Editing Nathaniel Lyon (section)

==American Civil War==
===St. Louis Arsenal===
[[File:St-louis-arsenal.jpg|thumb|A monument to Nathaniel Lyon with the [[St. Louis Arsenal]] in the background]]

In March 1861, shortly before the outbreak of the [[American Civil War]], Lyon arrived in [[St. Louis, Missouri|St. Louis]] in command of Company B of the 2nd U.S. Infantry. At the time the population and state of Missouri were relatively neutral in the dispute between North and South, but Governor [[Claiborne F. Jackson]] was a strong Southern sympathizer, as were many of the state legislators. Lyon guessed correctly that Jackson would seize the [[St. Louis Arsenal|federal arsenal in St. Louis]] if the state seceded and that the Union had insufficient defensive forces to prevent the seizure.<ref name=Downhour />

He attempted to strengthen the defenses, but came into opposition from his superiors, including [[Brigadier General|Brig. Gen.]] [[William S. Harney]] of the [[Department of the West]]. Lyon employed his friendship with [[Francis P. Blair Jr.]], to have himself named commander of the arsenal. When the Civil War broke out and President [[Abraham Lincoln]] called for troops to put down the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]], 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.<ref name=Downhour />

===Wide Awakes===
[[File:Photograph of Gen. Nathan Lyon USA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|General Nathaniel Lyon]]
Lyon himself had been extensively involved in the St. Louis [[Wide Awakes]], a pro-union [[paramilitary]] organization that he intended to arm from the arsenal and muster into the ranks of the federal army. Upon obtaining command of the arsenal, Lyon armed the Wide Awake units under guise of night. Lyon had most of the excess weapons in the arsenal secretly moved to [[Illinois]]. 

Lyon was aware of a clandestine operation whereby the Confederacy had shipped captured artillery from the U.S. arsenal in Baton Rouge to the Missouri State Militia camp in St. Louis. Lyon allegedly disguised himself as a farm woman to spy on the State Guard's camp and then claimed that he had uncovered a plan by Jackson to seize the arsenal for Missouri troops.

===Camp Jackson affair===
On May 10 Lyon directed the Missouri volunteer regiments and the 2nd U.S. Infantry to the camp, forcing its surrender. Riots broke out in St. Louis as Lyon marched his prisoners through the city to the St. Louis Arsenal. The event provoked the [[Camp Jackson Affair]] of May 10, 1861, in which Lyons' troops opened fire on a crowd of civilians injuring at least 75 and killing 28.<ref name=Downhour /> 

Two federals and three militia were also killed and others were wounded. The source of the first shot is disputed, some witnesses claiming it was a drunken rioter, others claiming it was unprovoked. Lyon was nonetheless promoted to [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] May 17,<ref name=Eicher>Eicher, p. 357. He was promoted to brigadier general of the Missouri Militia on May 12, 1861, and in the U.S. Army May 17.</ref> and given command over the Union troops in Missouri May 31, 1861 as commander of the [[Department of the West]].

===Planters House Conference===
On June 12, 1861 Lyon (accompanied by Congressman Colonel [[Francis P. Blair Jr.]]) met with Governor Jackson and Major General [[Sterling Price]] of the [[Missouri State Guard]] (who both traveled under a safe conduct from Lyon) at St. Louis' [[Planter's House Hotel|Planter's House hotel]] to discuss the implementation and potential continuation of the  [[Price–Harney Truce]] between Federal forces and the State Guard. The discussions were conducted largely between Lyon and Jackson, who were generally intransigent in their respective positions: that U.S. forces had the right to move anywhere in the state, and that Federal forces should be restricted to the St. Louis-area, respectively.<ref name=Peckham/>

After four unproductive hours Lyon eventually halted the meeting, informing Governor Jackson and MG Price that Jackson's demanded limitations on federal authority "means war". Lyon then allowed the two to leave St. Louis for Jefferson City by train, in accordance with the safe conduct.<ref name=Peckham>Peckham, pp. 244-248.</ref>

===Pursuit of Jackson===
The governor fled first to the capitol at [[Jefferson City]] (ordering the tracks destroyed behind him), and then retreated with the State Guard to [[Boonville, Missouri|Boonville]].  Lyon moved up the [[Missouri River]] by steamer and occupied [[Jefferson City]] without a fight on June 13.  Lyon continued the pursuit and on June 17 he defeated a portion of the State Guard at the [[Battle of Boonville]].  The governor, his administration, and the Guard retreated to the southwest.<ref name=Downhour/>

Lyon was subsequently supported by the reconvened [[Missouri Constitutional Convention of 1861–1863|Missouri State Convention]] which reconvened on July 22, 1861, declared the office of Governor and other state officials "vacant", and appointed a Unionist provisional state government under former Missouri Chief Justice [[Hamilton Gamble]]. Lyon assumed command of the [[Army of the West (Union)|Army of the West]] on July 2.<ref name=Eicher/>  Lyon reinforced his army before moving southwest in pursuit of Jackson, Price and the State Guard.<ref name=Downhour/><ref>Peckham, pp. 257-272</ref><ref>Peckham, pp. 290-291</ref>

===Battle of Wilson's Creek and death===
[[File:"Battle of Wilson's Creek, Near Springfield, Missouri, Aug. 10, 1861. Death of General Lyon.".jpg|350px|thumb|Death of General Lyon in the [[Battle of Wilson's Creek]]]]
[[File:Nathaniel Lyon on horseback 1.jpg|thumb|upright|Nathaniel Lyon, lithograph possibly depicting the Battle of Wilson's Creek]]
By July 13, Lyon was encamped at [[Springfield, Missouri]], with about 6,000 Union soldiers. The Missouri State Guard, about 75 miles southwest of Lyon and under the command of Price, met with troops under Brig. Gen. [[Benjamin McCulloch]] near the end of July. The combined Confederate forces numbered about 12,000, formed plans to attack Springfield, and marched northeast on July 31.

The armies met at dawn a few miles southwest of Springfield on the morning of August 10 in the [[Battle of Wilson's Creek]]. Lyon was wounded twice in the fighting; shot in the head and leg<ref name=Eicher/> and his horse shot from under him. He returned to Union lines and commandeered a bay horse ridden by Maj. E.L. McElhaney of the Missouri Infantry.<ref name=Garrison-Finderup>Garrison-Finderup</ref><ref name=Jackson>Jackson</ref> Lyon, badly outnumbered by Confederate forces, then dramatically led a countercharge of the 2nd Kansas Infantry on Bloody Hill, where he was shot in the heart at about 9:30 am. 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.<ref name=Downhour/>