The Missouri in the Civil War Message Board

Perry County Home Guard

Perry County Home Guard
Archibald Little Hager Diary:
June, 1861 – On the 12th there was a muster at Conrad’s Mill and there were 71 that joined it.
Federal Militia in Missouri by Kirby Ross:
On June 11, 1861, the commander of the Department of the West, Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, was ordered by the Department of War to enlist “such loyal citizens” of Missouri as he thought proper to allow those individuals to protect their homes and neighborhoods from the state’s pro-Southern element. With the formational authority being provided by the United States government as opposed to the secessionist state government, this national-level involvement in localized community defense efforts was unique in the course of the Civil War.
HOME GUARD - County Origins of Specified Units by Kirby Ross
Despite the key role it played, records are sparse on the Home Guard. One post-war Congressional report stated it consisted of 241 companies, 6 regiments, and 22 battalions, a partial listing of which appears below. This inventory is nowhere near complete, and the names of large numbers of units that were formed seem to have been forever lost to history.
Commentary:
Based on the date of the entry in the Hager Diary, it is likely that this muster was for a Home Guard unit for Perry County. This diary entry may be the only documentation for this unit that still exists.
Conrad’s Mill was a settlement in south-central Perry County around a mile from the border with Bollinger County. It was later known as Millheim. It was strategically located on the Greenville Road. Camp Greason (often erroneously called Camp Grayson) was established in the area sometime in 1861 and served as the base for Union troops in Perry County throughout the Civil War.