 13 Lyon was encamped at Springfield with about 6,000 Union soldiers. Combined Confederate forces numbered about 12,000 under Price and Brig. Gen. Benjamin McCulloch. They marched northeast on July 31 to attack Springfield. The armies met at dawn near Springfield on August 10 during the Battle of Wilson's Creek. Lyon was wounded twice in the fighting. A bullet struck his head and another hit his leg. His horse was shot from under him. He returned to Union lines and commandeered a bay horse ridden by Maj. E.L. McElhaney. Badly outnumbered he led a countercharge of the 2nd Kansas Infantry on Bloody Hill. He was shot in the heart at about 9:30 am. Although the Union Army was defeated his quick action neutralized pro-Southern forces in Missouri.

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• 7. A Legacy Of Controversy

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  On the 24th of December 1861 Congress passed a resolution thanking the late Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon. The country would guard and preserve his fame as part of its own glory. Counties in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, and Nevada are named in his honor. Two forts were also named for him including Fort Lyon in Colorado. Lyon Park in St. Louis and Lyon Street in San Francisco bear his name. A monument honoring him was erected on Grand Boulevard in 1927. However the monument was removed in 1960 when Harriet Frost Ford agreed to donate one million dollars to expand St. Louis University. She required that Lyon's statue be removed. The city moved it to a small park near Anheuser-Busch Brewery. SLU later renamed its main campus the Frost Campus after Confederate General Daniel Frost.

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