men now
on post, and take possession of everything when the camp
shall be evacuated?"

78

Sweeny replied affirmatively, when Wood rode off and Sweeney returned to
Lyon, to find him slowly recovering. Lyon approved of Sweeny's answer,
and directed Sweeny to take possession of the camp with two companies of
Regulars. Frost's men stacked arms and marched off through a lane formed
by the 1st Mo., which faced inward. Up to this time everything had gone
on peacefully. The surrendered Militia, without any special protest or
demonstration, took their places quietly under guard. Not so with
the immense mob which had gathered, expecting to see the Militia make
sanguinary havoc of their assailants. These were deeply chagrined at the
tame issue of the affair, and after exhausting all the vile epithets
at their command, began throwing stones, brickbats, and other missiles,
which the soldiers received as patiently as they did the contumely, when
the bolder of the mob began firing with revolvers. Presently one of
Co. F, 3d Mo., commanded by Capt. C. Blandowski, was shot dead, several
severely wounded, and the Captain himself fell with a bullet through his
leg. As he fell he ordered his men to fire, which resulted in about 20
of the rioters dropping under a volley from the soldiers' muskets. The
mob fled in dismay, and Gen. Lyon ordered his troops to cease firing.

One of the leaders of the mob had deliberately fired three times at
Capt. Saxton, of the Regulars, and had laid his revolver across his
arm for a fourth more deliberate shot, when one of Capt. Saxton's men
bayoneted while another shot him. When the smoke cleared away, it was
found that 15 had been killed. Three of these were prisoners from Camp
Jackson, and two were women whose morbid curiosity, or worse, had led
them to mingle with the mob, One was a child.

Capt. Blandowski died of his wounds the next day.

79

At 6 o'clock the troops and prisoners marched back to the Arsenal,
leaving Gen. Sweeny with his Regulars in charge of Camp Jackson. On the
way rioters thronged the line of march and vilely abused the soldiers,
but Lyon was vigilant in restraining his men, and prevented their making
any return by firing upon their assailants.

During the night and the next day the prisoners were all released,
the privates taking an oath not to serve in any capacity against the
Government during the war, and the officers giving a parole not to serve
in any mil