I read the posted link has well has a few books on that covered Capt Lyon and so far it looks like one could argue Lyon was the right man at the time. Lyon saw that there was anti-Union milita at Camp jackson he quickly raised a large force to capture the "Secsh" militia he marched them to be incarcerated and his troops reappled a Secsh mob. Lyon was not obligated to negociate with a bunch of copperheads that Mo could be neutral Mo was a US state and had no right to be neutral and it must allow the Union Army to be ableto recruit troops or face the consquences.

One could make the analogy that GWB's war against Iraq was not popular im many "Blue" states yet none barred the US Armed forces from recruiting among their population. If say the Mass or Hi gov and legislature tried to ban US Armed Forces recruiting stations on their state soil would that of not been just cause for GWB to have the forementioned state officals arrested for treason and if local state paramilitary forces resisted the federal authorities then the US military could be allowed to use force to subdue them?

I know there are other ways of looking at Lyon but he seemed like a real go getter.

Leonard