CARTHAGE, Battle of. On 17 June 1861, Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, U. S. A., drove the Con federates from Boonville, Mo., and Claiborne F. Jackson, the disloyal governor of Missouri, ordered a concentration of the State troops, who adhered to him, in the southwestern part of the State, to unite with the Arkansas troops, under the command of Gen. Ben. McCulloch. Anticipating McCulloch's movement into Mis souri, Lyon ordered Gen. T. W. Sweeny, with three Union regiments, a small detachment of regulars and some artillery, from Saint Louis to Springfield. These were pushed forward by rail to Rolla and thence by road, and 28 June Col. Franz Sigel, with the 3d Missouri, arrived at Sareoxie, southwest of Springfield, and 15 miles southeast of Carthage, Jasper County. Here Sigel learned that Gen. Sterling Price, with about 800 Missourians was near Neosho, J 22 miles south, and that Jackson, with other State troops, was to the north, 15 or 20 miles beyond Lamar, marching south. He concluded to move first on Price to disperse him, and then turn north on Jackson, his object being to prevent a junction of the two forces, and to open communication with Lyon, who was marching south from Boonville; but when he started after Price, on the morning of the 29th, he heard that he had retreated to join Mc Culloch, upon which he turned his thoughts toward Jackson, but continued his march to Neosho, where he was joined a few days later by Colonel Salomon, with the 5th (Union) Mis souri. Captain Conrad's company of the 3d was left to hold Neosho, and on the 4th of July Sigel, with the two regiments and two bat teries of four guns each, marched to Spring River, a short distance southeast of Carthage, where he heard that Jackson, with over 4,000 men, was but nine miles in his front in the direction of Lamar. On the morning of the 5th, with about 1,000 men and eight guns, he advanced slowly, his train three miles in the rear, driving back the enemy's mounted skir mishers, and about nine miles beyond Carthage came upon Jackson's troops in line of battle on elevated ground, four divisions under com mand of Gens. James S. Raines, John B. Clark,
M. M. Parsons and W. Y. Slack, numbering nearly 5,000 men, 1,200 of whom were unarmed. About 1,800 were mounted men, armed with shotguns, and judiciously posted on the flanks of the infantry. Jackson had eight guns. After some skirmishing Sigel, at 10 o'clock, brought up seven guns and opened fire, which was promptly returned, but not effectively, for, be ing in want of proper ammunition, the Con federate guns were charged with pieces of chain, iron spikes, broken iron and round stones or pebbles. After a desultory artillery fire of three hours the Confederate horsemen advanced from both flanks and making a wide circuit, to avoid Sigel's artillery, began to close in on him and threaten his train, whereupon, disposing four guns in rear and two on either flank he fell back, harassed at every step, until he reached Carthage, where he made a stand. But, as the enemy was still pressing hard on him, working on both flanks and threatening the road to Springfield, he again fell back, skirmishing all the way, some two or three miles beyond Carthage, where pursuit ended, and Sigel marched to Sarcoxie, and thence by way of Mount Vernon to Springfield, where Lyon joined him on the 13th. The Union loss was 13 killed and 31 wounded, to which must be added the loss of Conrad's company of 94 men surprised and captured at Neosho, on the 5th, by Churchill's Arkansas regiment of Mc Culloch's command. The Confederate loss was about 30 killed and 125 wounded. The day after the engagementJackson marched from Carthage and met McCulloch and Price coming to join him. Consult Official Rec ords, Vol. III; Century, 'Battles and Leaders of the Civil War) (Vol. I).