Soldiers on both sides of the Civil War gathered and camped at Frenchman’s Spring for refreshment and respite. Perhaps its greatest claim to fame took place in July 1861, when some 2,000 men from 15 Southwest Missouri counties convened here to create Missouri’s first Confederate state militia. Led by M. Jeff Thompson, nicknamed the “Swamp Fox,” his troops similarly were known as the “Swamp Rats,” for their ability to traverse the muddy, marshy terrain. They fought all over the region in the early years of the Civil War. You can drive to Frenchman’s Spring by going south out of Dexter on Highway 25 and turn right (west) on County Road 632. Stay on the gravel road until you come a curve (north) in the road. The monument and springs are to the left on that curve.