New historical marker added to U.S. Grant Trail

Most people don't know about Ulysses S. Grant's brief stay in Cape Girardeau and the role his time here played in the outcome of the Civil War.

A new Civil War informational plaque at the foot of the Common Pleas Courthouse steps Tuesday in downtown Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

But the spot where two downtown streets meet is well known by those familiar with Grant's journey, and how it influenced his transition as the Union Army's commanding general and later president of the United States.

On Tuesday, representatives of Missouri's Civil War Heritage Foundation, along with local elected officials, representatives of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau and members of the public unveiled a new historical marker designed to help tell the story. The marker and educational panel represent Cape Girardeau's new placement on the U.S. Grant Trail, which starts in Hannibal, Missouri, and promotes historical tourism in the state.

At the intersection of Themis and Spanish streets, at the bottom of the Common Pleas Courthouse steps, several speakers detailed Grant's 1861 visit to Cape Girardeau, including his refusal to stand down against another general who claimed to command the area. The argument is believed to have occurred on that very spot, a local historian said, along with the start of the Union Army's spread south, which later led to the defeat of the Confederate Army.

Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr., left, Charlie Herbst, Greg Wolk, Paul Koeper, Harry Rediger, Clint Tracy and Dr. Frank Nickell pose for a photo next to the Civil War informational plaque at the foot of the Common Pleas Courthouse steps after the dedication Tuesday in downtown Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

Grant's direction over Union troops in the area was in question when he arrived in Cape Girardeau in late August 1861. Another general stationed nearby assumed he was in charge. Grant wrote of a disagreement with the general, and historians believe that had he given up control, things could have turned out much differently.

"By the summer of 1863, as a result of what began here, Grant had emerged as the distinctive figure in the Union field command," said Dr. Frank Nickell, a retired history professor and representative of the foundation, during the unveiling ceremony Tuesday.

Dr. Frank Nickell speaks about the historical significance at the site of the new Civil War informational plaque placed at the foot of the Common Pleas Courthouse steps Tuesday in downtown Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

Tuesday's speakers, which included Nickell and foundation executive director Greg Wolk, were introduced by Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. of Cape Girardeau, who is president of the State Historical Society of Missouri and also a U.S. district judge.

Limbaugh said Tuesday was chosen as the date for the marker's unveiling because Jan. 27, 1862, was the date Grant received orders to leave his post in Cairo, Illinois, and head to southwestern Tennessee, where the Union Army overcame a surprise Confederate attack to win the Battle of Shiloh and later won other battles in the South.

U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. directs the dedication ceremony of a new Civil War informational plaque placed at the foot of the Common Pleas Courthouse steps Tuesday in downtown Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

Funds contributed by the visitors bureau and Cape Girardeau businessman Earl Norman paid for the marker panel, which is now installed at the foot of the courthouse steps.

"In Cape Girardeau, this is a place of significant historical importance," Nickell said. "It helps us educate the young people about the nature of the Civil War and the people who lived in the valley in the middle of the 19th century, fighting out one of the great struggles in American history."

Maps of the U.S. Grant Trail are available from the visitors bureau.

eragan@semissourian.com

388-3632

Pertinent address:

44 N. Lorimier St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Spanish Street and Themis Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.