July 5th, 1861 - The Battle of Carthage

Conflict: American Civil War

Combatants: Confederates vs. Federals

Location: Missouri (USA)

Outcome: Confederate victory

In Missouri on this day in 1861, Federal soldiers attacked pro-secessionist forces led by Governor Claiborne Jackson. Jackson's soldiers are not well organized but greatly outnumber Major General Franz Sigel's Federal troops. Cavalry attacks on both Union flanks force the Federals to withdraw. Although the secessionists take more casualties than the Federals, the battle slows the Union advance.

Battle of Carthage from Harper's Weekly

Points of Interest:

• Although only a minor victory, the Battle of Carthage provided a healthy boost to Confederate morale.

• Two weeks after the Battle of Carthage, a Missouri State Convention voted to remain loyal to the Union and establish a new government in St. Louis.

Claiborne Fox Jackson, Governor of Missouri by an unknown artist

Portrait of Maj. Gen. Franz Sigel, officer of the Federal Army by an unknown photographer

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Sources:

Bowman, John S. (Ed.) (1983). The Civil War Almanac. New York: World Almanac.

Catton, Bruce (1955). This Hallowed Ground. Kingsport, Tennessee: Kingsport Press, Inc.

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

Hogue, James M. & McPherson, James M. (2009). Ordeal By Fire. New York: MaGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Long, E.B & Long, Barbara (1971). The Civil War Day by Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. New York: De Capo Press, Inc.