Glasgow, Missouri

Glasgow, Missouri in 1864. Image courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Notable Events:

  • Founded (1836)
  • Battle of Glasgow (October 15, 1864)

Glasgow, a Missouri River port town known for its shipments of hemp and tobacco, witnessed the Battle of Glasgow on October 15, 1864. The battle resulted from the Missouri Expedition led by Confederate Major General Sterling Price. Prior to entering Glasgow, Price's forces had been repulsed from their primary objectives of taking St. Louis and Jefferson City, and the Confederates were looking for a clear victory and a boost in morale along their westward journey to the new targets of Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth. They laid siege to Glasgow, shelled it with artillery, and then entered the city at 7 a.m. on the 15th. The 800 garrisoning Union soldiers retreated to Hereford Hill after blowing up their munitions depot at city hall, destroying a portion of downtown in the process. Union Colonel Chester Harding soon surrendered, but the prisoners were well-treated -- all were paroled, the officers kept their sidearms, and Price's men also refrained from looting private property in the town of Glasgow. Today the town remains a small, quiet rural location at a bend on the Missouri River, and it is host to a number of historic buildings.

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