John McNeil was born in Nova Scotia on February 14, 1813; he moved to St. Louis in 1840 and was engaged in the fur trade. He served in the Missouri legislature in 1844-1845, and was president of the Pacific Insurance Company from 1855 until the start of the Civil War. McNeil became colonel in the 3rd Regiment, U. S. Reserve Corps at St. Louis in May 1861, and participated in the capture of the Missouri Militia at Camp Jackson. In November 1862 he was promoted to brigadier general of U. S. volunteers; his subsequent service was in Missouri, where he operated primarily against Southern guerrillas.

On October 18, 1862, McNeil ordered the execution of ten prisoners in Palmyra, Missouri, in retaliation for the disappearance and presumed murder of a Union man; the event soon became known as the “Palmyra Massacre,” and McNeil became known as the “Butcher of Palmyra.”

At the Battle of Westport in 1864, McNeil, leading a cavalry brigade, was relieved of command for his failure to attack when ordered. He resigned from the service on April 12, 1865, and served as clerk of the criminal court in St. Louis County and as sheriff. He died on June 8, 1891.

Carte-de-Visite by C.D. Fredericks & Co., New York, N.Y.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 11502