On March 3, 1875 Congress enacted legislation granting pensions to "widows, children, dependent mothers and fathers, or orphan brothers and sisters" of Sept. 27, 1864 Centralia Massacre victims who had fallen through the cracks in regard to pensions. The term "Centralia Massacre" being used at the time to encompass not only the Federals taken off the train, lined up, and summarily executed, but also Federals under Major A.V.E. Johnston subsequently killed at Singleton's Farm in the fight now commonly referred to as the Battle of Centralia.

Most of the Centralia Federals were covered by existing pension laws for KIAs. But there were some who were not -- namely, recently discharged troops who were in uniform on the train but who technically weren't soldiers anymore. In addition, there were some Federals in custody and in shackles on the train. I've tried to sort out what was going on with them. The train was out of St. Louis heading west, so I surmise they may have been enroute to Leavenworth prison, and may have been drummed out of the service. Nonetheless, they were in uniform and were killed by enemy action. I'm not sure whether they had been discharged though--but I am sure some of them were in shackles.

So the legislation applied to the troops in this class: "Sec. 1....those lately discharged soldiers of the Army of the United States who were murdered by guerrillas at Centralia, Missouri in 1864 while being transported on the North Missouri Railroad."

Interestingly, the Act also provides pensions to militia men killed at Centralia. And I say what militia? Apparently there were some who have not been identified. The ecompassing legislation, specifically" "Sec. 2. That the provisions of this act shall be construed to extend to widows, children...of any member of the Missouri militia who was murdered as aforesaid by guerrillas at Centralia, Missouri, in 1864...."

Johnston's men in the field were not militia, they were duly constituted U.S. volunteer troops, and were already subject to pensions. The troops, both active duty and discharged, on the train were duly constituted U.S. Volunteers and subject either to existing pensions, or pensions granted in the above Section 1. I'm wondering if this Section 2 was tossed in to cover some of the civilians killed, such as train agents who just happened to be in the EMM. Or guides for Johnston who may have been killed in the melee.

Anyway, if any of you Centralia experts have any thoughts on the identifications of the "lately discharged soldiers," or who the "Missouri militia" guys might have been, it would be interesting to shed some light on this previously unwritten aspect of the events which unfolded at Centralia.