Farmington, Missouri
To the West, Missouri remains a hotly contested state. While the state remains within the Union, many Missourians serve in the Confederate army.
In some instances Missouri families are divided in sentiments, and brother fights against brother. Such is the case with Alexander and James Moore of Farmington.
Today Alexander, age nineteen, enlists with the Confederacy. Meanwhile, James, harboring other convictions, serves in the Union army. In September 1864, the two brothers face off in the battle of Pilot Knob. Although outnumbered ten-to-one, Union forces fight valiantly and manage to prevent a Confederate raid from seizing the city of St. Louis.
During the war, Alexander is a member of Old Colony Baptist Church. Surviving the war, afterwards he joins First Baptist Church Farmington. Farming in the post war years, he lives a long life, and in his later years goes blind. At his death in 1930, he is survived by 32 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren.
One of many families with divided regional loyalties, the Moores represent a tragic aspect of the war: the trumping of blood kinship, and sometimes the spilling of blood at the hands of brothers, because of political convictions.
Sources: Alexander Moore obituary (link); painting of Farmington (link)
