On the morning of March 28, 1863 Confederate guerillas temporarily captured a train on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, between La Fayette and Moscow. That afternoon the 6th Illinois Cavalry commanded by Lieut. Col. Ruben Loomis pursued the guerilla force to Somerville where he overtook them the following day. After a brisk skirmish, Loomis captured Capt. Reuben Burrow (12 th Tennessee Cavalry), 1 orderly sergeant, and 9 privates. Loomis characterized the enemy as “suspicious characters and soldiers.”
Blue Springs
In October, 1863 the Union Army, Department of the Ohio, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside advanced into East Tennessee