Brig Gen Nathaniel Lyon (b 1818 - d 1861)

[mikeejay2]

Brig Gen Nathaniel Lyon (b 1818 - d 1861) was born on a farm in Ashford, Connecticut. As a boy he hated farming. His relatives had fought in the American Revolution and he was determined to follow in their footsteps. In 1837 he applied to West Point and graduated eleventh in his class of 52 cadets in 1841. He was assigned to the 2nd U S Infantry and served with them in the Seminole and the Mexican Wars. Despite denouncing American involvement in the Mexican War, he was promoted to first lieutenant for "conspicuous bravery in capturing enemy artillery" at the Battle for Mexico City and received a promotion to captain for later battles. He was then posted to the frontier, where he participated in the massacre of the Pomo Indians at Clear Lake, California(1850). In March 1861, Lyon arrived in St Louis in command of Company D of the 2nd U.S. Infantry. At the time the state of Missouri was relatively neutral in the dispute between North and South, but Governor Jackson was a strong Southern sympathizer. Lyon was concerned that Blair meant to seize the federal arsenal in St. Louis if the state seceded and that the Union had insufficient defensive forces to prevent the seizure. He attempted to strengthen the defenses, but came into opposition from his superiors. Lyon employed his friendship with the governor’s son, to have himself named commander of the arsenal. When the Civil War broke out and President Lincoln called for troops to put down the rebellion, Missouri was asked to supply four regiments. Governor Jackson refused the request and ordered the Missouri State Guard to muster outside St. Louis under the stated purpose of training for home defense. Lyon disguised himself as a farm woman to spy on the State Guard's camp and discovered that Jackson planned to seize the arsenal for Missouri troops. Lyon had most of the weapons in the arsenal secretly moved to Illinois during the night and then he led the 2nd U.S. Infantry to the camp, forcing its surrender. Riots broke out in St. Louis after Lyon marched his prisoners through the city. The event provoked the St Louis Massacre in which Lyons' troops opened fire on a crowd of civilians injuring at least 90 and killing 28. Despite this, he was promoted to brigadier general and given command over the Union troops in Missouri. In June, after meeting personally with Jackson in a futile attempt to resolve their differences, Lyon moved up the Missouri River and captured the state capital at Jefferson City on June 13th. The elected Missouri State Government, under the guard of Maj Gen Price and the Missouri State Guard, retreated to the southwest. Lyon installed a pro-Union state government in its place. Lyon reinforced his army and began to follow Price. By July 13, Lyon was encamped with about 6,000 Union soldiers. Meanwhile, The Missouri State Guard under the command of Price, met with other southern troops under Brig. Gen. McCulloch nearby. The combined Confederate forces numbering about 12,000, formed plans to attack Lyons, and marched northeast on July 31st. The armies met at dawn a few miles south of Springfield, Missouri, on the morning of Aug 10th in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. Lyon, who had already been wounded twice in the fighting, was shot in the head, leg, and chest and killed while dramatically rallying his badly outnumbered men. Although the Union Army was defeated at Wilson's Creek, Lyon's quick action neutralized the effectiveness of pro-Southern forces in Missouri, allowing Union forces to secure the state. During the Union retreat from Wilson's Creek, Lyon's body was mistakenly left behind on the battlefield and discovered by Confederate forces. He was the first Union general to be killed during the war. He is buried in a family plot in Ashford, Connecticut.

[Gil R.]

Thanks!

But please remember to use the proper style for bios. It should have been: "Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon (b. 1818, d. 1861). Lyon was born on a farm..."

[Gil R.]

Finally got around to Nathaniel Lyon:


Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon (b. 1818, d. 1861). Though killed just four months after the firing on Fort Sumter, the first Union general to fall during the Civil War, Lyon played a vital roll in the conflict by helping to ensure that the Union retained control of Missouri. Lyon was born on a farm in Ashford, Connecticut. His relatives had fought in the American Revolution and he was determined to follow in their footsteps. In 1837, he applied to West Point and graduated in 1841 (11th out of 52). He was assigned to the 2nd U.S. Infantry and served with them in the Seminole and the Mexican Wars. Despite denouncing American involvement in the Mexican War, he was promoted to 1st lieutenant for “conspicuous bravery in capturing enemy artillery” at the Battle for Mexico City and was brevetted to captain for later battles. Lyon was then posted to the frontier, where he participated in the massacre of the Pomo Indians at Clear Lake, California in 1850. His time serving in Kansas made him an ardent opponent of slavery, and his passion was such that he violated his orders to support the free-state cause there. Arriving in St. Louis in February 1861 in command of his old unit in Mexico, Company D of the 2nd U.S. Infantry, Lyon found a troubling situation: while the state of Missouri was relatively neutral in the dispute between North and South, Gov. Claiborne F. Jackson was a strong Southern sympathizer with designs on the city’s Federal arsenal – which the army would be unable to prevent if Jackson led the state out of the Union. Lyon attempted to strengthen the defenses, but came into opposition from his superiors, so he took advantage of his friendship with the prominent abolitionist Francis P. Blair, Jr. to have himself named commander of the arsenal. When the Civil War broke out and Pres. Abraham Lincoln called for troops to put down the rebellion, Missouri was asked to supply four regiments. Jackson refused the request and ordered the Missouri State Guard to muster outside St. Louis under the stated purpose of training for home defense. Lyon disguised himself as a farm woman to spy on Camp Jackson and discovered that they planned to seize the arsenal for Missouri troops. Lyon had secretly moved most of the weapons in the arsenal to Springfield, Illinois two weeks earlier, but to deter the attack he led his Federal troops into the camp and arrested the militiamen on May 10. Riots broke out in St. Louis as Lyon marched his prisoners through the city, leading to twenty-eight deaths when Lyons’ troops opened fire on the civilian crowd: the “St. Louis Massacre,” as it came to be known. Having been promoted to brigadier general and given command over the Union troops in Missouri, Lyon (along with Blair) personally met with Jackson and State Guard commander Sterling Price on June 11 in a futile attempt to resolve their differences – a meeting which ended with Lyon declaring, “This means war!”. Lyon moved up the Missouri River and captured the state capital at Jefferson City two days later, forcing Jackson and many other elected officials to retreat to the southwest part of the state. In his place, Lyon installed a pro-Union state government under Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble, who had been a leading force behind the state’s decision not to secede. Lyon expanded his army to 6,000 men and pursued Price, who in July joined up with Gen. Ben McCulloch to create a force numbering about 12,000. The armies met on the morning of August 10 a few miles south of Springfield, Missouri, and engaged in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. Lyon, who had already been wounded twice in the fighting, was shot in the head, leg, and chest, killing him as he was rallying his badly outnumbered men. Although the Union was defeated, Lyon had effectively eliminated the threat of pro-Confederate forces in Missouri. Lyon is buried in a family plot in Ashford. (Bio by Scott Jennings)

Leadership: 5
Tactical: 3
Initiative: 5
Command: 6
Cavalry:

Teaches: Obedient (16), Steady (14)

Start date: 7
Death date: 14