Davis County claims northernmost site of Civil War attack
Posted: Tuesday, May 10, 2005
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) -- The members of the Davis County Civil War Guerilla Raid Society want Iowans to remember the part Davis County played in the war.
Members explain that an Oct. 12, 1864, a confederate-backed raid through the county constituted the only time Iowa men were killed on Iowa soil during the War Between the States.
"It's been let go for 141 years," said Carl Boas of Floris, president of the society.
The group believes this constitutes the South's furthest foray north.
Other states have claimed to have the Civil War site that is furthest north. One city in Ohio celebrates with a yearly festival.
But guerilla society member Nancy Clancy, of Ottumwa, claims satellite data now proves Iowa's place in history as the northernmost attack of the war.
And now her group has support for that claim: The Sons of the Confederacy say it is so.
"They're giving us $1,000 toward the marker," Clancy said.
The marker is a series of natural stone monuments emblazoned with the story of the raid. There will also be a map showing history buffs where they should travel through Davis County to follow the path the guerillas took.
Historians theorize one of the reasons for the raid was to draw Union soldiers away from other, more critical areas, leaving them unprotected.
Now, awareness of the event can help educate people about the Civil War, and allow them to visit actual historical locations in Davis County, Boas said.
"That's one of our goals, get some money and mark the trail," he said. "It's just to bring the history of the state and the county up to date. There are people, even in Davis County who've forgot about it."
The marker will be right along the raid path. The dedication, along with shooting demonstrations -- called skirmishes -- bus tours and re-enactments will take place the weekend of Oct. 7-9.
Besides creating awareness of the raid, Clancy said the trail and marker could be a boost for tourism.
"It's got some potential to make some money for Davis County," she said. "It's bragging rights, too."
Clancy has been involved in Civil War shooting and re-enacting for 20 years. She signed up when the guerilla raid society came along a year or two ago.
"The house I grew up in is on the trail," she said.
She knows there are plenty of people who don't know that any of the Civil War's bloodshed took place in Iowa, much less Davis County. But she said she's always known about the raid.
"Somebody's got to keep the facts and the history going," she said.
Members explain that an Oct. 12, 1864, a confederate-backed raid through the county constituted the only time Iowa men were killed on Iowa soil during the War Between the States.
"It's been let go for 141 years," said Carl Boas of Floris, president of the society.
The group believes this constitutes the South's furthest foray north.
Other states have claimed to have the Civil War site that is furthest north. One city in Ohio celebrates with a yearly festival.
But guerilla society member Nancy Clancy, of Ottumwa, claims satellite data now proves Iowa's place in history as the northernmost attack of the war.
And now her group has support for that claim: The Sons of the Confederacy say it is so.
"They're giving us $1,000 toward the marker," Clancy said.
The marker is a series of natural stone monuments emblazoned with the story of the raid. There will also be a map showing history buffs where they should travel through Davis County to follow the path the guerillas took.
Historians theorize one of the reasons for the raid was to draw Union soldiers away from other, more critical areas, leaving them unprotected.
Now, awareness of the event can help educate people about the Civil War, and allow them to visit actual historical locations in Davis County, Boas said.
"That's one of our goals, get some money and mark the trail," he said. "It's just to bring the history of the state and the county up to date. There are people, even in Davis County who've forgot about it."
The marker will be right along the raid path. The dedication, along with shooting demonstrations -- called skirmishes -- bus tours and re-enactments will take place the weekend of Oct. 7-9.
Besides creating awareness of the raid, Clancy said the trail and marker could be a boost for tourism.
"It's got some potential to make some money for Davis County," she said. "It's bragging rights, too."
Clancy has been involved in Civil War shooting and re-enacting for 20 years. She signed up when the guerilla raid society came along a year or two ago.
"The house I grew up in is on the trail," she said.
She knows there are plenty of people who don't know that any of the Civil War's bloodshed took place in Iowa, much less Davis County. But she said she's always known about the raid.
"Somebody's got to keep the facts and the history going," she said.
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