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Purdue Rifles

 Organization

Historical Information

When Confederate sympathizers in Lafayette starting vandalizing local businesses during the Civil War, John Purdue financed and armed a volunteer militia, the Purdue Rifles (possibly named after the Enfield rifles Purdue bought for the men). Besides guarding the home front, the Purdue Rifles also served as a state militia called the Indiana Legion. They guarded Confederate prisoners, located deserters, saw action at Twelve Mile Island on the Ohio River, near Louisville, Kentucky, and guarded railroads in Tennessee and Alabama, freeing combat troops for General Sherman’s march through Atlanta.

Found in 1 Collection or Record:

Horton B. Knoll papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSF 521
Scope and Contents The Horton B. Knoll papers document Knoll's research, working papers, notes and typescripts for his books, A record of a university in the war years, 1941-1945, published in 1947, and The Story of Purdue Engineering, published in 1963. Also included among the papers is research material, working papers, notes and information related to Purdue presidents Owen, Smart, Stone, Elliott, and Hovde. There is also information Knoll compiled for his intended biography of John Purdue, and historical...
Dates: 1865 - 1981; Majority of material found within 1940 - 1963