The Second Battle of Independence was fought on October 22, 1864, near Independence, Missouri, as part of Price's Missouri Expedition (map pictured) during the American Civil War. In late 1864, Major General Sterling Price led a Confederate force of cavalry into Missouri. Price was opposed by Union Army and state militia forces to his west led by Major General Samuel Ryan Curtis; Union cavalry under Major General Alfred Pleasonton caught up to the Confederates from the east as Price moved west along the Missouri River. On October 21, the Confederates occupied Independence. The next day, while part of Price's command broke through Curtis's line at the Big Blue River, Pleasonton attacked the Confederates at Independence, pushing them back through town, and after fresh troops arrived, towards the Big Blue River. By the end of the day, almost all of Price's men were west of the river. On October 23, the Confederates were defeated in the Battle of Westport, and Price's campaign ended in failure.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Independence

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1877:

Scotland's worst mining accident occurred when an explosion at a colliery in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, killed 207 miners. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blantyre_mining_disaster

1907:

A bank run forced New York's Knickerbocker Trust Company to suspend operations, triggering the Panic of 1907 (pictured). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1907

1936:

The Royal Navy cutlass was withdrawn from combat service. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Navy_cutlasses

2015:

A sword-wielding man attacked students and teachers at a high school in Trollhättan, killing three people in Sweden's deadliest school attack. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trollh%C3%A4ttan_school_attack

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

megalith: 1. (archaeology) 2. A large stone slab making up a prehistoric monument, or part of such a monument. 3. A prehistoric monument made up of one or more large stones. 4. (by extension) A large stone or block of stone used in the construction of a modern structure. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/megalith

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

The universe is an intelligence test.   --Timothy Leary https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Timothy_Leary