This happens to be a subject I have brought up in conversations often. Some of Missouri's most loyal supporters of the Union were slave holders. It's why they supported the Union. They felt that it was the best way to preserve their "property" and it worked for a while. Slaves that belonged to those who supported secession were confiscated. Those who were loyal were allowed to maintain the "peculiar institution". The Missouri Historical Review October 1921- July 1922 Vol. 16 contains the following information: