Farm Progress

Slideshow: Lone Jack — where soldiers who wore blue and gray rest side by side.

August 21, 2018

7 Slides

I am directionally challenged. Left and right still trips me up on occasion. So when driving through Missouri, I often turn the wrong way, at least once, before reaching my destination. But on a visit to Lone Jack, Mo., my mistake turned into a brush with history.

It was supposed to be just a place for me to turn my car around. As I read the sign — Lone Jack Civil War Museum — I felt the urge to stop, get out and take a tour.

In 1963, the museum was built to house artifacts of the Battle of Lone Jack, a historic skirmish between union and confederate soldiers Aug. 15-16, 1862. Over the course of the two days, more than 270 men lost their lives in this small Jackson County town.

The round museum holds photos of men who fought at Lone Jack, along with history of the event. Dioramas portray the battle for visitors. Still, there is more to this stop than a museum.

Step outside and look east. A small black, wrought-iron gate leads to the Soldier’s Cemetery. This spot where the battle began is the final resting place for those that fought to the end.  Soldiers who donned the blue uniform are buried right next to those who wore the gray. Headstones still stand guarded by the fence; they are the only mark left of these soldiers’ allegiance.

No amount of reading a history book or perusing artifacts in a museum can prepare you for standing on a piece of land where blood was spilled, and lives were lost some 156 years ago. Each grave, marked or unmarked, represented someone willing to fight for a belief.

The next time you find yourself lost in a small, rural Missouri town, pay attention to where you turn around. It might lead to a place in history where you can stop and learn how men lost their lives, but in the end an entire nation gained direction.

For more on the Lone Jack Civil War site click on the slideshow.

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