Welcome to the Missouri in the Civil War. It was ugly with neighbor killing neighbor and families members fighting each other. The war in Missouri does not fit the stereotypical constructs of what is in most history books and had few set piece battles between armies as occurred in the east. Instead the war was fought with small units of irregular fighters or guerrillas some sanctioned by the 2 governments so not and men were very mobile serving in multiple units at different times.

The term "bushwhacker" refers generally to a guerrilla fighter that attacked civilians. Both sides had them.

Missouri is difficult for many to follow as the state was served by a state militia known as the Missouri State Guard that was raised initially to protect the neutrality of the state. The first fights and 18 months of the war were between MSG units and Pro Union Militias. Very few actual Union or Confederate units were fighting early. Politics were confused as many slave owners were Union supporters early on as the Regular Union Army had been enforcing the Fugitive Slave Act and returning run away slaves to their owners. These actions were an extension of the "bleeding Kansas" skirmishes from the 1850's.

The war in Missouri allowed for the expansion of general lawlessness and many men used the war as an excuse to do harm to their personal enemies and as such their allegiance to either the North or South varied depending on their personal goals and many men served in units on both sides of the conflict.

I have only barely scratched the surface of the nature of the war in Missouri but there are some very good historians here and if interested please take a look at many of the threads and I think you will find many references and threads to help you on your journey of understanding where families and ancestors fit into this period of time. Please do not hesitate to ask questions and contribute, we all learn from each other. - JJR