John McNeil
Encyclopedia
John McNeil was a general in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. He was most noted for his role in the Palmyra Massacre
and other acts of alleged brutality.
, to parents descended from Tories
who had fled the American Revolution
. He received a common school education, and then learned the hatter's trade in Boston, Massachusetts. He engaged unsuccessfully in the business first in New York City
and subsequently for twenty years in St. Louis, Missouri
. He prospered there, though he lost his fortune to Southern
repudiation as the war began. He was a member of the Missouri
legislature, 1844–45, and president of the Pacific Insurance Company, 1855-61.
of the Missouri Volunteer Militia
and pro-secession
Governor of Missouri Claiborne Jackson counted on McNeil's support, as he was known as a strong Democrat
and closely allied with Southern men. On May 8, 1861, however, McNeil enlisted in the Union
volunteers and was immediately made captain of a company. Shortly afterwards, he was promoted to colonel
of the 3rd Regiment, U. S. Reserve Corps.
On May 10, 1861, he commanded some troops at the notoriousCamp Jackson Affair at the present day Frost Campus of St. Louis University. The Missouri militia had been called up by the governor for drill. Union supporters feared they might attack the St. Louis Arsenal
. Captain Nathaniel Lyon
, aware that the governor had secretly had artillery shipped from the Confederacy to the militia, surrounded the State troops and forced their surrender. Subsequently, as the prisoners were being marched downtown a riot began. Union troops - mostly green German volunteers
- fired into a crowd. Most of the 28 killed were civilians although some militia and some Union soldiers died too.
On July 17, McNeil with about 600 men defeated the State forces under General David B. Harris
at Fulton, Missouri
. He was then placed in command of the city of St. Louis by General John C. Frémont
. On August 3, McNeil was commissioned colonel of the Nineteenth Missouri Volunteers ("Lyon Regiment") to which he had been named by General Lyon. He resigned in December to accept a colonelcy in the State troops, with the command of a district on the Kansas
state line. He spent the winter organizing forces and protecting the Union citizens.
He returned to St. Louis in the spring of 1862 and took over a cavalry regiment, with command of the District of Northeast Missouri, and the special charge of clearing the area of guerrillas—notably, those flocking to Joseph C. Porter
. He spent the summer in pursuit of Porter, who had been ordered into the region to recruit troops to be sent into the Confederacy for training, as well as to generally disrupt Union operations. McNeil decisively defeated Porter at the Battle of Kirksville
, and was lightly wounded in the action. In the aftermath of the fighting, he ordered the execution of fifteen allegedly paroled Confederates, charges which have been derided by some, and an action which would be held against him by others, particularly in light of his actions at Palmyra (see below). He also ordered the execution of Frisby McCullough
, an action which was also generally criticized, but which he just as staunchly defended.
after its abandonment by Porter, and avenging the abduction and presumptive murder of Union loyalist (and alleged informer) Andrew Allsman by executing ten Confederate prisoners in what came to be known as the "Palmyra Massacre." McNeil was criticized even by Union sympathizers for the act, and excoriated in the American and Europe
an press. However, Harper’s Weekly quoted a defender:
It was true that Confederate President Jefferson Davis
had threatened to execute ten Union prisoners unless McNeil was handed over to the Confederacy, but the threat was not carried out. It was also true that a number of local Union-supporters had pleaded with McNeil for the lives of the captives (Allsman’s wife not among them). The local loyalist paper however supported McNeil: "The madness of rebellion has become so deep seated that ordinary methods of cure are inadequate." (Palmyra Courier, October 18, 1862) and McNeil himself would respond years later "...cherishing, as I do, the firm conviction that my action was the means of saving lives and property of hundreds of loyal men and women, I feel that my act was the performance of a public duty." (July 1889 response to an article in "The Century" magazine).
In any event, the act earned him the unshakeable title of “Butcher of Palmyra.” As a pair, McNeil and his nemesis, Joseph C. Porter, illustrate particularly well the horrors of the war and the difficulty of moral evaluation; it seems likely that the culpability of each was minimized by his own side and exaggerated by the other.
In the spring of 1863, McNeil held Cape Girardeau with 1,700 men against Gen. John Sappington Marmaduke's force of 10,000. In 1864 he was appointed to command the district of Rolla, Missouri
, and, with the assistance of Gen. John B. Sanborn
, Clinton B. Fisk and E. B. Brown, he saved the capital from Price's army. Afterwards he joined his cavalry force with that of General Brown and participated in the campaign which led to the defeat of Price's army at the Second Battle of Newtonia
in October. During the Battle of Westport
, McNeil was relieved of command for "cowardice and failure to attack the enemy" by General Alfred Pleasonton
. He then commanded the district of Central Missouri until April 12, 1865, when he resigned.
McNeil was given the brevet
rank of major general
of volunteers in recognition of faithful and meritorious services during the war, to date from the day of his resignation.
1865-67; sheriff of the county, 1866–70, and clerk of the criminal court again, 1875-76. He was in 1876 commissioner to the Centennial Exposition
in Philadelphia, was an inspector in the U. S. Indian service in 1878 and 1882, and at the time of his death was superintendent of the United States Post Office, St. Louis branch.
He died in his chair, in his office at St. Louis, and was buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery (Block 35, Lot 1103). His monument carries the verse Soldier, rest; thy warfare o'er, Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking.
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He was most noted for his role in the Palmyra Massacre
Palmyra Massacre
The Palmyra Massacre is an incident that took place in Palmyra, Missouri on October 18, 1862, during the American Civil War, when ten Confederate prisoners of war were executed in reprisal for the abduction of a local Union supporter, Andrew Allsman. The officer who ordered the execution, Colonel...
and other acts of alleged brutality.
Early life and career
McNeil was born in Halifax, Nova ScotiaCity of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, to parents descended from Tories
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
who had fled the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. He received a common school education, and then learned the hatter's trade in Boston, Massachusetts. He engaged unsuccessfully in the business first in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and subsequently for twenty years in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. He prospered there, though he lost his fortune to Southern
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
repudiation as the war began. He was a member of the Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
legislature, 1844–45, and president of the Pacific Insurance Company, 1855-61.
Civil War
When the war began, General Sterling PriceSterling Price
Sterling Price was a lawyer, planter, and politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, who served as the 11th Governor of the state from 1853 to 1857. He also served as a United States Army brigadier general during the Mexican-American War, and a Confederate Army major general in the American Civil...
of the Missouri Volunteer Militia
Missouri State Guard
The Missouri State Guard was a state militia organized in the state of Missouri during the early days of the American Civil War. While not initially a formal part of the Confederate States Army, the State Guard fought alongside Confederate troops and, at times, under regular Confederate...
and pro-secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
Governor of Missouri Claiborne Jackson counted on McNeil's support, as he was known as a strong Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
and closely allied with Southern men. On May 8, 1861, however, McNeil enlisted in the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
volunteers and was immediately made captain of a company. Shortly afterwards, he was promoted to colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of the 3rd Regiment, U. S. Reserve Corps.
On May 10, 1861, he commanded some troops at the notoriousCamp Jackson Affair at the present day Frost Campus of St. Louis University. The Missouri militia had been called up by the governor for drill. Union supporters feared they might attack the St. Louis Arsenal
St. Louis Arsenal
The St. Louis Arsenal is a large complex of military weapons and ammunition storage buildings owned by the United States Army in St. Louis, Missouri. During the American Civil War, the St...
. Captain Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict....
, aware that the governor had secretly had artillery shipped from the Confederacy to the militia, surrounded the State troops and forced their surrender. Subsequently, as the prisoners were being marched downtown a riot began. Union troops - mostly green German volunteers
German-Americans in the Civil War
German-Americans in the American Civil War were the largest ethnic contingent to fight for the Union. More than 200,000 native Germans served in the Union Army, with New York and Ohio each providing ten divisions dominated by German-born men....
- fired into a crowd. Most of the 28 killed were civilians although some militia and some Union soldiers died too.
On July 17, McNeil with about 600 men defeated the State forces under General David B. Harris
David B. Harris
David B. Harris is a Canadian lawyer. He is a former contractor with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service where he served as a senior manager between 1988-1990. Now working as a consultant, he is a regular commentator on issues of terrorism...
at Fulton, Missouri
Fulton, Missouri
Fulton is a city in Callaway County, Missouri, the United States of America. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,790 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Callaway County...
. He was then placed in command of the city of St. Louis by General John C. Frémont
John C. Frémont
John Charles Frémont , was an American military officer, explorer, and the first candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party for the office of President of the United States. During the 1840s, that era's penny press accorded Frémont the sobriquet The Pathfinder...
. On August 3, McNeil was commissioned colonel of the Nineteenth Missouri Volunteers ("Lyon Regiment") to which he had been named by General Lyon. He resigned in December to accept a colonelcy in the State troops, with the command of a district on the Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
state line. He spent the winter organizing forces and protecting the Union citizens.
He returned to St. Louis in the spring of 1862 and took over a cavalry regiment, with command of the District of Northeast Missouri, and the special charge of clearing the area of guerrillas—notably, those flocking to Joseph C. Porter
Joseph C. Porter
Joseph Chrisman Porter was a Confederate officer in the American Civil War, a key leader in the guerrilla campaigns in northern Missouri, and a figure of controversy. The main source for his history, Joseph A...
. He spent the summer in pursuit of Porter, who had been ordered into the region to recruit troops to be sent into the Confederacy for training, as well as to generally disrupt Union operations. McNeil decisively defeated Porter at the Battle of Kirksville
Battle of Kirksville
The Battle of Kirksville was a battle in the American Civil War, fought in the town of Kirksville, Missouri, on August 6, 1862. The Union victory helped consolidate Federal control over northeastern Missouri.-Battle:...
, and was lightly wounded in the action. In the aftermath of the fighting, he ordered the execution of fifteen allegedly paroled Confederates, charges which have been derided by some, and an action which would be held against him by others, particularly in light of his actions at Palmyra (see below). He also ordered the execution of Frisby McCullough
Frisby McCullough
Frisby McCullough was a Confederate States Army soldier in the American Civil War, executed on the orders of Union Colonel John McNeil after the Battle of Kirksville.-Early years:...
, an action which was also generally criticized, but which he just as staunchly defended.
The Palmyra Massacre
His subsequent campaign in Monroe County, Missouri, was also regarded by some as excessively brutal and indiscriminate. He himself said that “where a Union man could not live in peace, a secessionist should not.” He concluded his campaign on September 14, taking PalmyraPalmyra, Missouri
Palmyra is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,467 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Hannibal Micropolitan Statistical Area.- Geography :Palmyra is located at...
after its abandonment by Porter, and avenging the abduction and presumptive murder of Union loyalist (and alleged informer) Andrew Allsman by executing ten Confederate prisoners in what came to be known as the "Palmyra Massacre." McNeil was criticized even by Union sympathizers for the act, and excoriated in the American and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an press. However, Harper’s Weekly quoted a defender:
"These measures were severe, but not from the character of General McNeil: he will receive the applause of all earnest patriots for treating treason as it deserves. The fruit of his policy is pointedly exhibited where he has ruled. Before his advent murders and all lesser crimes were frequent, for no fault of the sufferers except that they were true to their country and to God. Now no more peaceful, stable, and Union-abiding people are to be found than those who live in Northeast Missouri. Jefferson Davis is thirsting for the blood of the brave General, and his coadjutors in the North are maligning General McNeil, fabricating statements of his brutality, and even asserting the two-fold falsehood that the wife of Allsman petitioned that the rebels might not be executed, and that the old man has since returned. But he will bear such calumnies, and live to reap grateful tributes."
It was true that Confederate President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
had threatened to execute ten Union prisoners unless McNeil was handed over to the Confederacy, but the threat was not carried out. It was also true that a number of local Union-supporters had pleaded with McNeil for the lives of the captives (Allsman’s wife not among them). The local loyalist paper however supported McNeil: "The madness of rebellion has become so deep seated that ordinary methods of cure are inadequate." (Palmyra Courier, October 18, 1862) and McNeil himself would respond years later "...cherishing, as I do, the firm conviction that my action was the means of saving lives and property of hundreds of loyal men and women, I feel that my act was the performance of a public duty." (July 1889 response to an article in "The Century" magazine).
In any event, the act earned him the unshakeable title of “Butcher of Palmyra.” As a pair, McNeil and his nemesis, Joseph C. Porter, illustrate particularly well the horrors of the war and the difficulty of moral evaluation; it seems likely that the culpability of each was minimized by his own side and exaggerated by the other.
Later campaigns
McNeil was made brigadier general to rank from November 29, 1862.In the spring of 1863, McNeil held Cape Girardeau with 1,700 men against Gen. John Sappington Marmaduke's force of 10,000. In 1864 he was appointed to command the district of Rolla, Missouri
Rolla, Missouri
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. The population in the 2010 United States Census was 19,559.It is the county seat of Phelps County...
, and, with the assistance of Gen. John B. Sanborn
John B. Sanborn
John Benjamin Sanborn was a lawyer, politician, and soldier from the state of New Hampshire who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
, Clinton B. Fisk and E. B. Brown, he saved the capital from Price's army. Afterwards he joined his cavalry force with that of General Brown and participated in the campaign which led to the defeat of Price's army at the Second Battle of Newtonia
Battle of Newtonia II
The Second Battle of Newtonia was fought on October 28, 1864, in Newton County, Missouri, as part of Major General Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition of the American Civil War....
in October. During the Battle of Westport
Battle of Westport
The Battle of Westport, sometimes referred to as the "Gettysburg of the West," was fought on October 23, 1864, in modern Kansas City, Missouri, during the American Civil War. Union forces under Major General Samuel R. Curtis decisively defeated an outnumbered Confederate force under Major General...
, McNeil was relieved of command for "cowardice and failure to attack the enemy" by General Alfred Pleasonton
Alfred Pleasonton
Alfred Pleasonton was a United States Army officer and General of Union cavalry during the American Civil War. He commanded the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Gettysburg Campaign, including the largest predominantly cavalry battle of the war, Brandy Station...
. He then commanded the district of Central Missouri until April 12, 1865, when he resigned.
McNeil was given the brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
rank of major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
of volunteers in recognition of faithful and meritorious services during the war, to date from the day of his resignation.
Postbellum career
Subsequently, McNeil was clerk of the criminal court in St. Louis County, MissouriSt. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...
1865-67; sheriff of the county, 1866–70, and clerk of the criminal court again, 1875-76. He was in 1876 commissioner to the Centennial Exposition
Centennial Exposition
The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was officially...
in Philadelphia, was an inspector in the U. S. Indian service in 1878 and 1882, and at the time of his death was superintendent of the United States Post Office, St. Louis branch.
He died in his chair, in his office at St. Louis, and was buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery (Block 35, Lot 1103). His monument carries the verse Soldier, rest; thy warfare o'er, Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals