Union. In addition, these states began to seize Federal military instillations within their borders, taking the arms and artillery held within them. While Missouri voted not to secede, many in the state were pro-secession and Lyon feared that the Arsenal was too poorly defended to resist an attempt to take it if one was made. Seeking to increase the number of Union troops who could be called on to defend the Arsenal, in early March of 1861 Lyon began to train and help arm a Pro-Union militia in secret. This militia was mostly made up of anti-slavery German immigrants and pro-republican members of the St. Louis chapter of the Wide Awakes. Lyon was supported by Congressman Frank Blair, an ally of Abraham Lincoln, with powerful connections to the incoming president through his brother Montgomery Blair. After Lincoln called for Union troops in preparation for the Civil War, Lyon recognized an opportunity to strengthen the Arsenal garrison by mustering the pro-Union militia into the Federal army. Up until that point, the militia had limited arms, consisting only of what they successfully smuggled into Missouri from Illinois. As of late March, however, Hagner still supervised the arsenal and Harney still commanded the Department of the West. Neither Hagner nor Harney were supportive of Lyon's plans with the militia, and Hagner denied Lyon's attempts to release the arsenal's weapons to them. After this denial Lyon began exerting pressure on the president through the politically connected Blair to have himself named the new commander of the arsenal. Blair promptly did so and, as the Battle of Fort Sumter began almost simultaneously, orders where sent to Harney to organize Federal militia in Missouri. After failing to act on these orders, and facing criticism from Blair, Harney was ordered by War Department to return to Washtingon by Simon Cameron. On April 21, 1861, with Lyon's control of the arsenal now unimpeded, he armed the militia at night and ordered them to take the rest of the Arsenal's weapons up river to Illinois. He did this in response to the seizure of the smaller Liberty Arsenal by pro-secession members of the Missouri State Militia the day before. Finally, on April 23rd with the pro-Union militia armed and the guns safe, Lyon formally mustered the troops into the Federal Army. Camp Jackson Affair At the same time, Governor Jackson Fox Claiborne began conspiring with the newly declared Confederacy