Battle Of Glasgow History

Glasgow was the site of a Civil War battle in 1864 when Confederate troops bombarded the Union forces holding the town. The Union force was outnumbered and eventually forced to surrender. The Union forces were under the command of COL Chester Harding. The Confederates were commanded by BG John Bullock Clark.

At the end of the battle, the Union forces were holding defensive positions at Hereford Hill.

The large home there is now the rectory of St. Mary's Church. Just a week after the battle, Bloody Bill Anderson, one of the most notorious Bushwhackers of the time, came to Glasgow. He had recently killed 23 unarmed Union soldiers in Centralia, Missouri, about thirty-five miles to the east. Col. Benjamin Lewis was a Union Man, who had made his fortune in tobacco. He offered a $6,000 reward for Anderson. Anderson and his men broke into Glen Eden, Lewis' mansion, and demanded the reward for himself. They beat and tortured Lewis until the money was collected. One of the founders of the city, William Dunica, provided the money to save Lewis. Dunica's impressive home, with its' tall porch columns, still stands.

Two years later Lewis died as a result of the beating. His will included a $10,000 endowment for books and the establishment of a library and college in Glasgow. The two-story building featured a library on the second floor and a lecture hall on the first floor. The building still serves as Glasgow's public library and is the oldest library building in continuous use west of the Mississippi. There were two colleges in Glasgow; Lewis and Pritchett.

Additional articles about the Battle of Glasgow:

Order of Battle

Sterling Price

LT Graves - Courage & Honor

Sons of Glasgow

Memories of Glasgow by Walter Henderson Sr.

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