The Missouri State Guard Retreats South
Missouri Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson observed the fight for Boonville from a nearby hill. After the Federals had quickly routed his Missouri State Guard, Jackson sent word of the defeat to Major General Sterling Price in Lexington, Missouri. After sending the State Guardsmen southwest to join up with Price, Jackson quickly traveled about 15 miles up river to his home in Arrow Rock, Missouri and gathered up his personal papers before heading south. Jackson would rejoin Brigadier-Generals Mosby Parsons and John B. Clark, Jr. near Florence, Missouri on their way to Warsaw, Missouri. When Price heard about the defeat at Boonville, he quickly realized the State Guard position at Lexington was untenable. The Federal troops at Fort Leavenworth could threatened him from the west. And now Lyon would move upriver, threatening him from the east. There were also rumors that Federal troops from Iowa were moving into Missouri. There were several thousand State Guardsmen at Lexington under the command of Brigadier-Generals James Rains and William Slack. Price left Rains in command of the State Guard with orders to join up with Jackson's force at Lamar, Missouri. Then Price immediately left for Arkansas to enlist the help of the Confederates under the command of Brigadier-General Ben McCulloch. The two separate Missouri state Guard columns would reunite near Lamar, Missouri on July 3rd. [18]
The two separate Missouri state Guard columns would reunite near Lamar, Missouri on July 3rd. Their trip was hard with limited access to provisions. Snead described the State Guardsmen as follows: [19]
In all their motley array there was hardly a uniform to be seen, and then, and throughout all the brilliant campaign on which they were about to enter there was nothing to distinguish their officers, even a general, from the men in the ranks, save a bit of red flannel, or a piece of cotton cloth fastened to the shoulder, or to the arm, of the former. But for all that they were the truest and best of soldiers. Many of them, when just emerging from boyhood, had fought under Price or Doniphan in Mexico; many had been across the great plains, and were enured to the dangers and privations of the wilderness; and many had engaged in the hot strife which had ensanguined the prairies of Kansas. Among them there was hardly a man who could not read and write, and who was not more intelligent than the great mass of American citizens; not one who had not voluntarily abandoned his home with all its tender ties, and thrown away all his possessions, and left father and mother, or wife and children, within the enemy's lines, that he might himself stand by the South in her hour of great peril, and help her to defend her fields and her firesides. And among them all there was not a man who had come forth to fight for slavery.
Henry Martyn Cheavens was teaching school in Boone County, Missouri and had just turned 31 when the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter. Cheavens answered the call for volunteers following the Camp Jackson Affair. Cheavens began keeping a journal and wrote the following on the days leading up to the Battle of Carthage: [20]
Our food was bread and beef . . . At daylight, Tuesday [June 25th], we started on our march . . . Next morning early on the march, all day; camped at night by a creek which, tho muddy was sufficiently watery to wash me and a shirt. About 10 o'clock we were aroused; many had not rested at all. Horses were saddled, and we were ordered to march back, as news had been brought to Gen. Rains that we were to help Gen. Price at Butler. We marched, then rested, then counter marched all night, all the following day. Many nearly fell from their horses with fatigue . . . Camped in the bottom. Heavy rain during the night; was almost drowned.
[Friday, June] 28th travelled all day thro the rain, crossed the Little Osage at Ball's Mill. Got a meal about 10 and warmed myself. Am now without glasses. Camped on a hill near the Osage. Very uncomfortable so wet . . .
29th pulled up stakes about 3. All the carpenters were at the Marmiton making a bridge or rafts to ferry over. . . . In the evening commenced crossing, swam the horses. Ferried the men and wagons. About dark was over, when the raft broke loose and floated down. The majority had to camp on the bank of the river in the mud. We kindled a fire and laid down our blankets without supper, (Next morning, 30th, I helped to pole up the raft and ferry several wagons over . . . We then adjourned to the Prairie, where the rest of our boys were. The sun rose pleasantly and dried our wet and muddy clothes.
July 2nd marched, camped at Nevada. My horse was sore backed, caused by wet blankets during the rain. Put him in the team and took the work horse. Took the diarhhea from eating meat and bread without salt. Was placed on picket guard 5 miles from the road. July 3rd was with the picket, went to a neighbor's, got some bread and milk for breakfast . . . Fell in with Major Bell, who showed me a weed to cure the flux—button head snake root. It cured me before night, and has everyone who used it. It grows thick on the prairies.