Kirksville

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Kirksville (1862)

War:

American Civil War

Date(s):

6 Aug 1862 - 9 Aug 1862

Location:

Adair County, Missouri, US

Outcome:

Union victory

Description:

Col. John McNeil, USA
Col. Joseph C. Porter, CSA

McNeil had about 1,000 cavalry with horse artillery; the Confederates were more numerous but exhausted.

Union losses were about 90, the Confederates lost over 350.

Col. John McNeil and his troops, numbering about 1,000, had been pursuing Col. Joseph C. Porter and his Confederate Missouri Brigade of 2,500 men for more than a week. Before noon on August 6, McNeil attacked Porter in the town of Kirksville, where his men had hidden themselves in homes and stores and among the crops in the nearby fields. After almost three hours of fighting, the Yankees secured the town, captured numerous prisoners, and chased the others away. Three days later, another Union force met and finished the work begun at Kirksville, destroying Porter’s command. Kirksville helped consolidate Union dominance in northeastern Missouri.

Content provided by:
eHistory Staff

Selected sources:
American Battlefield Protection Program, Heritage Preservation Services, National Park Service.

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