165 YEARS AGO: Demoralized Federal troops begin a long retreat out of southwestern Missouri after their defeat at Wilson’s Creek.
Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
165 YEARS AGO: Demoralized Federal troops begin a long retreat out of southwestern Missouri after their defeat at Wilson’s Creek.
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Federals not only suffer a second major defeat within a month, but they lose an army commander as well.
165 YEARS AGO: Opposing forces inadvertently advance upon each other in southwestern Missouri, setting the stage for a battle.
Detachments of opposing forces clash in southwestern Missouri, foreshadowing a larger fight in the near future.
165 YEARS AGO: Political turmoil and military maneuvering continue in the bitterly divided state of Missouri.
Conflict escalates west of the Mississippi River. Texas announces a state of war with the U.S., hostilities rise among Native Americans, Federals in New Mexico brace for a Confederate invasion, and Confederates in Arkansas are authorized to aid the Missouri State Guard.