Marshall Conferences facts for kids
The Marshall Conferences were important meetings held during the American Civil War. Leaders from the Confederate side met three times in Marshall, Texas. This city was special because it was the temporary capital for the Confederate government of Missouri. The idea for these meetings came from Jefferson Davis, who was the President of the Confederacy.
First Meeting: June 1862
The first meeting happened in June 1862. It brought together the governor of Texas, Francis Lubbock, and the Confederate governor of Missouri, Claiborne Fox Jackson. Even though other governors were not there, the leaders of Arkansas and Louisiana later agreed with their ideas.
These two governors made three main suggestions for President Jefferson Davis:
- They wanted a new Confederate money office set up west of the Mississippi River. This would help manage money closer to the western states.
- They asked for a top general to be in charge of all the Confederate states west of the Mississippi River. This area was called the Trans-Mississippi region.
- They also wanted more places to store ammunition and weapons. This was important because there was a shortage of arms in the region.
Second Meeting: August 1863
The second conference took place in August 1863. More leaders joined this meeting. Representatives came from Arkansas, Confederate Indian Territory, Louisiana, Confederate Missouri, and Texas. This showed that more states in the western Confederacy were getting involved.
Third Meeting: May 1865
The third and final meeting happened in May 1865. By this time, the Civil War was almost over. The leaders at this conference suggested terms for the Confederacy to surrender. However, the terms they offered were not realistic. Because of this, the Union side rejected them.
