I could use some help with the weather. No, I am not complaining about the August heat and humidity (because it wouldn't do me any good to complain anyway). I need help finding out what kind of weather Missouri had the second week of January 1865 (about 7 through 14 January) because I noticed a surge in guerrilla activity across the state that week. Many of you know full well about Missouri's mysterious but very welcome "January Thaw" that in many years comes for a few days before winter weather returns. Did Missouri have a sudden snap of warm weather about January 7 through 14 in the year 1865? This sudden expansion of guerrilla activity in the eastern half of Missouri seemed to slack off just as suddenly after Tuesday, January 11, 1865, so I wonder what happened there, too. The winter of 1864-1865 was bitter in Missouri starting with several inches of snow across much of the state November 3 and 4, and the Missouri River freezing over in early December and remaining that way for weeks. Since heavy war activity in the spring, summer, and fall of 1864 kept many of the remaining farmers from bringing in crops that year, the suffering from want was widespread and horrible that winter.

Would somebody please look at the Kansas City, St. Joseph, and St. Louis dailies for that period to see if they mention any special weather conditions between Saturday, January 7 and Saturday, January 14? If you find information from one of the many Missouri weekly newspapers of this period, that would be fine, too. If you don't see a mention of this in the local news articles, look in the editorial section. I will need references of the sources you use, including headline if you use the newspapers. You, too, can be immortalized in a footnote of history (well, an endnote, actually).

Okay, okay, before somebody comments abou the obvious, I realize there are many other possible reasons for a sudden increase in guerrilla activity at this time, and I am working on that, too. I simply want to see if the weather was also a factor, as it was for other activities in Missouri at other times.

How about it? I could use the help.

Bruce Nichols