General Order No. 11 (1863)
General Order No. 11 is the title of a Union Army directive issued during the American Civil War on August 25, 1863, forcing the abandonment of rural areas in four counties in western Missouri. The order, issued by Union General Thomas Ewing, Jr., affected all rural residents regardless of their allegiance. Those who could prove their loyalty to the Union were permitted to stay in the affected area, but had to leave their farms and move to communities near military outposts. Those who could not do so had to vacate the area altogether.
George Caleb Bingham's depiction of the execution of the General Order No. 11: Union General Thomas Ewing observes the Red Legs from behind (Order No. 11).
Missouri's Burnt District, Jackson, Cass, Bates and northern part of Vernon Counties, affected by General Order No. 11
Back Home, April 1865, by Thomas C. Lea III, Pleasant Hill Post Office Mural
Thomas Ewing Jr. was an attorney, the first chief justice of Kansas and leading free state advocate, Union Army general during the American Civil War, and two-term United States Congressman from Ohio, 1877–1881. He narrowly lost the 1879 campaign for Ohio Governor.
General Thomas Ewing Jr.
George Caleb Bingham painting of General Order No. 11. In this famous propaganda work General Thomas Ewing is seated on a horse watching the Red Legs.
Thomas Ewing Jr.