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The new Tiger Camp was established on January 5th 2008. Meetings are held on the on the 1st Saturday of every other month at 9am at the Boone Electric Cooperative 1413 Rangeline Street Columbia, MO 65201-3905

We are the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. We are the descendants of the men who fought to save the Union. Their blood runs in our veins. We are not about "representing" Civil War soldiers, we, as descendants and legal heirs to the G.A.R. are a direct link to these men. We honor our ancestors by keeping alive the memory of their service and sacrifice in a way that no other organization can.

The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is a volunteer, non profit, patriotic and educational organization. It was founded on Nov. 12, 1881 and was incorporated by an Act of Congress Aug. 20, 1954. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is the legal heir to and representative of the Grand Army of the Republic.

Before, during, and after the Civil War here in Missouri plundering guerilla bands habitually raided small towns, and the people of Columbia, Missouri, constantly feared an attack. Such organizations as temporary "home guards" and vigilance companies frequently banded together to fight off any possible forays by the bushwhackers. After attacks on Rocheport, Centralia, and other small towns in the area it was rumored that a guerilla band, led by the notorious Bill Anderson, intended to sack Columbia. On October 4, 1864 the Columbia Tiger Company was organized composed of men of all political persuasions. The unit was composed of such men as:

Carpenter James Bruckle built a blockhouse at the crossing of Broadway and 8th Streets. It had port holes to shoot through and a well inside, dug in the middle of Broadway to furnish water in case of siege. It was called "The Tigers Den." They also took possession of and fortified the old courthouse in the center of town. A ditch was dug around the courthouse to prevent attackers from throwing a load of hay against the courthouse wall and setting fire to the building. Sentinels were placed on the top of the courthouse and of the cupola of the university. The courthouse and church bells of the city were used to signal the approach of any bushwhackers. Three times marauders approached Columbia but the bells and call to arms kept them outside the city limits. The reputation of the intrepid "Tigers" presumably traveled abroad, and Anderson's gang detoured around Columbia.
The above information gleaned from Dr. Tom Prater's Unconditional Surrender and from Walter Williams' History of Northeast Missouri.

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