Battle of Carthage
Carthage, Missouri, USA
What happened
Union troops under Colonel Franz Sigel fought the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard, led in the field by Missouri's governor, Claiborne F. Jackson, with Sterling Price. Sigel's 1,100 soldiers met a much larger State Guard force. The State Guard pushed Sigel's men back about 10 miles, and the fighting reached the town square of Carthage. Sigel retreated that evening and moved on to Sarcoxie in the dark.
Why it matters
It gave pro-Confederate forces in Missouri their first win and helped bring in Southern recruits. It is the only time a sitting U.S. state governor led troops in the field against the Union his state belonged to.
What came next
Years of fighting later emptied much of Jasper County and destroyed much of Carthage, which was resettled in the Victorian era.
Did you know?
The battle came the day after Abraham Lincoln asked Congress for 'the war power' in his message of 4 July 1861.
Timeline
- 4 Jul 1861Lincoln sends his war message to Congress.
- 5 Jul 1861Battle of Carthage.
- 10 Aug 1861Battle of Wilson's Creek.
- 2023The American Battlefield Trust has preserved 181 acres of the battlefield.