[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 62 (Monday, April 27, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E982]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON STATE HISTORIC SITE

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                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 27, 2009

  Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, let me take this moment to recognize the 
Battle of Lexington State Historic Site, as they celebrate their 50th 
anniversary. For 50 years this state park has captured and commemorated 
a pivotal battle of the Civil War in the city of Lexington, which I 
proudly represent.
  On January 1, 1959, the site was donated to the State of Missouri to 
be designated as a state historic park. Received in a preserved and 
quality condition, the State Park has since provided visitors with 
information, reenactments, and guided tours to this historic site. In 
1991, the visitor center was completed and opened for the public. In 
2000, a monument was established which tells the Confederate's side of 
the story. Later this year, a second monument will be put up to tell 
the Union side of the story.
  The Battle of Lexington State Historic Site teaches visitors how 
Missouri played an important strategic role in the Civil War. Not quite 
in the south, yet a slave state nonetheless, Missourians were sharply 
divided over what side of the conflict their state should enter. In 
addition, its position along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers was 
critical to controlling the West, and as a result, many battles erupted 
between Confederate sympathizers and Unionists.
  Though Missouri eventually cast its lot with the Union, by September 
1861, it could have gone either way. It was then that Union Colonel 
J.A. Mulligan found himself and his troops surrounded by General 
Sterling Price, leader of the Confederate Missouri State Guard. Price 
had just led his troops to victory at Wilson's creek the previous 
month, and was looking to expand on his success with the capture of 
Lexington, a small but strategic town located near the Missouri River. 
Capturing the town would allow Confederate recruits from Northern 
Missouri to cross over the river.
  Though the battle of Lexington was one of the longest, most fiercely 
contested engagements in Missouri during the Civil War, the casualties 
were surprisingly light. The Union lost only 40 dead and 120 wounded; 
the State Guard lost only 25 dead and 72 wounded. In addition, Price's 
triumph was short-lived. Shortly after the defeat at Lexington, General 
John C. Fremont, the Union commander in Missouri, organized a large 
force with the purpose of driving out Price's State Guard. Faced with 
this threat, Price retreated back to Southwest Missouri, and the 
Missouri River was returned to Union control.
  Madam Speaker, the Battle of Lexington State Historic Site has been 
an important landmark in this country. I know the members of the House 
will join me in recognizing the site on its 50 years of success and in 
expressing hope that it will continue to provide a quality experience 
to the thousands of visitors who come every year.

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