The Davis County reenactment took place at Shooter's Roost, a rural area south of Bloomfield, Iowa. The event was significant for Iowa in a unique way. Back in 1864, the Civil War raged and Abraham Lincoln was running for re-election. On October 12, 1864, Lieutenant James "Bill" Jackson and twelve heavily armed Missouri Partisan Rangers made a raid into Davis County. His Confederate partisans were dressed in Union uniforms as they rode into Iowa. They looted and terrorized as they made their way through the county and when the dust settled, three local citizens were dead. The Confederate raid passed over the land where the reenactment was held.
No major Civil War battles took place on Iowa soil - but the state's involvement in the war was second to none. Iowa sent over 76,000 men into the war and had the distinction of having the highest percentage of its male population between the ages of 15-40 serve during the war - this included all states in the North and South.
Corydon Civil War Days included a special Friday night event - a dinner at The Inn of the Six-Toed Cat. The guest of honor was President Abraham Lincoln as portrayed by Lance Mack. After dinner, Mr. Lincoln delivered remarks to a well-fed audience. He told of the many difficulties facing the nation during the Civil War years and shared a few humorous remarks. Mack bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Lincoln and has portrayed the President for many years in a number of different venues.
October 12, 1864, Lieutenant James "Bill" Jackson led twelve heavily armed Missouri Partisan Rangers on a raid into Davis County, Iowa. They looted and terrorized as they made their way through the county and when the dust settled, three local citizens were dead. A note pinned on two of the dead claimed the raid was in retaliation for the killing of David Plunkett by Federal Soldiers near Glasgow, Missouri. Even with the note, some believe the purpose of the guerrilla raid was also political. They believe the partisans acted to embolden the anti-Lincoln Confederate sympathizers in southern Iowa in order to hinder the re-election of Lincoln. The raid passed across the site of the Davis County reenactment. It turned out to be the Northern-most Confederate incursion into Union territory.