The northernmost raid of the civil war took place on 12 OCT 1864. James "Jim" Jackson and a group of 12 men dressed in Union uniforms entered Davis County, Iowa on the weekend of the county fair in Bloomfield. They broke weapons and stole minor amounts of money and food from various local residents. When they came to the home of Thomas Hardy, a farmer and private banker who was an outspoken opponent of slavery, they searched his home for money but missed the money he had in a book.
They rode on and met Hardy coming home with a load of wood. Jackson demanded his horses. Hardy said he needed them and would have to be paid for them. Jackson pulled a pistol and shot Hardy in the face. Hardy fell to the ground and said; "God have mercy". Jackson shot him a second time. Seeing that Hardy was till alive, he dismounted and shot his a third time.
They left the horses and the body along with Hardy's hired man after taking $400 from Hardy's pockets. Riding south, they encountered Elizer Small, a Union infantry soldier. They shot him dead. Jackson pined a note which read; "Killed in retaliation for the murder of David Plunket by Federal forces near Glasgow, MO".
They then went to the home of a Captain Bence, who was home on leave. They asked him to change out of his uniform and revealed that they were not Union soldiers. Bence accompained them further south and they shot him in the head some distance from his house. Bence had requested that they not shoot him in front of his family. Jackson pinned the same note to Bence's clothing.
Jackson and his men then fled south back to Missouri. There are monuments marking the northernmost point of the raid and the places where the three men were killed. Some of this information is in Russell Corder's book, "The Davis County Raid" and on the Davis County web site: http://civilwarraid.com/raid-info.html .
I have photos of the monuments and of Hardy's grave site. I live in Glasgow, MO. I have been unable to find any information RE David Plunket. I am interested in how he is linked to this affair. I would also like to know more about James Jackson.
Thomas Hardy is my great-great-grandfather.
J.Y.