Confederate General John Bell Hood, marching through northern Alabama with some 39,000 soldiers and en route to a planned invasion of western Tennessee, today arrives at Decatur, Alabama. Here he encounters some 3,000-5,000 Union soldiers defending entrenchments, two forts and a rifle pit, in addition to two Federal gunboats patrolling the Tennessee River. Needing to…
On the site of what will one day be the Kansas City, Missouri zoo, the Battle of Westport takes place. The battle proves to be a culmination of major activity in the state, as a Union win effectively overcomes the little remaining resistance to Union rule in Missouri. Not only is the battle significant in…
Confederate guerrillas led by “Bloody” Bill Anderson and including Jesse and Frank James, both Baptists, this evening raid Danville, Missouri, a Union-friendly town. Many citizens, recognizing the invasion, flee for the woods, escaping the carnage. Not all are so lucky as the guerrillas set fire to the town, shooting citizens who dare show themselves. Some…