Incident at the Otterville Station: A Civil War Story of Slavery and Rescue

by John Christgau

Overview

While elated Northerners were celebrating victory at Gettysburg and toasting Abraham Lincoln as the Great Emancipator, Missourian Charles W. Walker was rousing his thirteen slaves in the dark of night. In defiance of a standing Union order prohibiting the transfer of slaves among states, he intended to ship his slaves by train to Kentucky, where they would be sold at auction. What ensued was one of the most gripping—and until now, mostly forgotten—events of the Civil War.

In Incident at the Otterville Station, John Christgau relates the true story of the rescue of Walker’s thirteen slaves by soldiers of the Ninth Minnesota Regiment and the soldiers’ subsequent arrest for mutiny. The controversial incident became national news, with President Lincoln ultimately sending Secretary of War Edward Stanton to investigate. Christgau’s compelling narrative of the Otterville Station rescue and its aftermath illustrates the complex process of emancipation during the American Civil War, particularly in border states such as Missouri. The end of slavery was the product of many actors, from Union soldiers to the president and Congress to abolitionists and the enslaved themselves. This detailed account examines the critical role that individuals played in determining the outcome of emancipation and the war.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780803249370
Publisher:	Nebraska Paperback
Publication date:	12/01/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	168
File size:	449 KB

About the Author

John Christgau (1934–2018) is the author of numerous books, including Enemies: World War II Alien Internment and Birch Coulie: The Epic Battle of the Dakota War, both available in Bison Books editions.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

1 The Great Emancipator 1

2 Charles W. Walker 12

3 John 22

4 Sergeant Francis Merchant 31

5 Private Henry Ehmke 43

6 Private James Woodbury 52

7 Captain Oscar B. Queen 63

8 General Egbert Brown 71

9 Colonel Alexander Wilkin 80

10 Assemblyman H.J. Fisher 88

11 Senator Morton Wilkinson 95

12 General John McAlister Schofield 102

13 Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton 106

14 Taps 117

Notes 133

What People are Saying About This

Polly Jelinek

“A very informative tribute to ‘the Minnesota boys in blue’ who carried ‘the state flag’ and protected our nation during the great War between the States. This narrative further enhances the legend of the troops from Minnesota—especially those from the southern part of the state—primarily Mower County. It makes you proud to be a Minnesotan and live in the United States.”—Polly Jelinek, historian and lifelong resident of Mower County, Minnesota

Stephen Osman

“While President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg address, thirty-six Minnesota enlisted soldiers languished in a Missouri jail. Their crime of conscience to implement Lincoln’s ‘new birth of freedom’ for a group of runaway slaves would soon be the mission of the entire Union Army.”—Stephen Osman, retired senior historian, Minnesota State Historical Society

Dustin B. Heckman

“Incident at the Otterville Station is an amazing story of a state divided over the issue of slavery and a group of Minnesota soldiers who performed their duties not only as soldiers but as men with high morals. Christgau enlightens the world to a little-known story that was one of many during the Civil War. The people of southeast Minnesota should find pride in the history of their soldiers in this book.”—Dustin B. Heckman, executive director of the Mower County (MN) Historical Society

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2013
Christgau (Birch Coulie: The Epic Battle of the Dakota War) tells the story of 36 soldiers of the 9th Minnesota Regiment and their rescue of 13 slaves being shipped from Missouri to Kentucky for sale during the Civil War. As a result of the confusion over what to do in slave states that did not secede, like Missouri, the Minnesota soldiers ended up in prison for desertion—a shocking turn of events that became national news as abolitionists rallied for their release. While Christgau acknowledges the event as minor in the grand scheme of the war, he also makes clear how the incident at Otterville Station—where the slaves were rescued—vividly illustrates the tensions over slavery, especially in a border state like Missouri. Union soldiers were repeatedly given conflicting orders on how to deal with runaway slaves—that is, when the issue was addressed at all. While Christgau presents his extensive research creatively, his no-nonsense writing keeps this book from being any great literary feat and will likely be of little interest to those without prior interest. That said, it’s a clear, informative, and well-researched addition for any Civil War or American history buff’s library. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

"John Christgau has a knack for finding riveting slivers of history hidden in complex events. He pumps fresh blood into long-forgotten characters and does it with crisp, simple writing."—Curt Brown, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Minneapolis Star Tribune - Curt Brown

“Incident at the Otterville Station is an amazing story of a state divided over the issue of slavery and a group of Minnesota soldiers who performed their duties not only as soldiers but as men with high morals. Christgau enlightens the world to a little-known story that was one of many during the Civil War. The people of southeast Minnesota should find pride in the history of their soldiers in this book.”—Dustin B. Heckman, executive director of the Mower County (MN) Historical Society

Dustin B. Heckman

“While President Lincoln delivered his Gettysburg address, thirty-six Minnesota enlisted soldiers languished in a Missouri jail. Their crime of conscience to implement Lincoln’s ‘new birth of freedom’ for a group of runaway slaves would soon be the mission of the entire Union Army.”—Stephen Osman, retired senior historian, Minnesota State Historical Society

Stephen Osman

“A very informative tribute to ‘the Minnesota boys in blue’ who carried ‘the state flag’ and protected our nation during the great War between the States. This narrative further enhances the legend of the troops from Minnesota—especially those from the southern part of the state—primarily Mower County. It makes you proud to be a Minnesotan and live in the United States.”—Polly Jelinek, historian and lifelong resident of Mower County, Minnesota

Polly Jelinek