ABSTRACT
In the winter of 1861-62 there was a guerrilla uprising in Western Missouri, directed in main against the Union Army and against local pro-Union sympathizers. The origins of the uprising are ambiguous in detail although they seem clear enough in general outline. Following the election of 1860, Missouri was increasingly polarized between those who wished to join the Southern Secession and those who wished to remain in the Union, the division was sharp and there were influential and numerous parties in both camps. One might argue that the effect of the three indicators employed is cumulative and therefore hidden or obscured by treating each of them individually. A frustrating agent is seen to intervene between the individual and a valued goal. The resulting state of frustration creates a potential for aggressive behavior. This potential will be actualized in overt aggressive acts of violence when suitable triggering cues are present in the environment.
