carpentry work in St. Louis. He subsequently became
a farmer, was elected to the Missouri Senate, entered the Missouri
Militia, rose to be Brigadier-General, and was sanguinely expected to
become for Missouri what Lee and Jos. E. Johnston were for Virginia,
Beauregard for South Carolina, and Braxton Bragg for Louisiana. He was
really a good deal of a soldier, with foresight and initiative force,
and had the Governor had the courage to follow his bold counsels, the
course of events might have been different.

[Illustration: General Claiborne Jackson]

37

As early as Jan. 8 he visited the Arsenal, and had an interview with its
commandant, which he reported to the Governor as entirely satisfactory.
Maj. Bell was wholly in sympathy with the South, and regarded the
Arsenal as being virtually Missouri's property when she should choose to
demand it. His honor as a soldier would compel him to resist any attack
from an irresponsible mob, but a summons from the sovereign State
of Missouri would meet with the respectful obedience to which it was
entitled. It was therefore decided that this was the best shape in which
to leave matters. Maj. Bell would hold the Arsenal in trust against both
the radical St. Louis Germans and over-zealous Secessionists, who wanted
to seize it and arm their particular followers. When Gen. Frost had
organized the Missouri Militia to his satisfaction, he would march into
the Arsenal, and under the plea of protecting it from mobs, use its
contents to thoroughly arm and equip his Militia, which would thus be
put in very much better shape than the troops of any other State.

Meanwhile, Gen. Frost recommended that as little as possible be said
about the Arsenal, in order to avoid attracting attention to it.

All the same, the Arsenal was intently watched by both sides, and for
the next four months it was the great stake for which they played, since
its possession would go far toward giving possession of the State. There
were but 150,000 stands of arms in the rest of the South, while here
were 60,000.

38

Even before South Carolina seceded the ardent young Secessionists of St.
Louis had begun the organization of "Minute Men" to "protect the State."
Naturally, their first step in protecting the State would be to seize
the Arsenal, to prevent its arms being used to "coerce the people."
Their headquarters were in the Berthold House, a fine residence at the
corner of Fifth and Pine streets, over whi