Civil War Forts and the Prominence of Southeast Missouri in Battles

Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri played a larger role in the Civil War than most Missourians and others appreciate. Responding to the threat of occupation of Cape Girardeau by secessionists, the 20th Illinois Infantry occupied the town on July 10, 1861, and began to plan for four forts to protect against attack from the west and south. This presentation by State Historical Society of Missouri's Bill Eddleman explains how Cape Girardeau was important to the war effort. Eddleman offers details on the forts and their construction and discusses some of the major events in the southeast Missouri region during the war, and post-war.

About the Speaker: Bill Eddleman is the coordinator of the SHSMO Cape Girardeau Research Center and regularly writes a column on local history published in the Southeast Missourian and produces a monthly radio program, Tales from Days Gone By, on KRCU Public Radio. Eddleman’s popular 16-part Basic Genealogy web series is available on shsmo.org and he is often sought after by various organizations to speak on genealogy and history in Missouri’s bootheel region. He is the past president of the Missouri State Genealogical Association. Eddleman served as a professor in the Department of Biology at Southeast Missouri State University from 1995-2014. He served as vice provost and dean of the School of Graduate Studies from 2011-2013 before being appointed as the provost of Southeast Missouri State University, prior to joining SHSMO.