You'll find this marker at a busy parking lot of a local grocery store, but perhaps not as busy as it was back in the summer of 1861. The area was the site of an encampment of about 3000 Union Soldiers, under the direction of Colonel Ulysses S. Grant. It was here in July of 1861 that Colonel Grant learned of his promotion to General. His mission in the area was to protect the North Missouri Railroad, located in Mexico, and to keep the area within the Union.
Missouri was divided between staying in the Union or going to the Confederacy. You will find a star in each battle flag, of that era, claiming Missouri for it's own. Often families and neighbors were split by their decisions.
A dedication of this marker and of marker 2 was held on April 12, 2016, with an informative talk by the President of Audrain Historical Society, Mr. Tony Robertson. Permission to place this cache has been given by Roger Moser, owner of the grocery store.