Battle of Boonville

Information about Battle of Boonville

Operations to Control Missouri
Boonville – Carthage – Wilson's Creek – Dry Wood Creek – 1st Lexington – Liberty – Fredericktown – 1st Springfield
Enlarge picture
The Battle of Boonville, Missouri
sketched by Orlando C. Richardson


The Battle of Boonville was a skirmish of the American Civil War, occurring on June 17, 1861, in Cooper County, Missouri. Union victory established Federal control of the Missouri River and helped thwart efforts to ally Missouri with the Confederacy.

Background

Claiborne F. Jackson, the pro-Southern Governor of Missouri, wanted his state to secede and join the Confederacy, but the state's overall sentiment was initially neutral. A state convention failed to pass a secession ordinance.

Meanwhile, pro-secession elements seized the small arsenal in Liberty, Missouri and planned to seize the many more arms at the St. Louis Arsenal. They were thwarted by an energetic young officer, Capt. Nathaniel Lyon. Lyon allied himself with local politician Frank Blair and anti-slavery German immigrants in St. Louis to secure the arsenal. In the process, he used entirely German Union militia units to capture the Missouri State Guard as they were drilling nearby at Camp Jackson on May 10, 1861. When Lyon unwisely attempted to march the prisoners through the streets of St. Louis to the arsenal, a deadly riot erupted. This inflamed the latent pro-Southern sentiments of the state. As a result of Lyon's actions, the Missouri legislature promptly passed the governor's militia bill and called out the Missouri State Guard.

Attempts were made at reconciling the differences, since Missouri had stopped short of seceding. The initial call up of the Missouri State Guard was halted by the legislature. In the interim, however, Nathaniel Lyon had been appointed a brigadier general and placed in command in Missouri. On June 11, 1861, the negotiations collapsed, since neither side trusted the other.

Gov. Jackson and State Guard commander Major General Sterling Price fled toward the capital at Jefferson City, arriving there on the 12th. They quickly concluded that the city could not be held and left for Boonville the next day.

Gen. Nathaniel Lyon promptly set out after them by steamboat with two Federal volunteer regiments, a company of U.S. regulars and a battery of artillery--about 2,000 men in all. His goal was to seize the capital and disperse the Missouri State Guard. Lyon reached Jefferson City on June 15 and found that Jackson and Price had retreated towards Boonville.

Price realized that Jefferson City could not be defended and hoped to gain enough time to gather the State Guard units from Lexington and Boonville. He planned to withdraw from Boonville if Lyon approached. State Guard Colonel John S. Marmaduke's command began organizing at Boonville, while State Guard Brig. Gen. Mosby M. Parsons was instructed to take up a position 20 miles to the south in Tipton.

Price left due to illness and joined the forces assembling at Lexington. This was unfortunate, as it left the governor--a politician--in charge. Instead of retreating, Jackson determined to make a stand because he feared the political fallout of another withdrawal. Many of his men were eager to face the enemy, but they were armed only with shotguns and hunting rifles and lacked sufficient training to do so effectively. Marmaduke was opposed to giving battle, but he reluctantly assumed command of the waiting forces.

Lyon left 300 Federals behind to secure Jefferson City and reembarked the remainder of his command on steamboats on June 16. They landed about 8 miles below Boonville on the morning of June 17. Informed of Lyon's approach, Jackson attempted to call up Parsons' command at Tipton, but it was unable to arrive in time.

The Battle

The battle was actually little more than a skirmish, but it was one of the first significant land actions of the war and had grave consequences for Confederate hopes in Missouri.

After disembarking, the Lyon's troops marched down the Rocheport Road toward Boonville. They encountered pickets as they approached the bluffs, but Lyon deployed skirmishers and pushed his men forward rapidly.

On a ridge behind the bluff waited a few hastily formed and ill equipped companies of the Missouri State Guard, totalling about 500 men. They had no artillery, since it was all with Parsons at Tipton. Inexplicably, Gov. Jackson held his only reasonably disciplined and organized command (Capt. Kelly's company) in reserve and it would take no part in the battle. Jackson observed the encounter from a mile or more away.

Lyon deployed his men and artillery and advanced. The artillery soon displaced sharpshooters stationed in the William M. Adams house. The Union infantry closed with the line of guardsmen and fired several volleys into them, causing them to retreat. This portion of the fighting lasted only 20 minutes. Some attempts were made to rally and resist the Federal advance, but these collapsed when a flanking Union company seized the camp behind them, and a siege howitzer on one of Lyon's riverboats began shelling the State Guard positions.

As Marmaduke had feared, the retreat rapidly turned into a rout. The guardsmen fled back through Camp Bacon and the town of Boonville. Some headed for home, but most joined the Governor in retreating to the southwest corner of the state. The short fight and precipitate retreat gained the nickname "The Boonville Races."

Lyon took possession of the town at 11 AM.

Casualties and Impact

Federal casualties were light with five men killed or mortally wounded and about seven less seriously injured. There are no reliable figures of casualties for the Missouri State Guard. Only a few are known to have been killed and probably a dozen or so were wounded. About 80 were captured. Lyon seized the State Guard's supplies and equipment at their armoury, which included two iron 6 pounder cannon without ammunition, 500 almost obsolete flintlock muskets, 1200 pair of shoes, a few tents, and a quantity of food.

The real impact was strategic and was far out of proportion to the minimal loss of life. The Battle of Boonville had effectively ejected the secessionist forces from the center of the state and secured it for the Union. Price realized he could not hold Lexington, and joined in the retreat. Secessionist communications to the strongly pro-Confederate Missouri River valley were effectively cut. Would be recruits from the slave owning regions north of the Missouri River found it difficult to join the Southern army. Provisions and supplies also could no longer be obtained from this section of the state.

Another result was demoralization. While the Missouri State Guard would fight and win on other days, it was badly dispirited by this early defeat. Lyon's victory gave the Union forces time to consolidate their hold on the state. Marmaduke's disappointment led him to resign from the Missouri State Guard and seek a Confederate commission.

References

External links

REQUEST (Delete when addressed): The Cole Camp Battle/Skirmish/Engagement should also be inserted as an article between the skirmish/battle at Boonville and the Battle at Carthage. (It was a small but proportionately bloody and decisive engagement between Unionist Home Guard and Secessionist Missouri State Guard during Jackson's flight.)

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Missouri in the American Civil War
Pre-War:Missouri Compromise Dred Scott Decision Bleeding Kansas Armed Neutrality
1861:Missouri Constitutional Convention Liberty Arsenal St. Louis Arsenal Camp Jackson Affair Missouri State Guard Price-Harney Truce Grant's First Command Governor on the Run Battle of Boonville Battle of Carthage Gamble's Provisional Government Battle of Athens Battle of Wilson's Creek Frmont Martial Law Battle of Dry Wood Creek Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy Sacking of Osceola Battle of Lexington I Battle of Liberty Battle of Fredericktown Missouri secession Battle of Springfield I Department of the Missouri Battle of Belmont Gratiot Street Prison Burning of Platte City Battle of Mount Zion Church
1862:Army of the West Battle of Roan's Tan Yard Battle of Island Number Ten Battle of Kirksville First Battle of Independence Battle of Lone Jack First Battle of Newtonia Palmyra Massacre Battle of Clark's Mill
1863:Battle of Springfield II Battle of Hartville Battle of Cape Girardeau Battle of Chalk Bluff General Order № 11
1864:Centralia Massacre Army of Missouri Price's Raid Battle of Fort Davidson Battle of Glasgow Battle of Lexington II Battle of Little Blue River Battle of Byram's Ford Second Battle of Independence Battle of Westport Battle of Marmiton River Battle of Newtonia II
Reconstruction:James-Younger Gang
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 Federal soldiers intent on keeping Missouri within the Union.
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Battle of Wilson's Creek, also known as the Battle of Oak Hills, was fought on August 10, 1861, near Springfield, Missouri, between Union forces and the Missouri State Guard, early in the American Civil War.
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The Battle of Dry Wood Creek (also known as the Battle of Big Dry Wood Creek or the Battle of the Mules) was fought on September 2, 1861 in Vernon County, Missouri during the American Civil War.
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First Battle of Lexington or the Battle of the Hemp Bales was a battle of the American Civil War, occurring from September 13 to September 20 1861 between the Union Army and the Missouri State Guard, in Lafayette County, Missouri.
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The Battle of Liberty (also known as the Battle of Blue Mills Landing or the Battle of Blue Mills) was a battle of the American Civil War that took place on 17 September 1861, in Clay County, Missouri.
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The Battle of Fredericktown was an engagement of the American Civil War. It took place on October 21, 1861, in Madison County, Missouri. Union victory consolidated their control of southeastern Missouri.

Background

In October 1861, Missouri State Guard Brig. Gen. M.
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The First Battle of Springfield or Zagonyi's Charge was a battle of the American Civil War that occurred on October 25, 1861, in Greene County, Missouri. It was the only Union victory in southwestern Missouri in 1861.
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American Civil War (1861–1865) was a major war between the United States (the "Union") and eleven Southern slave states which declared that they had a right to secession and formed the Confederate States of America, led by President Jefferson Davis.
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June 17 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events


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18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1830s  1840s  1850s  - 1860s -  1870s  1880s  1890s
1858 1859 1860 - 1861 - 1862 1863 1864

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Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
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Cooper County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. As of 2000, the population is 16,670. Its county seat is Boonville6. The county was organized in 1818 and is named for Sarshall Cooper, a frontier settler who was killed by Indians near Arrow Rock
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Origin Confluence of Madison, Gallatin and Jefferson in Montana.
Mouth Mississippi River near St. Louis, Missouri
Basin countries USA, Canada
Length 2,341 miles (3,767 km)
Source elevation 4,045 ft
Mouth elevation 400 ft
Avg.
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The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) was the government formed by eleven southern states of the United States of America between 1861 and 1865.
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Claiborne Fox Jackson (April 4, 1806 – December 6, 1862) was a lawyer, soldier, politician. He was Governor of Missouri in 1861, then governor-in-exile for the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

Early life

Jackson was born in Fleming County, Kentucky.
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A governor or governour (archaic) is a governing official, usually the executive (at least nominally, to different degrees also politically and administratively) of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the Head of state.
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State of Missouri

Flag of Missouri Seal
Nickname(s): The Show Me State
''
Motto(s): Salus populi suprema lex esto
Before Statehood Known as
The Missouri Territory

Official language(s)
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City of Liberty, Missouri
Location in the state of Missouri and in Clay County
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Missouri
County Clay
Government
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St. Louis Arsenal is a large complex of military weapons and ammunition storage buildings owned by the United States Army in St. Louis, Missouri. During the American Civil War, the St.
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Nathaniel Lyon (July 14, 1818 – August 10, 1861) was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War and is noted for his actions in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict.

Lyon is a controversial figure in American history.
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In office
January 20, 1871 – March 3, 1873
Preceded by
Succeeded by


Born February 19, 1821
Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Died July 9, 1875
St.
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The Missouri State Guard (MSG) was a state militia unit organized in the state of Missouri during the early days of the American Civil War. While not a formal part of the Confederate States Army, the state guard fought alongside Confederate troops and, at times, under regular
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Brigadier General is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually just above colonel and just below major general.

Brigadier general can trace its origins to the militaries of Europe where a brigadier general, or simply a brigadier, would command a brigade
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Sterling "Old Pap" Price (September 20, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an antebellum politician from the U.S. state of Missouri and a Confederate major general during the American Civil War.
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Jefferson City, Missouri

Flag
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Nickname: Jeff City, or JC

Coordinates:
Country United States
State Missouri
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Boonville, Missouri

Seal
Motto:
Location of Boonville, Missouri
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Missouri
County Cooper
Area
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John Sappington Marmaduke (March 14, 1833 – December 28, 1887) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and was governor of Missouri from 1884 until his death in 1887.
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Mosby Monroe Parsons (May 21, 1822 – August 15, 1865) was a United States officer in the Mexican-American War and brigadier general of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
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Missouri in the Civil War was a border state that sent men, generals, and supplies to both opposing sides, had its star on both flags, had state governments representing each side, and endured a neighbor-against-neighbor intrastate war within the larger national war.
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Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories.
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Scott v. Sandford
Supreme Court of the United States
Argued February 11 – 14, 1856
Reargued February 15 – 18, 1857
Decided March 6, 1857

Full case name: Dred Scott v. John F. A.
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