Missouri 10th Volunteer Cavalry (Union)

CaptainDaniel W. Ballou

LieutenantBenjamin Joel

Major GeneralFrancis Preston Blair Jr.

Vicksburg

In mid-May, 1863, after six months of unsuccessful attempts, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee finally converged on Vicksburg, defended by a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton. Capture of the Mississippi River town was critical to Union control of the strategic river. Vicksburg was located on a high river bluff defended with artillery, and Pemberton's men had constructed a series of fortifications in an 8-mile arc surrounding the city on the landward side. After crossing the…READ MORE

Lieutenant ColonelFrederic W. Benteen

MajorWilliam H. Lusk

ColonelEdward F. Winslow

Lieutenant ColonelFrederick W. Benteen

Major GeneralAlfred Pleasonton

ColonelEdward F. Winslow

Westport

The Battle of Westport, fought October 21-23, was the largest battle west of the Mississippi River and the decisive battle of Confederate Gen. Stirling Price's 1864 Missouri campaign. Directions guide the visitor to the first of twenty-five narrative markers on a 32-mile, self-guided automobile tour and a self-guided walking tour of Byram's Ford and the Big Blue Battlefield. Each marker provides directions to the next stop on the tour. A written brochure is available from the Battle of Westport Visitor Cen…READ MORE

Selma

The war was almost over when Union troops under the leadership of Gen. James H. Wilson and 13,500 cavalry and mounted infantry (the Raiders) invaded Alabama. Anticipating invasion, Selma prepared as best it could. But Lt. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest's highly outnumbered 2,000 men, consisting of mostly old men and boys, could not hold Wilson's Raiders. The people of Selma were doomed even before the battle started on April 2, 1865. Selma has the largest historic district in Alabama, and it is the second-old…READ MORE