Battle of Carthage (1861)

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Battle of Carthage

Date	July 5, 1861
Location	Carthage, Missouri in Jasper County
Result	Missouri State Guard Victory

Combatants

United States of America

Missouri State Guard

Commanders

Col. Franz Sigel

Governor Claiborne F. Jackson

Strength

1,100

4,000 armed with 2,000 unarmed

Casualties

44 (13 killed 31 wounded)

77 (12 killed 64 wounded 1 missing)

Operations to Control Missouri
Boonville – Carthage – Wilson's Creek – Dry Wood Creek – 1st Lexington – Liberty – Fredericktown – 1st Springfield

The Battle of Carthage, also known as the Battle of Dry Fork, took place at the beginning of the American Civil War on July 5, 1861, in Jasper County, Missouri. The experienced Col. Franz Sigel commanded 1,100 well trained soldiers fighting for the United States. The Missouri State Guard was commanded by Governor Claiborne F. Jackson who commanded over 4,000 unorganized, inexperienced soldiers, along with 2,000 unarmed troops who did not participate in the battle. It was a major victory for the Missouri State Guard, who fought under the Confederate flag, and played a huge part in determining Missouri's course during the war.

1 Background
2 Battle
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Background

Political opinions in Missouri were divided before the Civil War. St. Louis and its surrounding counties sympathized with the Northern states because that region was connected economically with North. The area also had little slavery and contained a large German population, most of whom opposed slavery. Governor Claiborne F. Jackson was pro-Southern and in office when the war broke out. Publicly he tried to keep a neutral path, but he secretly was preparing his militia to take the Federal Arsenal in St. Louis.

When war broke out in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for troops from the states to support the Union's cause. Missouri was asked to send four regiments, but Governor Jackson refused the request. Instead, Jackson summoned the Missouri State Guard to seize the St. Louis Arsenal. His plan was stopped by the newly appointed commander of the arsenal and the 2nd U.S. Infantry, Captain Nathaniel Lyon.

Lyon was an abolitionist and had secret plans of his own for the arsenal, using its contents to arm a Radical Republican paramilitary organization called the Wide Awakes (Lee, 104-5). Lyon secretly had most of the arsenal's weapons moved to Illinois, captured the State Guard's camp, and marched them as prisoners through St. Louis, inciting the St. Louis Massacre. The action drew great protests from Missourians, and representatives of the City of St. Louis petitioned Lincoln for Lyon's dismissal. Lyon, however, was politically connected to Postmaster General Montgomery Blair. Blair arranged for his promotion to Brigadier General and saw that he was given command of the Army of the West from Gen. William S. Harney, a moderate.

On June 10, 1861, Lyon personally met with Governor Jackson in an attempt to resolve their differences in a "gentlemanly" manner. The conference proved futile with Lyon storming out of the room and declaring that war was on. Lyon moved up the Missouri River to capture the state capital at Jefferson City and General Thomas Sweeny started to take steps to move his troops out of St. Louis. Met with logistical problems, Col. Franz Sigel took command of the Federals and on June 12 started to move his First and Second Battalions, along with 5 infantry companies, 2 rifle companies, and an artillery battery to Springfield.

The State Guard retreated to Boonville, where a small skirmish took place on June 17, with Lyon and his Federal troops. Lyon quickly took the town and chased the Missouri State Guard south. Due to logistical problems, Lyon could not keep up with the Guardsmen. Another group of State Guardsmen in Lexington also moved south under Sterling Price after hearing of the defeat in Boonsville. Sigel’s troops arrived in Springfield and quickly took the town and prepared to march to Carthage, hoping to find the retreating State Guardsmen. Jackson’s and Prices’s two groups of men met up in Lamar on July 3 and started to organize. Jackson’s army grew to 6,000 men, a large number of which joined up along the march south. The force in Lamar was ,for the most part,armed with hunting rifles, shotguns, knives, or nothing at all. Shortly after, on July 4, Sigel arrived at Carthage with his 1,100 men.

Upon learning that Sigel had encamped at Carthage, Jackson took command of the troops with him and formulated a plan to attack the much smaller Union force. The next morning Jackson marched his haphazardly collected soldiers south. The two armies meet 10 miles north of Carthage and the States Guard Troops raised two Confederate flags on either side of their line, which stretched over half a mile. Sigel’s men provided an impressive display as they formed their line of battle and moved within 800 yards of the State Guard Troops.

[edit] Battle

Opening with artillery fire, Sigel closed to the attack. Seeing a large Confederate force—actually unarmed recruits—moving into the woods on his left, he feared that they would turn his flank. He withdrew. The Confederates pursued, but Sigel conducted a successful rearguard action. By evening, Sigel was inside Carthage and under cover of darkness; he retreated to Sarcoxie. The battle had little meaning, but the pro-Southern elements in Missouri, anxious for any good news, celebrated their first victory.

The Battle of Carthage marks the only time a sitting U.S. State governor has led troops in the field.

[edit] References

Lee, Guy Carlton, and Francis Newtun Thorpe, editors. The History of North America. Philadelphia: George Barrie and Sons, 1905.
Monhegan, Jay. Civil War on the Western Border: 1854-1865. Boston: Little, Brown, 1956.
National Park Service battle description