Hickory Valley was deeply affected by the Civil War. The railroad fell under the control of the Union Army after being abandoned by the Confederate Army. Skirmishes were fought in the area as well. In 1873 the city was laid out again and the city began to revive until the yellow fever epidemic of 1878. The town's population was described by the "Bolivar Bulletin" as "fleeing from the scourge". The town was also quarantined in 1882 due to a smallpox outbreak.