In Missouri, Union troops searching for Confederate guerrillas burn most of Platte City to the ground

Platte County had been the scene of significant guerrilla activity, led by by a local named Silas Gordon.  Earlier threats has been made on Platte City for sheltering Gordon and seventy-five men of the 18th Missouri Infantry under the erratic Colonel James Morgan made good on these warnings when they occupied Platte City, captured several "bushwackers," shot them without a trial, and burned much of the town to the ground. Union forces also burned the town again in 1864.  (By John Osborne)