Did you know the City of Alton was involved with helping secure the St. Louis Arsenal during the Civil War? Built in 1847, the St. Louis Arsenal is a complex of buildings owned by the U.S. government that once stored military weapons and ammunition.

Before the Civil War started in 1861, General Nathaniel Lyon arrived to St. Louis to command Company D in the 2nd U.S. Infantry. Despite Missouri’s promise to remain neutral, the government was not convinced the state would not turn.

Governor of Missouri, Claiborne F. Jackson was a southern sympathizer and Lyon was concerned he might seize the arsenal. Requesting the aid of General Francis P. Blair, Lyon formed a paramilitary group called the Wide Awakes to defend the stockpile.

On April 20, 1861 a pro-Confederate mob seized Liberty Arsenal, the only other arsenal in Missouri. In response, Lyon armed the Wide Awake units.

By April 25, the City of Alton steamboat was prepared and waiting at the docks. On April 29, the steamboat secretly ferried 20,000 muskets, 5,000 carbines, 50 revolvers, and 100,000 cartridges from the St. Louis Arsenal to the City of Alton. The arsenal was secured and hidden with the help of men provided by the Governor of Illinois, Richard Yates.

Only days later, MO Gov. Jackson called the Missouri Volunteer Militia for ‘maneuvers’ only a few miles from the arsenal. Suspecting these maneuvers were an attempt to seize the arsenal and finding that Confederate President Jefferson Davis had sent artillery to the site, Lyon surrounded the militia with 6,000 MO volunteers and U.S. regulars on May 10.

The militia surrendered but a riot erupted as they were being marched back to the arsenal. Gunfire ensued. As the riot escalated, Lyon’s volunteers fired into the crowd, killing 28 civilians and wounding nearly 90. This event is known as the Camp Jackson Affair.

Lyon’s quick action prevented the Confederacy from seizing the St. Louis Arsenal and the Union was later able to secure Missouri on June 17, 1861, after the Battle of Boonville. The arsenal was moved to Jefferson Barracks Military Post in 1871.