St. Albans Raid

The St. Albans Raid was the northernmost land action of the American Civil War. Taking place in St. Albans, Vermont, on October 19, 1864, it was a raid conducted out of the Province of Canada by 21 Confederate soldiers who had recently failed in engagements with the Union Army and evaded subsequent capture in the United States. The mission of the raid was to rob banks to raise money, and to trick the Union Army into diverting troops to defend their northern border against further raids. The Confederates obtained the money, killed a local, and escaped back to Canada.