Incident at the Otterville Station: A Civil War Story of Slavery and Rescue

Christgau (Birch Coulie: The Epic Battle of the Dakota War) tells the story of 36 soldiers of the 9th Minnesota Regiment and their rescue of 13 slaves being shipped from Missouri to Kentucky for sale during the Civil War. As a result of the confusion over what to do in slave states that did not secede, like Missouri, the Minnesota soldiers ended up in prison for desertion—a shocking turn of events that became national news as abolitionists rallied for their release. While Christgau acknowledges the event as minor in the grand scheme of the war, he also makes clear how the incident at Otterville Station—where the slaves were rescued—vividly illustrates the tensions over slavery, especially in a border state like Missouri. Union soldiers were repeatedly given conflicting orders on how to deal with runaway slaves—that is, when the issue was addressed at all. While Christgau presents his extensive research creatively, his no-nonsense writing keeps this book from being any great literary feat and will likely be of little interest to those without prior interest. That said, it’s a clear, informative, and well-researched addition for any Civil War or American history buff’s library. (Dec.)