I am sorry to be replying to your helpful posting so belatedly. Evidently I received two notifications in close succession a month ago, and only responded to the second one. Now that that Sandra has re-energized the thread, I was auditing it and noticed my error.

Yes, when I discovered the Geiger thesis in November, I quickly sent him some emails to which he was kind enough to reply. At that time I only scanned it based on 'keyword hits', but have since had time to read it cover-to-cover. Like you, I highly recommend it for insights into important facts concerning some of the 'economic weapons' of dealing with 'insurgency'. They provide an interesting counterpart to the 'social engineering' orders that General Halleck issued as soon as he arrived in the Department of Missouri to try to clean up Fremont's messes. My ancestors' post-war circumstances were very much impacted by those orders.

I wish Professor Geiger had included banking operations in St. Louis in his study, but, as you know, he was very much focused on the 'agribusiness/financial' world of 'the Booneslick' where Southern Sympathies were strong for many reasons, not the least, I guess, being that they were engaged in similar large-labor-intensive crops based on slave labor.

My particular relative's 'bad luck' was in strong contrast with his friend and relation, a key figure in the Vallandigham Conspiracy, Robert M. Renick, who was a banker of some importance in the antebellum commerce of St. Louis closely tied to Sterling Price. He emerged unscathed and continued to prosper.

Thanks for your inputs.