The Battle of Boonville, Missouri
sketched by Orlando C. Richardson

The Battle of Boonville was a battle of the American Civil War, occurring on June 17, 1861 in Cooper County, Missouri. The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... June 17 is the 168th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (169th in leap years), with 197 days remaining. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Cooper County is a county located in the state of Missouri. ...

Claiborne Jackson, the pro-Southern Governor of Missouri, wanted the state to secede and join the Confederacy. Union Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon set out to put down Jackson’s Missouri State Guard, commanded by Sterling Price. Reaching Jefferson City, the state capital, Lyon discovered that Jackson and Price had retreated towards Boonville. Lyon reembarked on steamboats, transported his men to below Boonville, marched to the town, and engaged the enemy. In a short fight, Lyon dispersed the Confederates, commanded on the field by Col. John S. Marmaduke, and occupied Boonville. This early victory established Union control of the Missouri River and helped douse attempts to place Missouri in the Confederacy. Missouri, named after the Missouri Siouan Indian tribe meaning canoe, is a Midwestern state of the United States with Jefferson City as its capital. ... A confederacy can refer to: A form of government formed as a union of political organizations, though it differs from a republic in that the separate political units retain a greater degree of sovereignty over themselves. ... 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 action in the state of Missouri at the beginning of the conflict. ... General Price General Sterling Price (September 20, 1809–September 29, 1867) was an antebellum politician from the U.S. state of Missouri and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. ... Alternate uses: see Jefferson City (disambiguation). ... Boonville is a city located in Cooper County, Missouri. ... The Missouri River and its tributaries N.P. Dodge Park, Omaha, Nebraska High silt content makes the Missouri (left) noticably lighter than the Mississipi here at their confluence above St. ...

Sources

• U.S. National Park Service CWSAC Battle Summaries (http://www.cr.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/bycampgn.htm)

External links

• Battle of Boonville illustrations from Harper's Weekly (http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/battle-boonville-missouri.htm)