Hi all,
I'm excited to stumble upon this list as I'm also doing some work on the memory/commemoration of the Civil War in Missouri with special attention to Centralia. As a former teacher at the Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, Mo., I used to take students to the town and battle site, and my interest in the topic grows out of those visits.
I'm after advice on two fronts: first, I'm interested in any un-published sources (e.g. diaries such as Mr. Jack Wright's great grandfather's, letters, photographs, etc.). I've been through the collections at the Missouri Historical Society (Columbia), Missouri State History Museum (St. Louis), Missouri Civil War Museum at Historic Jefferson Barracks, Kansas City Library, Boone County Historical Society, and Centralia History Museum to name a few (all good places for folks interested in the War in Mo. and Centralia), but any direction anyone could give to records at other archives/repositories/historicalsocieties/locallibraries is greatly appreciated. Even more so, if anyone is familiar with any sources held by family members of participants (i.e. Mr. Wright's ancestor) I'd be much obliged.
Secondly, I'm just curious about peoples' thoughts regarding the Civil War in Missouri. Do we think its under-told? How does it complicate the conventional wisdom of the Civil War? On average, do Missourians in general and students in particular know enough about their Civil War heritage?
I look forward to hearing from anyone and everyone!
My best,
-Greg