Daniel M. Frost
Encyclopedia
Daniel Marsh Frost was an antebellum officer in the United States Army
and then a brigadier general
in the Missouri Volunteer Militia (MVM)
and the Confederate States Army
during the American Civil War
. He was one of a handful of Confederate generals born in the North
, and commanded the MVM during the Camp Jackson Affair in May 1861 that fanned civil unrest in St. Louis
.
in rural Schenectady County, New York
. He was appointed from New York
to the United States Military Academy
in nearby West Point
and graduated in 1844, ranking 4th in a class of 24. Frost was brevetted
as a second lieutenant in the infantry
and assigned to garrison duty. With the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, he served under Winfield Scott
in the Army of Occupation
in Mexico
and was brevetted for gallantry in action at the Battle of Cerro Gordo
.
Following the war, he spent part of 1849 as Regimental Quartermaster of an immense supply train sent to the Oregon Territory
. He was assigned to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis in 1850. The following year, he met and married Elizabeth Brown `Lily' Graham, his second wife. They would have eleven children. After a brief assignment in Europe
, Frost returned to the United States
. He rejoined his regiment
on the Texas
frontier
. In a skirmish with raiding Indians, he was severely wounded and nearly lost an eye. He resigned his commission in 1853 for domestic reasons and partnered in a lumber planing mill
. He later established D. M. Frost & Co., a prominent fur-trading company from Kansas
to the West Coast
.
Politically active, Frost was elected in 1854 to the Missouri General Assembly
as a senator from Benton County and was a strong supporter of "Central Clique" of wealthy planters in Missouri state politics. He worked against the Benton
faction of the Missouri Democratic Party
, and worked for the expansion of slavery into the Kansas Territory
. He served until 1858. He stayed involved with the army by serving on the Board of Visitors for West Point, and was appointed as a brigadier general in the Missouri Volunteer Militia in 1858 by the Governor of Missouri, Robert Marcellus Stewart
. He was assigned command of the First Military District, which encompassed St. Louis and the surrounding county.
ist movement endorsed and led by Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson
. In February 1861 Frost enrolled the members of the pro-secession Minutemen para-military organization
as Companies in a new Second Regiment, MVM (despite Missouri's "official" policy of neutrality). This allowed the Minutemen to operate and recruit overtly. He secretly met with Jackson and other other secessionist leaders to discuss the possibility of attacking the Federal Arsenal
in downtown St. Louis. Governor Jackson dispatched two members of the Minutemen to seek siege artillery from the Confederate
Government. At the recommendation of General Frost, Governor Jackson ordered the mustered the MVM in St. Louis on May 6, a deployment which would allow an attack on the Arsenal when the Confederate artillery arrived.
Confederate President Jefferson Davis
agreed to provide the weapons, and they arrived in St. Louis on May 8. Frost's soldiers took possession of the Confederate weapons, and moved them to Camp Jackson, as the MVM encampment was named. Union Captain Nathaniel Lyon
conducted a reconnaissance on May 9, and verified the presence of the Confederate weapons. The next day, Lyon led a mixed force of U.S. Regular troops and Missouri volunteers to arrest the Militia. After surrounding the camp, they forced Frost and his militiamen to surrender without a shot being fired. As the prisoners were marched through the streets of St. Louis, however a riot broke out and 28 people were killed. on May 11, Frost was paroled and returning to his home.
Although he initially denied involvement in any conspiracy when questioned by authorities, Union
intelligence later obtained a letter that revealed that Frost was indeed an active participant in Governor Jackson's plotting.
After being exchanged for a captured Federal officer, Frost traveled south to Join the Confederate Army. On March 3, 1862, Frost was commissioned as a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army and assigned to duty in Memphis, Tennessee
, under Major General
Sterling Price
. He briefly served as the inspector general
in the army of Gen. Braxton Bragg
, and then in October was assigned to the Trans-Mississippi
Department. Frost led a brigade
into action at the Battle of Prairie Grove
in the division
of Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman
. On March 2, 1863, Hindman was relieved of duty and replaced by Frost in Little Rock, Arkansas
.
In August 1863, Frost's wife was forced from their home in St. Louis because of the family's ardent Confederate sympathies and had taken the children and moved to Canada
for safety and refuge. Frost reacted quickly upon hearing the news. He left the army, without first obtaining any official approval or permission, and traveled to Canada to join his family. Frost was listed as a deserter by the Confederate Army, and in December the Confederate War Department officially dropped Frost from the muster rolls. Frost stayed in Canada for the rest of the war and did not return to Missouri until late 1865.
General Frost spend much of his time in his later years simultaneously explaining: to Unionists that in May 1861 he had not be engaged in pro-Confederate plotting, and to ex-Confederates that he had not deserted from the Confederate Army in 1863. While Frost wrote many post-war articles attempting to explain his contradictory actions during the civil war, his memoirs do not address the Civil War period.
At the age of 77, Daniel M. Frost died at his home in Hazelwood, Missouri
. He is interred at Calvary Cemetery
, section 18.
General Frost was memorialized by Saint Louis University
which named its main campus Frost Campus in honor of the General at the request of his daughter Mrs. Harriet Frost Fordyce, who contributed $1,000,000 to the University in 1962. Ironically, part of the Frost Campus covers the former "Camp Jackson" militia encampment site.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and then a brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
in the Missouri Volunteer Militia (MVM)
Missouri State Militia (pre-Missouri State Guard)
The Missouri Volunteer Militia was the state militia organization of Missouri prior to the Missouri State Guard in the American Civil War.Prior to the Civil War, Missouri had an informal state militia that could be called up by the governor for emergencies or annual drill "in accordance with the...
and the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He was one of a handful of Confederate generals born in the North
Northern United States
Northern United States, also sometimes the North, may refer to:* A particular grouping of states or regions of the United States of America. The United States Census Bureau divides some of the northernmost United States into the Midwest Region and the Northeast Region...
, and commanded the MVM during the Camp Jackson Affair in May 1861 that fanned civil unrest in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
Early life and career
Daniel M. Frost was born near DuanesburgDuanesburg, New York
Duanesburg is a town in Schenectady County, New York, USA. The population was 5,808 at the 2000 census. Duanesburg is named for James Duane, who held most of it as an original land grant. The town is in the western part of the county.-History:...
in rural Schenectady County, New York
Schenectady County, New York
Schenectady County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 154,727. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Schenectady. The name is from a Mohawk Indian word meaning "on the other side of the...
. He was appointed from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in nearby West Point
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
and graduated in 1844, ranking 4th in a class of 24. Frost was brevetted
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
as a second lieutenant in the infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
and assigned to garrison duty. With the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, he served under Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott was a United States Army general, and unsuccessful presidential candidate of the Whig Party in 1852....
in the Army of Occupation
Army of Occupation
Army of Occupation is a term for an army occupying conquered territory, and has been used for many armies in many eras including:*The Army of Occupation of the U.S...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and was brevetted for gallantry in action at the Battle of Cerro Gordo
Battle of Cerro Gordo
The Battle of Cerro Gordo, or Battle of Sierra Gordo, in the Mexican-American War saw Winfield Scott's United States troops flank and drive Santa Anna's larger Mexican army from a strong defensive position.-Battle:...
.
Following the war, he spent part of 1849 as Regimental Quartermaster of an immense supply train sent to the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
. He was assigned to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis in 1850. The following year, he met and married Elizabeth Brown `Lily' Graham, his second wife. They would have eleven children. After a brief assignment in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Frost returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He rejoined his regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
on the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
. In a skirmish with raiding Indians, he was severely wounded and nearly lost an eye. He resigned his commission in 1853 for domestic reasons and partnered in a lumber planing mill
Planing mill
A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
. He later established D. M. Frost & Co., a prominent fur-trading company from Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
to the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
.
Politically active, Frost was elected in 1854 to the Missouri General Assembly
Missouri General Assembly
The Missouri General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bicameral General Assembly is composed of a 34-member Senate, and a 163-member House of Representatives. Members of both houses of the General Assembly are subject to term limits...
as a senator from Benton County and was a strong supporter of "Central Clique" of wealthy planters in Missouri state politics. He worked against the Benton
Thomas Hart Benton (senator)
Thomas Hart Benton , nicknamed "Old Bullion", was a U.S. Senator from Missouri and a staunch advocate of westward expansion of the United States. He served in the Senate from 1821 to 1851, becoming the first member of that body to serve five terms...
faction of the Missouri Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, and worked for the expansion of slavery into the Kansas Territory
Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas....
. He served until 1858. He stayed involved with the army by serving on the Board of Visitors for West Point, and was appointed as a brigadier general in the Missouri Volunteer Militia in 1858 by the Governor of Missouri, Robert Marcellus Stewart
Robert Marcellus Stewart
Robert Marcellus Stewart was the 14th Governor of Missouri from 1857 to 1861, during the critical years just prior to the American Civil War.-Early years:...
. He was assigned command of the First Military District, which encompassed St. Louis and the surrounding county.
Civil War
In the early days of the Civil War, General Frost supported the secessionSecession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
ist movement endorsed and led by Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson
Claiborne Fox Jackson
Claiborne Fox Jackson was a lawyer, soldier, and Democratic politician from Missouri. He was the 15th Governor of Missouri in 1861, then governor-in-exile for the Confederacy during the American Civil War.-Early life:...
. In February 1861 Frost enrolled the members of the pro-secession Minutemen para-military organization
Minutemen (Missouri Secessionist Paramilitaries)
The Minutemen was a secessionist paramilitary organization in St. Louis, Missouri in the early months of 1861. Many members joined the 2nd Regiment of the Missouri Volunteer Militia, and after May 10, 1861 the Missouri State Guard or the Confederate States Army....
as Companies in a new Second Regiment, MVM (despite Missouri's "official" policy of neutrality). This allowed the Minutemen to operate and recruit overtly. He secretly met with Jackson and other other secessionist leaders to discuss the possibility of attacking the Federal Arsenal
St. Louis Arsenal
The St. Louis Arsenal is a large complex of military weapons and ammunition storage buildings owned by the United States Army in St. Louis, Missouri. During the American Civil War, the St...
in downtown St. Louis. Governor Jackson dispatched two members of the Minutemen to seek siege artillery from the Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Government. At the recommendation of General Frost, Governor Jackson ordered the mustered the MVM in St. Louis on May 6, a deployment which would allow an attack on the Arsenal when the Confederate artillery arrived.
Confederate President Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Finis Davis , also known as Jeff Davis, was an American statesman and leader of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, serving as President for its entire history. He was born in Kentucky to Samuel and Jane Davis...
agreed to provide the weapons, and they arrived in St. Louis on May 8. Frost's soldiers took possession of the Confederate weapons, and moved them to Camp Jackson, as the MVM encampment was named. Union Captain Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon
Nathaniel Lyon was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict....
conducted a reconnaissance on May 9, and verified the presence of the Confederate weapons. The next day, Lyon led a mixed force of U.S. Regular troops and Missouri volunteers to arrest the Militia. After surrounding the camp, they forced Frost and his militiamen to surrender without a shot being fired. As the prisoners were marched through the streets of St. Louis, however a riot broke out and 28 people were killed. on May 11, Frost was paroled and returning to his home.
Although he initially denied involvement in any conspiracy when questioned by authorities, Union
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
intelligence later obtained a letter that revealed that Frost was indeed an active participant in Governor Jackson's plotting.
After being exchanged for a captured Federal officer, Frost traveled south to Join the Confederate Army. On March 3, 1862, Frost was commissioned as a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army and assigned to duty in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, under Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Sterling Price
Sterling Price
Sterling Price was a lawyer, planter, and politician from the U.S. state of Missouri, who served as the 11th Governor of the state from 1853 to 1857. He also served as a United States Army brigadier general during the Mexican-American War, and a Confederate Army major general in the American Civil...
. He briefly served as the inspector general
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
in the army of Gen. Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a general in the Confederate States Army—a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and later the military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.Bragg, a native of North Carolina, was...
, and then in October was assigned to the Trans-Mississippi
Trans-Mississippi
The Trans-Mississippi was the geographic area west of the Mississippi River during the 19th century, containing the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri and Texas, and the Indian Territory . The term was especially used by the Confederate States of America as the designation for the theater of...
Department. Frost led a brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
into action at the Battle of Prairie Grove
Battle of Prairie Grove
The Battle of Prairie Grove was a battle of the American Civil War fought on 7 December 1862, that resulted in a tactical stalemate but essentially secured northwest Arkansas for the Union.-Strategic situation: Union:...
in the division
Division (military)
A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of between 10,000 and 20,000 soldiers. In most armies, a division is composed of several regiments or brigades, and in turn several divisions typically make up a corps...
of Maj. Gen. Thomas C. Hindman
Thomas C. Hindman
Thomas Carmichael Hindman, Jr. was a lawyer, United States Representative from the 1st Congressional District of Arkansas, and a Major General in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War....
. On March 2, 1863, Hindman was relieved of duty and replaced by Frost in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
.
In August 1863, Frost's wife was forced from their home in St. Louis because of the family's ardent Confederate sympathies and had taken the children and moved to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
for safety and refuge. Frost reacted quickly upon hearing the news. He left the army, without first obtaining any official approval or permission, and traveled to Canada to join his family. Frost was listed as a deserter by the Confederate Army, and in December the Confederate War Department officially dropped Frost from the muster rolls. Frost stayed in Canada for the rest of the war and did not return to Missouri until late 1865.
Post War
Following the war, Frost became a farmer on his land near St. Louis. His second wife died in the early 1870s and Frost later married a third time, this time to a young widow with two children. The couple had two children of their own.General Frost spend much of his time in his later years simultaneously explaining: to Unionists that in May 1861 he had not be engaged in pro-Confederate plotting, and to ex-Confederates that he had not deserted from the Confederate Army in 1863. While Frost wrote many post-war articles attempting to explain his contradictory actions during the civil war, his memoirs do not address the Civil War period.
At the age of 77, Daniel M. Frost died at his home in Hazelwood, Missouri
Hazelwood, Missouri
Hazelwood is a second-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in northwestern St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 25,703 as of the 2010 census. Hazelwood, a northern suburb of St. Louis, is located north of Lambert-St...
. He is interred at Calvary Cemetery
Bellefontaine and Calvary Cemeteries
Bellefontaine Cemetery and the Roman Catholic Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Missouri are adjacent burial grounds, which have numerous historic and extravagant tombstones and mausoleums. They are the necropolis for a number of prominent local and state politicians, as well as soldiers of the...
, section 18.
General Frost was memorialized by Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
which named its main campus Frost Campus in honor of the General at the request of his daughter Mrs. Harriet Frost Fordyce, who contributed $1,000,000 to the University in 1962. Ironically, part of the Frost Campus covers the former "Camp Jackson" militia encampment site.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals