A Civil War map in the National Archives in College Park, Maryland reads, “S. E. Missouri, Country Around Ironton” on its reverse. It is a sketch map of the Arcadia Valley from Pilot Knob to Arcadia, including Ironton. The map was prepared in 1861, according to its title in the National Archives, “1861 Confederate Map of Ironton, Missouri and Vicinity.” It is part of a collection of Confederate maps that fell into Union hands by capture or surrender at the end of the war, or by purchase after the war.
The map includes physical features such as streams, hills, and mountains. The terminus of the Iron Mountain Railroad at Pilot Knob and both “common,” or dirt, and gravel roads show transportation access. Iron mines and furnaces, grist and sawmills, dwellings, stores, and the county courthouse appear.
Other details more pertinent to military use include entrenchments, batteries of artillery and siege guns, and what became Fort Hovey, later Fort Curtis, at the intersection of Fredericktown and Greenville roads. The names of property owners appear on the map with the notation, “All in Ironton are Black except F. P. Child, Dr. Covert, H. N. Tong, and doubtful are M. P. Cloudas, A. N. Hunt, W. F. Mitchell. All at Pilot Knob are Black, except R. S. Chaurin, B. Villar, J. Hancock, G. W. Burner, J. Burke, J. D. Reynolds.”
In this case, “Black” refers to Black Republican. This pejorative referred to abolitionist members of the Republican Party before the Civil War, and often extended to all those who were pro-Union. Names of “Black Republicans” are underscored on the map. The considerable number of pro-Union residents in the area reflects settlers from the Northeast attracted by mining interests.
General William J. Hardee took command of Confederate troops west of the Mississippi River in spring, 1861 and planned to invade Missouri. The target was St. Louis, but planning likely included occupation of the Arcadia Valley. Hardee needed to know fortifications, the likelihood of support from residents, and identity of opponents. However, once the chances of success were dim, plans for the invasion stopped and Hardee’s forces relocated to Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Union troops occupied the Arcadia Valley in Spring 1861. However, the map could not have been prepared any earlier than late September 1861. Fort Hovey appears on the map but is unnamed. Construction on the fort began after the 33rd Illinois Infantry arrived September 23, 1861, and extended into the fall and early winter. A likely date for producing the map is therefore late September to early October.
Who prepared this map? A notation in pencil on the reverse is three short lines—the center is too faint to make out, the third line is “Jackman,” and the top line is clearly “Jerome Nall.” Jerome Nall appears on the 1860 census in Arcadia Township as a 22-year-old farmer in his father Gatewood’s household. Authorities detained him in early September 1861 but released him because of lack of evidence. Nall’s second arrest occurred October 8, 1862, on the charge of being a rebel. The Provost Marshal required he post bond of $500, remain in Iron County, and report each month. Instead, he traveled to Oregon County and enlisted in the 12th Missouri Infantry commanded by Col. Solomon G. Kitchen. He served for about two years before deserting.
Jerome C. Nall was literate, knew the area, and was a Confederate sympathizer. He probably produced the map with assistance. Nall lived the remainder of his life in the area, dying in 1917.
