PIKE COUNTY, Mo. — Clinton Fisk slammed shut any door of opportunity Confederates had during the latter part of the Civil War in Northeast Missouri.

The New York-born general took over as commander of Union troops in the northern part of the state on March 25, 1864. He was particularly interested in stopping rebel activity in Pike County.

In a series of letters, Fisk let his field officers know exactly what was expected in the Louisiana and Bowling Green areas. They were to strike swiftly, take no prisoners and “kill the villains wherever caught in their hellish practices.”

It was a bit out of character for a deeply religious man who made sure his troops had copies of the Scriptures and did not allow them to use profanities.

Fisk’s bloodline included ministers, missionaries, military leaders and even a man who captained a colonial Revolutionary War ship named Tyrannicide.

The general was a devoted abolitionist who after the war helped develop the first free integrated public schools in the South. He also established Fisk University and ran unsuccessfully for President on the Prohibition Party ticket.

Fisk died at age 61 in 1890 and is buried in New York City.