Civil War Service
In early 1861, Clark, strongly pro-secessionist in his political views, was appointed by Governor Claiborne F. Jackson to organize recruits from the Ninth District of Missouri. He received an appointment as a brigadier general of the Ninth Division of the Missouri State Guard, but the unit was never formally organized during his tenure, partially because of the very strong pro-Union sentiment in St. Louis. Clark resigned from the Guard in November 1861 and was replaced by Daniel M. Frost.
He then accepted a commission as a major of artillery in the Confederate Army. He was promoted to colonel and assigned to various staff positions before a disagreement with General Braxton Bragg led to his dismissal. He then was in charge of the Ordnance Department in Richmond, Virginia, until November 1864 when he assumed command of an infantry brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee. During the Appomattox Campaign, he was taken prisoner at the Battle of Sayler's Creek near Amelia Courthouse, Virginia, on April 5, 1865.
Read more about this topic: Meriwether Lewis Clark, Sr.
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