Battle of Munford

The Battle of Munford has been said to be the last battle of the American Civil War to take place east of the Mississippi. The battle took place in Munford, Alabama, on Sunday, April 23, 1865, during the raid through the state by 1,500 Union cavalry under General John T. Croxton. The Confederate soldiers were described as convalescents, home guards, and pardoned deserters, while the Union cavalry was armed with modern repeating carbines. The Confederate forces were commanded by General Benjamin Jefferson Hill. Confederate Lieutenant Lewis E. Parsons had two cannons which fired a couple of rounds before they were overrun. The Union troops quickly won the brief battle. Parsons was appointed provisional governor of Alabama in June after the war's end. One Union trooper and one Confederate killed that day are described by author Rex Miller as the last to die in open combat by contending military forces.