The Battles

Battle of Island Mound

Battle of Centralia

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Battle of Athens
Site along the Iowa border in extreme northeast Missouri was the scene of the battle of Aug. 5, 1861. The Battle of Athens was the northern-most battle fought west of the Mississippi River in the American Civil War.

Battle of Belmont
Scene of the Battle of Belmont, U.S. Grant's first battle (Nov. 7, 1861), is marked by an interpretive panel located at the river at the east end of state Route 80. The battlefield is in a pristine state, but is in private ownership. THE BATTLE SITE IS NOT ACCESSIBLE.



Battle of Boonville (1st)
Also known as the "Boonville Races," this small battle on June 17, 1861 was one of the Civil War's first. BATTLE SITE IS IN PRIVATE OWNERSHIP AND NOT ACCESSIBLE.

Battle of Boonville (2nd)
Colonel William Brown led an attack with 800 men on Sept. 13, 1861 which would cost him and his brother their lives. The Boonville Home Guard defended the town as troops retreated to Lexington.

Battle of Boonville (3rd)
General Joseph Shelby's forces attacked Union troops on Oct. 11, 1863. When Union General Brown arrived the next day, Shelby retreated west.

Battle of Boonville (4th)
Confederates entered and left Boonville in mid-October of 1864 with few skirmishes while being tracked by Union forces. This was the last time the fleeing Confederate forces would pillage the town.

Battle of Byram's Ford
Union troops engaged in this battle on Oct. 22, 1864 to delay Shelby's advance on Kansas City; it was the opening operation in the Battle of Westport, where Confederate troops under J.S. Marmaduke fought to block Pleasonton's cavalry's approach on Oct. 23.



Battle of Cape Girardeau
Several battles and skirmishes were fought in and around the city of Cape Girardeau. Most notable was a battle on April 26, 1863 when Confederate Gen. John S. Marmaduke attacked the Union troops stationed in Cape Girardeau under the command of Gen. John McNeill.

Battle of Carthage
The first major land battle of the Civil War began several miles north of Carthage on July 5, 1861, and concluded in the city. Colonel Franz Sigel conducted a masterful retreat in the face of advancing Missouri State Guard troops.

Battle of Centralia
The Battle of Centralia was fought on Sept. 27, 1864, in a field two miles southeast of the town. Southern partisans commanded by “Bloody Bill” Anderson met and destroyed a Union force under Maj. A.V.E. Johnson. BATTLE SITE IS NOT ACCESSIBLE.

Battle of Cole Camp
On June 19, 1861, the so-called "German Regiment, Missouri Volunteers" clashed here with elements of the Missouri State Guard fleeing south from Jefferson City, in one of the Civil War's first engagements.

Battle of Drywood Creek
1861 battle was fought during Price's Lexington Campaign. Battle site is 8 miles west of Nevada. SITE IS NOT ACCESSIBLE.



Battle of Fredericktown
The town of Fredericktown changed hands on Oct.17, 1861, and again on Oct. 21, as Union forces closed in on a Missouri State Guard invasion force under M. Jeff Thompson. The battle site is in good condition and viewable from the town cemetery. It is not protected.

Battle of Island No. 10
Union forces commanded by John Pope, including a flotilla of ironclads under the command of Adm. Andrew Foote, captured the Confederate stronghold of Island No. 10 (several miles southeast of New Madrid) on April 8, 1862. The battle site has been obliterated by the meanderings of the Mississippi. An interpretative panel commemorates this strategic battle. THE BATTLE SITE IS NOT ACCESSIBLE.

Battle of Kirksville
Forces under John McNeil inflicted a major defeat on Col. Joseph Porter's command in a battle fought throughout the town on Aug. 6, 1862, bringing to an end Porter's famous 1862 raid into northeast Missouri.

Battle of Leasburg
A small but important battle was fought here on Sept. 29, 1864. The Union column retreating from Pilot Knob made a stand at the Southwest Branch Railroad. SITE IS NOT ACCESSIBLE.

Battle of Lone Jack
A small, brutal battle took place here on Aug. 16, 1862. Efforts to preserve and expand the site are under way under the auspices of The Friends of Historic Lone Jack, Inc.



Battle of Pilot Knob
"The Thermopylae of the West," so named in a definitive study published in 1914, was fought on Sept. 26-27, 1864. The battle ended with a ferocious and unsuccessful Confederate assault on Fort Davidson. (See Fort Davidson SHS)

Battle of Wilson's Creek
The west's "Bull Run," this battle on Aug. 10, 1861 was a gamble by Union commander Nathaniel Lyon, who struck a blow against overwhelming numbers of Confederate and Missouri State Guard troops camped here for a planned attack on Springfield. Lyon was killed at the height of the action, and was the first general of the Union army to die in battle.

Camp Jackson Site
Now the site of St. Louis University and a mid-town cultural center known as Grand Center, the area once known as Lindell's Grove was the camp site of the Missouri State Militia in May 1861. On May 10, regular U.S. troops and specially enrolled home guard units under command of Nathaniel Lyon precipitated a confrontation here. The Camp Jackson incident was the first military action in the Civil War involving organized infantry on both sides. Capt. Constantin Blandowski became the first Union army officer to die in battle.



Other Missouri Battles (Information Being Researched)

Sack of Osceola

Zagonyi's Charge (1st Springfield)

Battle of Clark's Mill

Battle of Glasgow

Battle of Springfield

Battle of Hartville

Battle of Independence (1st)

Battle of Independence (2nd)

Battle of Island Mound

Battle of Lexington (1st)

Battle of Lexington (2nd)

Battle of Little Blue (8 miles east of downtown Independence)

Battle of Marshall

Battle of Newtonia (1st)

Battle of Newtonia (2nd)