Defeat in Lexington Further Dampens Union Spirit
Federal Troops Outnumbered in Northwest Missouri Battle
Oct 5, 2009
The sustained fighting began on April 12, 1861 when Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter, South Carolina. As a border state and the gateway to Western settlement it was crucial to the Union that Missouri did not fall into the Confederacy.
After being defeated at Fort Sumter, Union forces were also defeated at Bull Run in July and Wilson’s Creek near Springfield, Mo., on August 10. The Missouri State Guard, led by Major General Sterling Price, had driven Union forces back to Rolla and began the march north to secure that portion of the state.
A Lexington Family Becomes Caught in the Battle
While the southern part of the state was in turmoil, the family of William Oliver Anderson had suffered its own problems. Anderson had built a brick mansion on a hill overlooking the Missouri River at Lexington, Mo. A hemp producer and rope maker, Anderson and his son-in-law Henry Howard Gratz had a successful business until the financial panic of 1857. In 1859, Anderson’s home and effects were auctioned to pay his debts. The house was purchased by Thomas Akers, another Anderson son-in-law. The Akers and Andersons were living in the home when Union forces seized it as a hospital. Instead of being spared as per the rules of war, the home became the focal point of the three-day battle.
Mulligan is Outnumbered for the Battle
Colonel James A. Mulligan and 3,500 men composed the Union outpost in Lexington. Price’s troops numbered 12,000. According to a synopsis of the battle from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources MDNR), Mulligan sent multiple requests for more troops. “Although 20,000 Federal troops were within a few days’ march of Lexington, none ever responded to the commander’s repeated appeals for help,” states the MDNR document. Price was also waiting – but for his ammunition wagons. When they arrived on September 18, he attacked the Federal troops.
As the battle raged on that first day, Price’s troops “had encircled the Union earthworks,” according to MDNR. As the Union troops were forced back they had to abandon their water supply. The Anderson home fell to the Missouri State Guard. The Union forces did retake the home for a short time; however, it soon went back to the Missouri State Guard.
The “Battle of the Hemp Bales” Ends
“On Sept. 20, not wishing to expose themselves to a murderous fire during their final assault across the open ground of the slopes, the State Guard troops of Harris’ Division used hemp bales as movable breastworks…” states the MDNR. “The hemp bales were soaked with water to ward off the effects of heated shot fired from the Federal trenches. Then, they were gradually rolled up the slopes as cover for advancing troops.”
The afternoon of Sept. 20 found the Union forces outnumbered, low on ammunition, and without water. According to MDNR, the combination of factors forced Mulligan to surrender. The Union had lost another battle to the South.
