Liberty Arsenal

Liberty Arsenal (1836-1861) - A U.S. Army arsenal of deposit and a depot established in 1836 in present day Liberty, Clay County, Missouri. Captured by Missouri secessionists in 1861 at the start of the U.S. Civil War. Also known as Missouri Ordnance Depot and Missouri Depot.

Liberty Arsenal History

A U.S. Army arsenal of deposit and a depot established in 1836 on the Missouri River at Liberty, Missouri.

On 27 Nov 1855 a group of sixty pro-slavery men raided the Liberty Arsenal to secure weapons for the pre-civil war conflict in the Kansas Territory (Bleeding Kansas). The conflict was over the question of the addition of Kansas to the Union as a free state or as a slave state. John Brown, joined this conflict in 1855 as a fervent abolitionist and his failed attempt to seize the Harpers Ferry Arsenal and Armory in 1859 may have been inspired by the successful pro-slavery raid on Liberty Arsenal. Brown was hanged for treason, murder and inciting a slave insurrection in 1859 by the State of Virginia.

The arsenal was again captured by about 200 armed Missouri secessionists on 20 Apr 1861, a week after the fall of Fort Sumter at the start of the U.S. Civil War. The greatly outnumbered post commander surrendered the depot without a fight and watched the secessionists strip the arsenal. The well planned raid lasted a week with the raiders looting the arsenal of U.S. Government property that included cannons, small arms, equipment, tools, munitions and more than 12,000 pounds of powder and 400,000 cartridges.

Current Status

No remains in Liberty, Clay County, Missouri

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Location: Liberty, Clay County, Missouri. Map point is approximate. Maps & Images Lat: 39.19906 Long: -94.4065 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: .....'

Sources:

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Liberty Arsenal
• Wikipedia - Liberty Arsenal
• Liberty Arsenal
• "The Sharps Rifle Episode In Kansas History" (Am. Hist. Rev. 12:546‑566)

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