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Battle of Cape Girardeau

 

 
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Battle of Cape Girardeau
 
 
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The Battle of Cape Girardeau was a battle of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War Overview

The American Civil War was a sectional conflict in the United States of America between the federal government and 11 Sout...
, occurring on April 26, 1863 in Cape Girardeau, MissouriCape Girardeau, Missouri

Cape Girardeau is a city located in the county of the same name in Missouri, 100 miles south of Saint Louis....
.

ConfederateConfederate States Army

The Confederate States Army was formed in February 1861 to defend the Confederate States of America, which had itself been f...
 Brig. Gen. John S. MarmadukeJohn S. Marmaduke

John Sappington Marmaduke was a Confederate general during the American Civil War....
 sought to strike U.S. Brig. Gen. John McNeilJohn McNeil

John McNeil was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War....
, with his combined force of about 2,000 men, at Bloomfield, MissouriBloomfield, Missouri

Bloomfield is a city in Stoddard County, Missouri, United States....
. McNeil retreated and Marmaduke followed. Marmaduke received notification, on April 25, that McNeil was near Cape Girardeau. He sent troops to destroy or capture McNeil’s force, but then he learned that the Federals had placed themselves in the fortifications. Marmaduke ordered one of his brigades to make a demonstration to ascertain the Federals’ strength. Col. Joseph O. ShelbyJoseph O. Shelby

Joseph Orville Shelby was a Confederate cavalry general in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War....
’s brigade made the demonstration which escalated into an attack. Those Union forces not already in fortifications retreated into them. Realizing the Federals’ strength, Marmaduke withdrew his division to Jackson. After finding the force he had been chasing, Marmaduke was repulsed. Meant to relieve pressure on other Confederate troops and to disrupt Union operations, Marmaduke’s expedition did little to fulfill either objective.

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