Talley's War also called the Skunk River War was an incident in 1863 in
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...
, in which pro-war individuals opened fire on a peace demonstration; one person was killed.
Cyphert (or Syphert) Talley was a pro-peace
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
minister whose family moved into the Keokuk county, Iowa area from Tennessee in 1840. During the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, Talley became known in Keokuk County for pro-peace speeches, which sometimes drew an armed audience. On Saturday, August 1, 1863, Talley spoke at a Democratic rally near the English river to an audience of hundreds. After the rally, Talley and others of his crowd rode in wagons to the nearby town of
South English, Iowa
South English is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 202 at the time of the 2020 census. It is named for the English River.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all ...
, where a meeting of Republicans had taken place. Talley was warned not to enter the town, but did anyway, to accusations of his cowardice. According to an 1880 recounting of the event, the Democrats in wagons displayed their weapons at these cries to the equally well-armed people in the town. It was said that a town's person started the firing. Hundreds of shots were fired, but only Talley died.
Talley's friends sent out the word of his death widely, and the next day people began to arrive in answer to the news, demanding vengeance. A citizen committee reassured the first hundred who assembled that the guilty party would be sought and brought to justice, but the crowd continued to gather, until hundreds of men had formed by the Skunk River into what would later be known as the Skunk River Army. Several citizens of the town made an excursion to Davenport, Iowa, to appeal to Governor Kirkwood, who travelled with several hundred troops and cannons to the area. While the action brought legends of the terrified retreat of the Skunk River Army, the fact is that the army had all but disbanded before the governor arrived.
All told, eleven companies were engaged in quelling uprisings in August 1863 in Keokuk County.
No one was indicted for the crime of shooting Talley, although the placement of the wound suggested it was intentionally inflicted. Citizens of the area kept the identity of the shooter to themselves.
Sources
*
The History of Washington County, Iowa' Union County Historical Society. 1880. pp. 523–527.
*
Iowa: The Middle Land' Dorothy Schwieder. 1996. University of Iowa Press. pp. 77–78.
Iowa in the American Civil War
1863 in Iowa
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