A devastating blow to the Confederate cause was the loss at Booneville on June 17th.

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          On June 28th, Col. Sigel arrived at Sarcoxie, about 15 miles southeast of Carthage. While encamped, Col. Sigel was informed of a force of 700 to 800 men at Pool’s Prairie under the command of Gen. Price. The next day, Col. Sigel left Sarcoxie, but while en route, he heard the Confederates had left Pool’s Prairie. Once Col. Sigel had joined up with Col. Salomon, they headed to Neosho.

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          On July 4th, Col. Sigel moved his troops towards Carthage, approximately 21 miles. As he neared Carthage, he sent his commissary officers forward to arrange for supplies. When arriving in Carthage, the commissary officers quickly returned to Col. Sigel to inform him of Gov. Jackson’s commissary officers had been in town just hours prior. The Missouri troops were encamped nine miles north of town. 1

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          Col. Sigel felt contempt towards Gov. Jackson’s army. Col. Sigel’s troops were seasoned men from Germany. Gov. Jackson’s troops were undisciplined and did not know the ways of military life. Due to his contempt, Col. Sigel felt he could defeat the enemy with his smaller force outnumbered, 2 to 1.2

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          Gov. Jackson set his troops on a small knoll over looking a creek. His troops numbered nearly 4,000, but over 1,000 troops, mostly cavalry were unarmed. Gov. Jackson’s set up the troops with “Weightman’s brigade on the right, Bledsoe’s battery and then Slack’s infantry.” 3 To the left of Slack’s infantry were two more regiments and a battery.

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          As Col. Sigel approached, he started with cannons firing grape-shot and solid-shot. His cannons were very accurate and effective, while Gov. Jackson’s cannons were firing high. After over half an hour, Gov. Jackson’s infantry started to press forward, while his cavalry units started a flanking movement on both sides. Upon observing the flanking movements, Col. Sigel slowly withdrew his troops using his cannons for cover. He placed his cannons a thousand yards apart and leap frog them back till his troops were clear. Gov. Jackson ordered his troops to pursue the fleeing enemy, which they did through Carthage.

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          During the next day, Col. Sigel and his troops retreated to Sarcoxie and then leisurely marched to Springfield. While Boonville’s defeat was a blow to the Southern cause, the victory at Carthage placed a ray of hope for the Southern sympathizers. The victory also showed Gen. Price he needed a disciplined army and worked hard to achieve that end. 4

1. Jay Monaghan. Civil War on the Western Border 1854~1865. New York: Bonanza, 1955. 15

2. David Nevin. The Road to Shiloh: Early Battles in the West. The Civil War. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life, 1983. 19

3. Moore, John C. Kentucky and Missouri. Confederate Military History Volume IX. Ed Clement A. Evans. Atlanta: Confederate Publishing Company, 1899. rpt. Holmes, PA: Weider History Group, 2008. 49

4. Monaghan, 157.