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American Civil War in Missouri
Regimental Histories
Missouri had 1,162 military actions, the third highest number, after Virginia and Tennessee. Of that number, only two--Wilson's Creek (August 10, 1861) and Westport (October 23, 1864)-- are considered battles. The remaining incidents were primarily skirmishes.
Missouri had over a dozen state militia organizations during the Civil War. The primary in-state defensive and offensive military forces were the Enrolled Missouri Militia (EMM) and Missouri State Militia (MSM). The EMM was solely state force, primarily mobilized as needed, but plagued with accusations of both disloyalty and excessive zealotry. The MSM was a state force authorized and subsidized by the federal government. It was a full-time force and was primarily occupied in battling guerilla forces throughout the war.
The Missouri forces that fought east of the Mississippi River were primarily members of the Missouri Volunteers, or volunteers in federal service from Missouri (although the Union forces killed at the Battle of Centralia were recruits for the 39th Regiment Infantry, Missouri Volunteers). The Missouri Volunteers consisted of 56 regiments, infantry, 16 cavalry, 2 artillery, and one engineer regiments, as well as numerous independent companies, batteries, and battalions.
Missouri contributed a huge number of its men to both sides of the Civil War. Over 109,000 men enlisted and fought for the Union and at least 30,000 men fought for the Confederacy. This represents almost 60 percent of men of military age and places Missouri first among the states in proportion to the population.
To research regimental histories for Missouri and other states, the most used work is the book published by Frederick Dyer in 1908, "A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion":