Battlefield Dispatches No. 209: 'Sanctuary'

Friday, April 9, 2010

According to Mr. Webster, one definition of "sanctuary" is "A place giving refuge, asylum or immunity from arrest." Normally the use of this word refers to a church, temple or mosque or a reserved area where animals are protected and hunting is prohibited. By 1864, Confederate guerrillas in Missouri found their places of refuge or sanctuary being reduced by the increased number of Union patrols or scouts. In fact, on occasion the guerrillas would occasionally leave Missouri to find a bit of sanctuary in, of all places, bordering "Northern" states such as Iowa and Illinois. However, it didn't take the "Billy Yanks" very long to figure this out and they pursued the guerrillas into their new found safe haven. The following after action reports describe the successful Union pursuit of some bushwhackers in western Illinois and central Missouri. All of the reports are located on pages 651, 652, 872 and 882 in Vol. 34, Part I "Reports of the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion."

To Read More
Subscribe Sign In
Continue reading with a subscription
Subscription options