Missouri monument to honor Union war victims

CENTRALIA — A Civil War battlefield in mid-Missouri has a new monument honoring 123 Union soldiers who died in one of the war's bloodiest clashes.

The monument in Centralia will be unveiled on Sunday, the 145th anniversary of what became known as the Centralia Massacre.

Confederate soldiers who died in the battle have been honored at the site since 2006. The new monument is being unveiled by the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

The 1864 battle followed a guerrilla ambush of a train carrying Union soldiers. The pro-Confederate guerrillas set fire to the train depot in Centralia. Among the guerrillas was the outlaw Jesse James.