The Palmyra Massacre was a grim ending to Confederate Col. Joseph Porter’s 1862 recruiting campaign in northeast Missouri. Besides recruiting local men for the Confederate army, Porter attacked Union outposts and patrols all summer long. In mid-September, Porter led his men to Palmyra, where they captured–and later apparently killed–a pro-Union citizen. The next month, on Oct. 18, 1862, 10 Confederate prisoners were executed at Palmyra’s fairgrounds in retaliation for the murder.
