author

W. M. (William M.) Leftwich

A 19th-century Methodist minister and writer, he is best remembered for documenting the religious and political turmoil of Civil War-era Missouri. His work combines eyewitness conviction with a strong concern for faith, conscience, and public life.

1 Audiobook

Martyrdom in Missouri, Volume 1 (of 2) : A history of religious proscription, the seizure of churches, and the persecution of ministers of the Gospel, in the state of Missouri during the late Civil War, and under the "Test Oath" of the new Constitution.

Martyrdom in Missouri, Volume 1 (of 2) : A history of religious proscription, the seizure of churches, and the persecution of ministers of the Gospel, in the state of Missouri during the late Civil War, and under the "Test Oath" of the new Constitution.

by W. M. (William M.) Leftwich

About the author

Born in 1828, William Madison Leftwich was an American clergyman and author whose surviving reputation rests largely on Martyrdom in Missouri, a two-volume history of religious persecution during and after the Civil War in Missouri. Archival and library records identify him as W. M. Leftwich, and Project Gutenberg lists his works under that name.

Leftwich was a Methodist minister as well as a writer. University of Kentucky archival material describes him as Reverend William Madison Leftwich and gives his lifespan as 1828 to 1901. That same record connects him with correspondence and diaries preserved in the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters, suggesting a life closely tied to ministry, public debate, and firsthand observation.

For modern readers, Leftwich is most interesting as a witness to a deeply divided America. His writing is shaped by moral urgency and religious commitment, and it offers a vivid window into how faith communities experienced conflict, law, and loyalty in the 19th century.