The St. Albans Raid was the northernmost Confederate land action of the American Civil War, demonstrating Confederate efforts to destabilize Union home territory.
Key Facts
- Date
- October 19, 1864
- Confederate raiders
- 21 soldiers
- Raid origin
- Province of Canada
- Civilians killed
- 1 local resident
- Primary objective
- Rob banks to fund Confederate operations
- Outcome for raiders
- Escaped back to Canada after the raid
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Twenty-one Confederate soldiers, having recently failed in engagements with the Union Army and evaded capture in the United States, regrouped in Canada. Their mission, sanctioned by Confederate interests, was to rob northern banks to raise funds and to compel the Union to divert troops away from Southern fronts to guard the northern border.
On October 19, 1864, the Confederate raiders struck St. Albans, Vermont, robbing its banks and seizing money, killing one local resident, and setting parts of the town on fire. The action constituted the northernmost Confederate land operation of the entire Civil War, after which the raiders fled back across the border into Canada.
The raid succeeded in obtaining funds for the Confederacy and heightened Union concerns about the security of the northern frontier. It also created diplomatic tensions between the United States and British-administered Canada, as the raiders had launched their attack from Canadian soil and subsequently returned there to evade capture.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent