Tally's War also called the Skunk River War was an incident in 1863 in Iowa, in which pro-war individuals opened fire on a peace demonstration; only one person were killed. Cyphert (or Syphert) Tally was a pro-peace Baptist minister whose family moved into the Keokuk county, Iowa area from Tennessee in 1840. During the Civil War, Tally became known in Keokuk County for pro-peace speeches, which sometimes drew an armed audience. On Saturday, August 1, 1863, Tally spoke at a Democratic rally near the English river to an audience of hundreds. After the rally, Tally and others of his crowd rode in wagons to the nearby town of South English, Iowa, where a meeting of Republicans had taken place. Tally was warned not to enter the town, but did anyway, to accusations of his cowardice. According to