A match of base ball was played on Sunday afternoon, September 27th, between two newly organized clubs of this city - Hope and Eclipse - which was a decided victory of the former. Umpire, David Coyle; Scorers, J. Fountain and J.H. Teahen...
-Missouri Republican, September 28, 1863
So we have two new clubs here - the Hope and the Eclipse - and the Hope would survive the war and be one of the more prominent clubs in the post-war amateur era. This is a significant sign of the health and growth of the game in St. Louis during the war years. As I've stated before, the war certainly stunted the growth of the game in St. Louis but it absolutely did not kill it. In the middle of war, amid all of the difficulties that the war brought, clubs were still being formed and the game was still being played.
The week before this match was played, the Battle of Chickamauga was fought. I mention this merely as an excuse to post this:
The week before this match was played, the Battle of Chickamauga was fought. I mention this merely as an excuse to post this:
And for those who are confused about the subtitle of this post, it's a lyric from the above-posted Uncle Tupelo song.
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