Missouri Digital Heritage :: Explore the Civil War :: Divided Loyalties: Civil War Documents


Drawing on more than nine million pages of documents and court cases, Divided Loyalties examines the upheaval and uncertainty that characterized Missouri during the Civil War era. The exhibit goes beyond the stories of battles and military strategy to consider the social conflict that permeated the state for the two decades that followed the Kansas Border Wars of the mid-1850s.

The exhibit will tour the state during the remainder of the sesquicentennial. You can use the map below to browse locations, or download the complete exhibit schedule.




Locations where the exhibit is on display (2011)
Locations where the exhibit will be on display in the future (2012 and beyond)
Locations where the exhibit has already been but is no longer on display
Download the brochure for a detailed overview of the exhibit, which discusses the themes and topics addressed.
(pdf, 1.1MB)
Download the full audio tour* which will guide you through the exhibit, section by section or visit the audio tour webpages to listen to and view the exhibit online.
(mp3, 32 min), *(right click to save)
Stamp your Civil War passport at our exhibit, or join a guided bus tour. Visit the Jefferson City Convention & Visitors’ Bureau website to learn more.


All official state documents must bear the Great Seal of the State of Missouri. This seal, which is on display as part of the Divided Loyalties exhibit, was taken by Governor Jackson and other members of Missouri’s pro-Confederate elected government when they fled Jefferson City in June 1861.
Can you imagine being forced to take an oath to keep your job or even stay in your home? Learn about the role of loyalty oaths during and after the Civil War, and view copies of actual oaths.



Divided Loyalties Exhibit documents are available on this website in the .pdf format. In order to view or print them, you must have Adobe Reader installed on your computer. To download a free copy of Adobe Reader, click on the icon below.

NOTE: If you are experiencing problems opening PDFs using IE8, please place the mouse over the selected PDF, right-click then select Open in New Tab or Open in New Window.