Secrets of the Civil War

The Lost Battle of the Civil War (1x7)

Air date: Apr 16, 2009

October 25, 1864--the sky is clear and the air brisk in Kansas. Perfect weather for soldiers as they charge into battle. At the Battle of Mine Creek, 2,800 Union Cavalry soldiers defeat a Confederate cavalry of 7,000--in a mere half-hour. The bravery and cunning exhibited ranks the battle alongside the charges at Gettysburg and Brandy Station. What made this a successful battle for the Union Cavalry and why is it excluded from historical records? The battle unfolds through interviews with members of the Mine Creek Battlefield Foundation and local historians, archival letters, diaries, and the one known historical account of the battle written by Lumir Buresh in 1977. And as we walk the battlefield with a tactician from the US Army, we divulge new information about its size, weapons used, and the brigades that met there from all over the country to fight at Mine Creek.