October 2nd, 1864- The Battle of Saltville

Conflict: American Civil War

Combatants: Confederates vs. Federals

Location: Virginia (USA)

Outcome: Confederate victory

On this day in 1864, Federal troops conducted a raid in Saltville, Virginia intent on closing the Confederate salt mine located there. The mine defenders, including soldiers of Brigadier General Alfred E. Jackson's brigade and Confederate guerillas, defeated the Federal army. In the aftermath, the Confederate victors executed over 100 captors, most of whom were black cavalry troops.

Brigadier General Alfred E. Jackson by an unknown photographer

Points of Interest:

• Robert E. Lee ordered an investigation of the executions at Saltville but only one soldier was tried for the crimes.

• Alfred E. Jackson was granted a pardon by President Andrew Johnson after the war.

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Sources:

Bowman, John S. (Ed.) (1983). The Civil War Almanac. New York: World Almanac.

Catton, Bruce (1955). This Hallowed Ground. Kingsport, Tennessee: Kingsport Press, Inc.

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

Hogue, James M. & McPherson, James M. (2009). Ordeal By Fire. New York: MaGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Long, E.B & Long, Barbara (1971). The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. New York: De Capo Press, Inc.