ame is
Sweeny, the property in this place shall never fall into your hands.
I'll blow it to hell first, and you know I am the man to do it."
Nine months later this Croghan was to fall mortally wounded at the
head of a cavalry regiment while attacking the Union troops near
Fayetteville, W. Va., while Sweeny was to do gallant service in the
Union army, rising to the rank of Brigadier-General of Volunteers,
and command of a Division, and being retired in 1870 with the rank of
Brigadier-General.
CHAPTER III. NATHANIEL LYON'S ENTRANCE ON THE SCENE
The Secessionists were in the meanwhile hardly making the headway in
the Legislature that they had anticipated, in spite of the stimulating
events in the extreme Southern States.
A curious situation developed in the Legislature leading to the arrest
for a while of Lieut.-Gov. Reynolds's plans for organizing the State
for rebellion. The term of Senator James S. Green expired on the 3d
of March, and he was desirous of being his own successor. The first
consideration was whether Missouri was likely to stay in the Union and
have a Senator. At the moment this seemed probable enough to warrant
going on and electing a Senator, and the Pro-Slavery men made strenuous
efforts to re-elect Mr. Green, but it was significant that he was deemed
too ultra a Secessionist, and Waldo P. Johnson was elected in his stead.
Among the many things in the war which turned out surprisingly different
from what men had confidently expected was that Mr. Green took the
selfish politician's view of the "ingratitude" of those who refused to
re-elect him, sullenly retired to private life, and did not raise his
hand nor his voice for the South during the war, while Mr. Johnson, who
was elected because he was a better Union man, soon resigned his seat
in the United States Senate, entered the Confederate army, became
Lieutenant-Colonel of the 4th Mo. (Confederate), and fought till the
close of the war.
48
Jan. 18, after a prolonged debate, both Houses passed a bill to call a
Convention "to consider the relations of Missouri to the United States."
This was the successful device which had been used in carrying other
States out of the Union, and despite the conservatism of the language
of the act it was hoped that it would be successful in this instance. In
the Senate there were only 26 votes against it, and in the House but 18,
of whom 11 were from St. Louis. The Southern Rights men regarded this as
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