Early in the Civil War, James Bagwill of Macon County, Missouri, got into trouble with Union authorities and was arrested for allegedly killing a Federal soldier, but, despite the serious accusation against him, he was soon released. Later in the war, however, his wife and his daughter ended up suffering worse consequences for actions that were deemed disloyal but were far less grievous than murder.
After Bagwill's brush with Union authorities, the family moved to St. Louis, and in early 1863, a number of letters written by Augusta and Zaidee Bagwill to Confederate soldiers and/or written by Rebel soldiers addressed to the two women were intercepted aboard a steamer on the Mississippi River at St. Louis. The women expressed various disloyal sentiments throughout the letters they had written. For instance, in one of Augusta's letters, she referred to Union soldiers as "Yankee vandals," and Zaidee called them "black-hearted villains" in one of her letters. Although the women denied writing the most incriminating letters and denied involvement in delivering Rebel mail, they were arrested and charged with corresponding with the enemy and encouraging rebellion against the United States.
Both Augusta and her stepdaughter were found guilty at their trials by military commission in April 1863. Zaidee was sentenced to confinement at home for the duration of the war under oath and bond, while Augusta was sentenced to be banished to the South. The sentences were soon amended to allow Augusta to go to Canada instead of to the South and to allow Zaidee to accompany her. Imposition of the sentences was delayed because Augusta was ill, and before they could be imposed, they were amended again to allow both women to stay in Missouri under oath and bond.
This post is greatly condensed from a chapter in my latest book, Lady Rebels of Civil War Missouri.
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