Lexington
Battle of the Hemp Bales
Civil War Missouri

American Civil War
September 13-20, 1861

Following the victory at Wilson's Creek, the Confederate Missouri State Guard, having consolidated forces in the northern and central part of the state, marched, under the command of Major General Sterling Price, on Lexington. Colonel James A. Mulligan commanded the entrenched Union garrison of about 3,500 men.

Price's men first encountered Union skirmishers on September 13 south of town and pushed them back into the fortifications. Price, having bottled the Union troops up in Lexington, decided to await his ammunition wagons, other supplies, and reinforcements before assaulting the fortifications.

By the 18th, Price was ready and ordered an assault.

The Missouri State Guard moved forward amidst heavy Union artillery fire and pushed the enemy back into their inner works.

On the 19th, the Rebels consolidated their positions, kept the Yankees under heavy artillery fire and prepared for the final attack.

Early on the morning of the 20th, Price's men advanced behind mobile breastworks, made of hemp, close enough to take the Union works at the Anderson House in a final rush.

Mulligan requested surrender terms after noon, and by 2:00 pm his men had vacated their works and stacked their arms.

This Unionist stronghold had fallen, further bolstering southern sentiment and consolidating Confederate control in the Missouri Valley west of Arrow Rock.

Result(s): Confederate victory

Location: Lafayette County

Campaign: Operations to Control Missouri (1861)

Date(s): September 13-20, 1861

Principal Commanders: Colonel James A. Mulligan [US]; Major General Sterling Price [CS]

Forces Engaged: Garrison (approx. 3,500) [US]; Missouri State Guard (12,000) [CS]

Estimated Casualties: 1,874 total (US 1,774; CS 100)


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Civil War Missouri History Book Club Additional Reading Titles


The Devil Knows How to Ride: The True Story of William Clarke Quantrill and His Confederate Raiders
William Clarke Quantrill was quite possibly the most dangerous man to fight in the Civil War. The leader of an almost psychopathic band of guerrilla warriors, Quantrill participated as a Confederate in a deadly border war between Southern sympathizers in Missouri and the Unionist Jayhawks of Kansas. He was largely responsible for the 1863 massacre of nearly 200 unresisting men and boys in Lawrence, Kansas, as well as dozens of other brutal acts that today would be called terrorism. Among the notorious men who rode with him were Frank and Jesse James, whose postwar crime careers are briefly reviewed.

The Civil War in Missouri, Day by Day, 1861 to 1865
Follow as events transpire across Missouri within those four long years. From raids and pursuit of the outlaws to the hunting down of Southern sympathizers and the Federal scouting parties across the state. Something for everyone in this book. This book is deemed by many readers as a Missouri classic.

Civil War on the Missouri-Kansas Border
This aspect of the Civil War is often misunderstood in that the majority of what we know has been passed down to us from the "victors" point of view. In fact, these were very, very hard times and a good case can be made that there were indeed no real winners in this not so isolated, but under reported, part of the war. Horrible, barbaric actions were consummated by both sides of this conflict. If we attempt to place ourselves at that time and place in history, we can well see where both sides had their grievances, and both sides were able to justify their atrocities.

Sources:
U.S. National Park Service
U.S. Library of Congress.