This was not a battle per se but significant to Indiana Civil War history nonetheless. It occurred on May 20, 1863.
We have discussed the Peace Democrats in another blog post. They were referred to as Copperheads by the Republican/Federal Government supporters. The mocking (bullying) didn’t stop with that disrespectful name.
The Republican party was concerned about attempts to overthrow the Republican Governor while attending the Democratic convention in Indianapolis. The concern was legitimate. There were over 10,000 attendees at the Democratic convention on that day.
Concerned that many of the Democrats at the State convention were carrying firearms in the hope of inciting a rebellion, Federal soldiers entered the convention hall and searched the delegates. Personal weapons were found on many of the delegates.
Reaction and response was swift and complete. Trains leaving the convention were stopped and searched. Of course, the first trains to be searched were carrying men who had protested against the Lincoln government and Republican Governor Morton at the Democratic convention.
As federal troops searched passengers in one train car that was headed east, the delegates in a second car discarded their guns and knives into the waters of Pogue’s Run, which ran alongside the track. This event, is documentation of the intense disagreement amongst Hoosiers during the Civil War. As this blog is developed, we will discuss more about what was mockingly called the Battle of Pogue’s Run.
