Battle of Carthage, Missouri

One of those little-known battles of the war. From the June 29th Carthage (Mo) Press.

The Vangilder family announced they wouldn't be running the ceremony to commemorate the battle in 2010. So Steve Cottrell and the Battle of Carthage Sesquicentennial Ad-Hoc Committee is pushing for the 149th anniversary ceremony to take place July 15th at the state park east of Centennial Avenue at 6 pm.

The Battle of Carthage was fought July 5, 1861 and involved more than 7,000 troops, arguably the first major action of the war. The Union force consisted of 1,100 mostly German-Americans from St.Louis and were up against the Missouri State Guard, about 6,000, but 2,00 of whom were unarmed.

The Federals camped July 4 and 5, 1861, in the park that is now the Battle of Carthage State Historical Site. On July 5th, they marched through Carthage, which then had a population of 350, then north along a road that roughly paralleled the current Civil War Road.

Near the end of Civil War Road, near Baseline Road, they encountered the State Guard and a running battle ensued for the rest of the day. The Union force under Col. Franz Sigel retreated and fought a delaying battle that continued through Carthage where rounds were exchanged in the square.

Union artillery set up on the bluff overlooking the camp they had been at the night before delayed the Confederate advance long enough to allow Federals to retreat over night.

According to Vangilder research, this was the first time two true armies had opposed each other on American soil since the War of 1812 and it predated Bull Run.

I'll have to check it out the next time I'm cruising Route 66.

File Under Battles I Didn't Know. --B-R'er