Bingham, George

George Bingham was born in Rockingham County, Virginia, on August 9, 1824; he moved with his family to Saline County, Missouri, in 1825. At the age of twenty-one he established a wool-carding business in Arrow Rock, which he continued to operate until 1848. In 1852, Bingham, along with his brother, opened a wagon ...

Bishop, Henry

Bust shot of Henry Bishop.

Henry Bishop of Chicago enlisted and was mustered into Company E, 7th Kansas Cavalry, also known as “Jennison’s Jayhawkers,” on August 4, 1861; he was promoted to sergeant on October 18, 1861. The 7th Kansas Cavalry was organized at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on October 28, 1861, and fought in the 1862 battles of Iuka ...

Bissell’s Engineers

Colonel Josiah W. Bissell’s “Engineer Regiment of the West” was mustered into service in the fall of 1861. The regiment contained men from Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, and Iowa. Bissell’s Engineers contributed to Union battlefield victories early in the war, such as New Madrid, Island No. 10, and Corinth. They repaired and built ...

Blackburn, Edward

Bust shot of Edward Blackburn in uniform.

Edward Blackburn enlisted on July 12, 1861, in the 1st Northeast Missouri Home Guard Regiment, and fought at the Battle of Athens. He was promoted to first lieutenant on January 21, 1862, and mustered into Company G, 21st Missouri Infantry on February 1, 1862. He was promoted to captain on December 29, 1862, ...

Blair, Francis

Photograph of Francis Blair sitting in uniform.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky on February 19, 1821, the energetic, spoiled and rebellious “Frank” Blair was expelled from both Yale and the University of North Carolina for misconduct. He became a student at Princeton, but during his graduation week participated in a barroom brawl. Although initially denied his diploma, the faculty relented, and ...

Blair, William

William Blair of Oregon, Missouri, enlisted in Company F, 4th Missouri State Militia Cavalry on March 18, 1862, at St. Joseph, Missouri. He was mustered in as a private on April 10, 1862; on July 1, 1862, he was promoted to regimental sergeant major. On October 18, 1862, he was promoted to first ...

Blake, James

James Blake enlisted in the 4th Missouri State Militia Cavalry in January 1862, in Dallas County, Missouri; the 4th MSM was formally organized on April 28, 1862. They assisted in the withdrawal of Union troops from the 1862 Battle of Newtonia, but most of their duties consisted of guarding railroads and conducting anti-guerrilla patrols ...

Blanchard, Thomas

Thomas Blanchard, a native of Perry County, Indiana, and a millwright by trade, enlisted in the 7th Missouri Cavalry in December 1861 at Macon City for three years. He served as a duty sergeant and company quartermaster sergeant. Re-enlisting in 1864, he transferred to the 1st Missouri Cavalry when the 7th and 1st ...

Blue & Grey Reunion, Springfield, Mo.

Stereoview of the August 1883 “Blue & Grey” reunion held in Springfield, Missouri; the reunion hosted Union and Confederate soldiers who fought at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek and other Civil War veterans. Several soldier reunions were held in Springfield, although the largest took place in 1883 and 1897. The reunions included trips ...

Blunt, James

Born July 21, 1826 in Trenton, Maine, James Blunt moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he earned a degree from Starling Medical College in 1849. In 1856, he moved to Greeley, Kansas, and established a medical practice. While in Greeley, Blunt became an ardent abolitionist, aided John Brown in assisting slaves to escape to ...

Blunt’s Headquarters Band

Photograph of James Blunt

Photograph of the headquarters band of General James G. Blunt, believed to have been taken in Paola, Kansas, in the fall of 1864. Following his victory at Honey Springs and his capture of Fort Smith, Major General James G. Blunt returned to his headquarters in Fort Scott, Kansas. On October 4, he received word that Fort ...

Boettcher, Adolphus

Adolphus Boettcher enlisted in Company C, 17th Missouri Volunteer Infantry Regiment at St. Louis, on December 1, 1861. He served as quartermaster until December 12, 1862, when he was promoted to captain and assumed command of the company. The 17th Missouri Volunteer Infantry Regiment was organized in August 1861 by the German-American Turner Society ...

Boggs, William C.

William Boggs enlisted in the U. S. Navy on February 8, 1864, as a carpenter, and was assigned to the USS Pittsburgh, a City Class ironclad gunboat. Pittsburgh was assigned to patrol duties along the Mississippi River until it was decommissioned in November 1865. Boggs was discharged from the navy on February 13, 1865, and ...

Bolding, Thomas

Thomas Bolding sitting in uniform.

Thomas Bolding enlisted in Company G, 24th Arkansas Infantry, on June 19, 1862, at Camden, Union County, Arkansas. He was listed as absent without leave on December 31, 1862. Interestingly, James A. Bolding and George W. Bolding, both from Union County, Arkansas, enlisted in Company G, 24th Arkansas Infantry on June 18 and July 4, ...