October 19, 1864 is the date of the northernmost war action of the Civil War. Confederate Soldiers, entering from Canada, with a plan to rob border town banks to supply Confederate troops and hopefully divert Union Troops to shift efforts to defend the borders of northern states.

The effort was led by Bennett Young who recruited confederate soldiers who had escaped. By October 20th he had assembled 21 such men and went to St. Albans, VT and robbed the bank there. Nine or ten of his men held villagers at gunpoint while they took away $208,000. There was little resistance and one villager was killed and one wounded.

Young ordered the town burned but the method used did not ignite burning only one small building. The men escaped to Canada, and under pressure from the Union Government, arrested them and returned $88,000 recovered. The men escaped and after a somewhat limited pursuit, were recaptured by Canadian authorities.

The undertaking turned Canada against the south as it prided itself for being independent and felt the south was drawing it into the conflict.