Mark Twain Boyhood Home, Hannibal, Missouri

Today, myself and my mother and father in-law visited historic Hannibal, Missouri. Mainly, to see the boyhood home of Samuel Clemens, aka "Mark Twain". Samuel Clemens was born in the year 1835 in Florida, Missouri. Mark Twain was four when his family moved to Hannibal, which is a port town on the Mississippi River. This town served as inspiration for the fictional town of St. Petersburg in his books The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

When Mark Twain was 18, he left Hannibal to work as a printer in New York City, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. At age 22, he returned to Hannibal and studied to be a steamboat pilot. In 1859, Samuel Clemens received his steamboat liscense. When the American Civil War broke out, his career as a steamboat pilot was curtailed. In 1861, Twain traveled to Nevada where he becam a miner; he failed, and moved to Virgina City in 1863 to work with the newspaper. In 1864, he moved to San Francisco where he continued as a journalist. In 1866, Mark Twain traveled to the "Sandwich Islands", now known as Hawaii. In 1867, a local newspaper funded a trip to the Mediteranean.

Twain met his wife in 1868, and were engaged a year later, and were married in Elmira, New York in 1870. The couple lived in Buffalo, New York from 1869 to 1871. In 1871, the family moved to Hartford, Connecticut. During his 17 years in Connecticut, Clemens wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn(1884). Other books he wrote while in Hartford, included: The Prince and the Popper, Life on the Mississippi, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court.

Mark Twain returned to Hannibal several times during his life. Samuel Clemens died in 1910; Mark Twain is buried in Elmira, New York next to his Wife.

How Samuel Clemens came up with his pen name, while working on the Mississippi River, a fathom is a maritime depth which is equivalent to 2 yards or six feet. "Twain" is an archiac for two. When the riverboats men cry was "mark twain", it ment according to the mark (on the line), (the depth is) two (fathoms), that is, "there are 12 feet of water under the boat. Other noms de plume or pseudonyms were "Josh" and "Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass".

Scott Joplin House, Saint Louis, Missouri

The Scott Joplin House is located on Delmar Boulevard in downtown Saint Louis. Scott Joplin was famous for "Ragtime" music. He was dubed the "King of Ragtime". Scotts famous pieces include Maple Leaf Rag, whick became ragtimes first and most influential hit.

Joplin was born in Texarkana, Texas, and as an adult moved to Sedalia, Missouri to attend an all black college, the George R. Smith College. While in Sedalia, Joplin played piano in various clubs, such as the infamous Maple Leaf Club. In 1899, Joplin sold his most influrantial piece the "Maple Leaf Rag" inspired from playing at the Maple Leaf Club. Scott Joplin moved to Saint Louis in 1900, and lived at this home until 1907 with his wife Belle. They had a baby, but died several months later. His relationship with his wife was difficult as she had no interst in music. So, they seperated and finally divorced. In 1904, Scott was remarried to Freddie Alexandre, but due to complications from a cold she died 10 weeks after their marriage. At this home, he wrote and produced some of his best known work, such as: The Entertainer, and The Ragtime Dance. In 1907, Scott Joplin moved to New York City, and at age 48 he died of syphilis in 1917.

The Battle of Wilsons Creek, Springfield, Missouri

On August 10, 1861 the Missouri State Guard, along with Confederate forces collided with Union forces at Wilsons Creek (Oak Hills) 10 miles southwest of Springfield, Missouri. The Missouri State Guard was led by Major General Sterling Price, and the accompanying confederate forces were led by Brigadier General Ben McCulloch and Brigadier General Nicholas Bartlett Pearce.
Union forces were led by Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon and General Franz Sigel.

Events leading upto this battle, and the American Civil War were about slavery in the south and in territorial expansion. These included the ruling about the Amistad Schooner in 1841, the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, "Bleeding Kansas" between 1854 and 1858, the Dred Scott ruling of 1857, the John Brown raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, Abraham Lincolns election in 1860, and the Seccesion of the Southern States starting with South Carolina in December of 1860, and finally the Battle at Fort Sumter on April 12-13 of 1861.

Seven states origanally secceded from the union, and when Lincoln called upon 75, 000 volunteers to crush the rebellion, four other states secceded including Arkansas. With union states of Iowa and Indiana to the north and east, and the confederate state of Arkansas to the south, this left the western part of missouri open. Missouri was concidered a slave state, but did not secceed from the union. Only 10% of the population were slave owners and supported the confederates. The Missouri State Guard was formed by Governor Claiborne Jackson, a pro confederate, to resist a feared invasion of union troops due to the "Camp Jackson Affair". Most supporturs were in the middle of the state, such battles in the state of Missouri include: Lexington, Boonville, Liberty, Carthage and Independance where all small skirmishes. Now, with Kansas into the union, Missouri was a pennisula surrounded by three pro-union states, and a confederate state to the south.

In June 1861, Lyon begins his campaign to trap Price's Missouri State Guard. Lyon leaves St. Louis, and captures Jefferson City, and defeats the State Guard forces at Boonesville on June 17.
Siegel arrives in Springfield on June 24. After State Guardsmen under Governer Claiborne Jackson and General Rains leave Booneville and Lexington and unite, Siegal faces Carthage on July 5. The federals are forced to withdraw, and the State Guardsmen reach Cowskin Prairie.
Lyon marched from Booneville to Clinton and joints a column led by Major Samuel Sturgis. Lyon, Sturgis and Siegal meet in Springfield on July 13. By the end of July, Price moves his force to Cassville and combines with General McCullochs Confederates and General Pearces Arkansas troops. The southern army moves towards Springfield, Lyon collides with them at Dug Springs on August 2; then, retires back into town. The southerners go into camp along Wilsons Creek and prepare to attack Springfield, while Lyons plans a strike on the enemy encampment.

The Battle of Wilsons Creek began at 5am and ended around 11:30am. General Lyons was the first General to be killed in battle during the American Civil War, and this battle was the first battle fought west of the Mississippi, some consider the Battle of Wilsons Creek, the "Bull Run" of the west. Lyons army casualties estimated around 1,317 men, and McCullochs casualties estimated around 1,222. The Battle of Wilsons Creek was a Confederate victory. The confederacy occupied the Southwestern part of Missouri for some time. Lincoln became aware of the tension in Missouri, and sent thousands of union troops to keep Missouri in the Union. On March 7 and 8 of 1862, Union forces pursued the confederacy and crushed the Confederate forces at the Battle of Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern)in Northwestern part of Arkansas, driving he confederate government out of Missouri, thus securing Missouri in Union control.

However, the confederacy still had some sympathizers, and supportors of the cause called "Pro-Confederacy Bushwackers", mostly led by William Quantrill and "Bloody"Bill Anderson. These men were known as Quantrills Raiders, and fought for the cause using guerilla warfare. His most notable operation was the raid on Lawrence, Kansas, known as the "Lawrence Massacre" in 1863. Lawrence, Kansas was known as base of operations for Union "Jayhawkers" before and after the war.