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A Walking Tour of the Springfield National Cemetery

  • Michael Price
  • 1 day ago
  • 4 min read

The Springfield National Cemetery was established in 1867 for the burial of soldiers killed in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek. Remains were also gathered from other battlefields and cemeteries around Springfield. In 1870, a Confederate Cemetery opened alongside the National Cemetery. Over the years, monuments were added to commemorate prominent people and events of the war. The cemeteries were separated by a wall until 1911, when the Confederate portion was transferred to the Federal government.


Join Library staff as we explore the National Cemetery’s Civil War history on May 20. Tours begin at 6:00 and 6:30 p.m. near the front entrance and will last about 1 hour. During the walk, we will discuss the cemetery’s history while profiling some of its most notable Civil War graves and monuments. Registration is required and begins on May 6. Please contact the Local History & Genealogy Department at 417-616-0534 to reserve your spot. This event is part of the Library’s Preserving The Ozarks series. These programs highlight stories of people, places and events that have shaped the Ozarks. Information about additional programs in this series is available in Bookends or at Preserving the Ozarks.


The Bailey Monument

One of the tour stops will be the Bailey Monument, a memorial to Union soldiers in the Battle of Springfield. On January 8, 1863, a Confederate force under General John S. Marmaduke attacked the city of Springfield. Since 1861, Springfield had grown into a major supply depot for Union forces operating in southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas. Confederate commanders launched their campaign in hopes of capturing supplies and disrupting Union operations. Militiamen and even convalescents from the army hospitals rallied to defend Springfield. After hard fighting, especially at Fort No. 4 in modern-day Jenny Lincoln Park, Confederate forces withdrew from the battlefield. They retreated to Arkansas after being defeated at the Battle of Hartville on January 11.


Funding for the monument came from the estate of Dr. Thomas Jefferson Bailey. Dr. Bailey was born in Lincoln County, Kentucky, on January 17, 1803. He studied medicine at Danville, Kentucky, and moved to Missouri in 1828 when he settled in Ralls County. Dr. Bailey came to Springfield in 1837. In 1860, he owned eight slaves — five women and three men, who ranged in age from 6 to 37. In Missouri, slave ownership did not define loyalty, and Dr. Bailey was a strong Unionist. He died of pneumonia on April 17, 1869. In addition to money for the monument, his large estate was divided among his wife Harriet Sproul and his former slaves.


A tall stone monument with a statue of a man on top stands amid a cemetery with orderly, small, plain gravemarkers
The Bailey Monument at the Springfield National Cemetery. It features a soldier standing atop a pedestal. The inscription on the north side reads, “IN HONOR TO And in memory of The Citizen And Volunteer SOLDIERS WHO WERE KILLED AND DIED OF wounds received in defence of SPRINGFIELD, MO. Against the Rebels, January 8, 1863.” Image Courtesy of Michael Price.

The monument was dedicated on May 30, 1873. Former Missouri Governor Thomas Fletcher delivered the keynote address. A general in the Union army during the war, Fletcher was elected governor in 1864. On January 11, 1865, he issued a proclamation abolishing slavery in Missouri. In dedicating the monument Fletcher said, “There it stands, a work of art worthy of the age — beautiful in proportions, elegant in finish, and grand in its durability. ’Tis not decreed by the Senate, ’tis not the work of the nation, but it is the offering of the gratitude of one great, warm, patriotic heart to the memory of a few men who fell beneath the flag of the republic, upholding its power and defending its honor.”


On the south side of the monument is the inscription, “The Union, The Constitution and the enforcement of the Laws.” This was Dr. Bailey’s favorite quote and also the campaign slogan John Bell used in the 1860 presidential race. Running as the Constitutional Union Party’s candidate, Bell was a moderate choice for those who saw the Republican Abraham Lincoln or rival Democrats Stephen A. Douglas and John C. Breckenridge as being too radical. Dr. Bailey voted for Bell, as did most of Greene County. Bell easily won the county with 986 votes compared to the Southern Democrat Breckenridge, who garnered only 414 votes. Just 42 Greene County residents voted for Lincoln.


Today, the Bailey Monument stands near the front entrance of the National Cemetery. The soldier atop the pedestal faces north where the battle took place in 1863. Discover more stories about the National Cemetery’s Civil War history on May 20. Be sure to reserve your spot by calling 417-616-0534 beginning on May 6.


For Further Reading

  • “Memorial Day,” Springfield (Mo.) Weekly Patriot, June 5, 1873.

  • Ancestry.com. 1860 U.S. Federal Census - Slave Schedules [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.

  • History of Greene County, Missouri: Written and Compiled From the Most Authentic Official and Private Sources, Including a History of Its Townships, Towns and Villages, St. Louis: Western Historical Company, 1883

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