Letter signed Alfred [Mayer], Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri, to My dear Mother [Eliza Mayer]. You have heard of the warlike aspect of affairs in Missouri. Describes situation in St. Louis. An attack is expected on Jefferson City and all who can are marching to the Capitol. As soon as school is out I shall leave for Baltimore. Missouri’s only policy at present is “entire defenselessness.” Her new recruits cannot act against Harney and his artillery and well equipped regular army soldiers. Individuals mentioned include General Harney, Jefferson Davis, Lewis, Captain Lyon, Aunt Flora, and Lincoln. Places mentioned include St. Louis, Baltimore, Fulton, Jefferson City, Camp Jackson, Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi. (4 pages), 1861 May 16

Item — Box: 1, Folder: 4

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The Mayer Family Papers consist of the correspondence of Flora Byrne to Mrs. Charles F. Mayer. Describes her life and family at Byrnham Wood in Clark County near Winchester, Missouri. Includes correspondence from various members of the family in Baltimore, Maryland. The letters contain many sidelights on the state of development in that day, mention well-known characters, and show the facilities for transportation between the Atlantic seaboard and St. Louis. The latest letters, dated in 1861, document Civil War movements in St. Louis and Baltimore. The collection also includes miscellaneous correspondence regarding the donation and the drawings of Francis [Frank] Blackwell Mayer.