In my last Naval Happenings 150 Years Ago, I wrote that on February 17, 1863, Confederates captured the US tug Hercules near Memphis, Tennessee.
I haven't been able to find out much about that boat, but, the Memphis Travel Site has a tour of Civil War sites and the followup to the capture was mentioned. It said that on Feb. 17, 1863, a group of Confederate guerrillas attacked the USS Hercules. When Union forces in Memphis heard about this, their commander ordered retaliation.
A detachment was sent to Hopefield, Arkansas and all townspeople were ordered to leave the town, whereupon it was burned to the ground.
Before the war, Hopefield had been a site for rail shops and then converted to a Confederate armory.
Major General Stephen Hurlburt ordered the town's burning which took place February 19, 1863.
The town was evidently rebuilt and completely washed away in the Flood of 1912.
Talk About Mean Tempered. --Old B-Runner
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