Editing Population transfer (section)

====General Order No. 11 (1863)====
{{Main|General Order No. 11 (1863)}}
General Order No. 11 is the title of a Union Army decree which was issued during the [[American Civil War]] on 25 August 1863, forcing the evacuation of rural areas in four counties in western Missouri. That decree was issued in response to an extensive [[insurgency]] and widespread [[guerrilla warfare]]. The Army cleared the area in an attempt to deprive the guerrillas of local support. Union General [[Thomas Ewing Jr.|Thomas Ewing]] issued the order, which affected all rural residents regardless of their loyalty. Those who could prove their loyalty to the Union were permitted to stay in the region but had to leave their farms and move to communities near military outposts. Those who could not do so had to vacate the area altogether.

In the process, Union forces caused considerable property destruction and a large number of deaths because of conflicts.