First Battle of Newtonia

First Battle of Newtonia

The First Battle of Newtonia was fought on September 30, 1862, near Newtonia, Missouri, during the American Civil War. It is the last battle of the Civil War to be fought in the state of Missouri, which later became part of the Confederate States of America. A portion of the battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 as the First Battle Of Newtonia Historic District.

About First Battle of Newtonia in brief

Summary First Battle of NewtoniaThe First Battle of Newtonia was fought on September 30, 1862, near Newtonia, Missouri, during the American Civil War. It was fought between Confederate soldiers commanded by Colonel Douglas H. Cooper and a Union column commanded by Brigadier General Frederick Salomon. Cooper’s Confederates made an all-out attack against the Union line; this led Salomon to withdraw from the field. Union casualties are variously reported as either 245 or over 400, and Confederate casualties were 78. A portion of the battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 as the First Battle Of Newtonia Historic District. It is the last battle of the Civil War to be fought in the state of Missouri, which later became part of the Confederate States of America. The Battle of Pea Ridge on March 7 and 8, 1863, saw the Confederates repulsed by the Union forces, causing the Union to proclaim that Missouri was “the last Rebel flag flying” in the U.S. Civil War began after South Carolina seceded from the Union in December 1860. The states of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas followed suit in early 1861. In the coming weeks, the states of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas joined the Confederacy. In September 1862, Union forces concentrated against the Missouri State Guard, which was commanded by Major General Sterling Price, causing Price to abandon Missouri and enter Arkansas. In February 1863, the Union defeated Price at the Battle of Ten Number Island, leading the Union commander to proclaim “No Rebel flag now flying in Missouri”.

This did not last long, however, as Price was killed and his army defeated in March of that year’s Battle of Peebles Ridge. The battle led the Union Command to declare the end of the war in April 1863, and the Confederate State Guard was forced to retreat to Arkansas. The Confederates then retreated back to Missouri, where they were defeated in May. The Union Army was eventually driven out of Missouri in October 1863. The Confederate States became the first state to secede from the United States in 1861, and it became the last state to do so in the American Revolution. The war ended with the surrender of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1863. It also led to the creation of the State of Missouri. The state was divided over the issue of slavery, with many southerners supporting the Confederacy and others supporting the Union. In 1864, the state’s governor, Claiborne F. Jackson, supported the Union, while the St. Louis Arsenal commander, Nathaniel Lyon, supported Confederate forces. In August 1866, Lyon attacked Price and McCulloch’s combined camp on August 10. Lyon was killed in a campaign that culminated in the capture of Lexington in September. Lyon’s army was defeated and his forces retreated back into southwestern Missouri. In July 1866 the Union Army advanced against Price, who was captured by Union forces. On July 21 the Union army was routed in the ensuing Battle of Bull Run.