“Hence it was that the Civil War was in fact a great labor movement, and the most intense sentiment existed in that portion of the community from which the strongest and most active recruits could be drawn, – the workingmen. Hence it was, after the battle of Bull Run, when things seemed in such a disastrous and disorganized condition and when so many were losing heart, and Lincoln had issued a call for three thousand volunteers, following it in a very short time with a call for three hundred thousand more, that the workingmen of the North volunteered with the most miraculous speed and spontaneity. They felt that they would be opening up a labor market by breaking down slavery and overthrowing the competition of unhired labor.” -Eugene Fitch Ware, “The Lyon Campaign in Missouri”

Eugene Fitch Ware was born on May 29, 1841 in Hartford, Connecticut. His parents, Hiram and Amanda, soon moved to Burlington, Iowa, and in 1861, Mr. Ware served in Company E of the First Iowa Infantry. His book, The Lyon Campaign in Missouri, chronicles his observations of the country falling apart around him, and his experiences of serving with General Nathaniel Lyon in the Federal Army. His work, which gives a unique insight into the condition of our nation during this dark hour, allows us a first-hand look into the events leading up to civilian bloodshed, and war at Boonville and Wilson’s Creek. To read more of Mr. Ware’s observations, which resounds powerfully into our modern day, please download the following resource provided at the following link:The Lyon Campaign in Missouri.