Lorie, I can give you a little about what the Civil War was like in Unionville, county seat of Putnam County, MO. A source you may wish to view is the "History of Adair, Sullivan, Putnam, and Schuyler Counties, Missouri," Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1882. You may be able to view this via interlibrary loan using your local library. If there is a problem, see if interlibrary loan will photocopy just the Civil War in Putnam County chapter for you. I don't seem to find many records of actual skirmishes in Putnam County, but there was some Civil War violence there mostly by northern sympathizers against southern sympathizers. Several such incidents took place there during 1861, as mentioned in the Goodspeed history I cited above. During 1862 Rebel irregular leader Bill Dunn of neighboring Schuyler County was aggressive in Schuyler and Scotland Counties, and this would have been of concern in Putnam County to the west. I found an incomplete reference to some skirmish in Putnam County on 1 September 1862 involving part of the 1st Cavalry Missouri State Militia Regiment, but I could find no further information. Also in the summer of 1862 the 45th Enrolled Missouri Militia Regiment was formed in Putnam County, and they served the Union there off and on for the rest of the war. During the summers of 1862 and 1863 about 30 of these militiamen served on active duty in and around Unionville guarding county facilities and the armory of the regiment kept in that town (probably in the courthouse). The rest of the 45th remained at their civilian pursuits ready to be called to active duty in case of a threat in that area. Part of the 45th was detailed into the 2nd Provisional EMM Regiment on active duty for much of 1863 performing duty from a garrison at Hannibal, Marion County. During early July 1863 Rebel irregular Captain Clifton D. Holtzclaw and his band raided for several days in central Sullivan County to the south, and this would have caused concern in the surrounding counties. On March 21, 1864 Union veterans in Unionville murdered Reverend John L. Woods of the Methodist Episcopal Church South because of the preacher's southern sympathies (page 499-500 in the Goodspeed history). During Confederate Major General Sterling Price's large-scale Missouri raid in fall 1864 the 45th EMM was called to several weeks active duty partly in Putnam County and partly in other parts of northeast Missouri, but saw little action. When Putnam County men went off to join the Union forces they marched off to one of the nearest railroad towns in either Livingston, Linn, or Macon Counties to the south, as the railroad there was under the control of Union forces during nearly the entire war. If I were to guess, I would say the Putnam County northern recruits marched to Macon City in Macon County, which was a Union district headquarters for most of the war. When Putnam County men went off to join the southern forces they had to walk or ride horses a long way to join secret Rebel recruiting commands operating deep behind Union lines in several counties south of Putnam County. It is difficult to say where most of these men went as they did not all go at the same times on either side. The Goodspeed history has more on this for you. Now, for your part. Please give me the names of your ancestors, what side they served on, and what you know about their Civil War service, and I will see if I can flesh out more of their experience for you. Your name seems familiar. Have we corresponded before? Bruce Nichols