The Battle of Mount Zion Church was fought on December 28, 1861, in Boone County, near Mount Zion Church, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The resulting Union victory here and elsewhere in central Missouri ended

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

recruiting activities in the region and pushed conventional Confederate forces out of the area until the desperate fall 1864 invasion by General

Sterling Price Sterling Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was a senior General officers in the Confederate States Army, officer of the Confederate States Army, fighting in both the Weste ...

and his

Missouri State Guard The Missouri State Guard (MSG) was a military force established by the Missouri General Assembly on May 11, 1861. While not a formation of the Confederate States Army, the Missouri State Guard fought alongside Confederate troops and, at variou ...

Advance into Hallsville

Brig. Gen.

Benjamin M. Prentiss Benjamin Mayberry Prentiss (November 23, 1819 – February 8, 1901) was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the Mexican–American War and on the Union (American Civil War), Union side of the American Civil War, rising to the rank of ...

led a Union force of five companies of the Third Missouri Cavalry ederaland two companies of Birge's Western

Sharpshooter A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with " marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" ...

s into Boone County to protect the North Missouri Railroad, disrupt the organization of the secessionist

, and generally overawe secessionist sentiment in the region. Prentiss's forces left the Northern Missouri headquarters in

Palmyra, Missouri Palmyra is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Missouri, Marion County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,613 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Hannibal, Missouri, Hannibal Hannibal micropolit ...

, on December 24. After arriving in

Sturgeon Sturgeon (from Old English ultimately from Proto-Indo-European language, Proto-Indo-European *''str̥(Hx)yón''-) is the common name for the 27 species of fish belonging to the family Acipenseridae. The earliest sturgeon fossils date to the ...

on December 26, Prentiss learned about a concentration of State Guard near Hallsville. He sent a company to Hallsville the next day that fought a State Guard detachment under the command of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Caleb Dorsey and, in a 10-minute skirmish about one half mile north of Mount Zion Church, itself situated about 3 miles southeast of Hallsville and 15 miles northeast of Columbia. Prentiss's troops suffered casualties, including men taken prisoner, before retreating back to Sturgeon by 6 p.m.The Battle of Mount Zion Church. December 28, 1861 in Mount Zion Church, Missouri

Battle at Mt. Zion

On December 28 at about 2 a.m., Prentiss set out with his entire force to meet Dorsey's force. While the State Guardsmen numbered around 900, most appear to have been local volunteers, many of whom were not armed with military weapons (although many had personal civilian firearms of various types). A detachment of Prentiss's force routed one company of Guardsmen on the road from Hallsville around 100 yards east of Mount Zion Church and learned that the rest of the force was in the churchyard, situated on a high hill. The main campground was actually in a thicketed hollow immediately east of the church. Prentiss advanced on the State Guard positions, making three charges. At the third, the Confederates exhausted their ammunition, fell back to their wagons, and were overrun. The battle ended around 11 a.m.
. Bobby D. Bedsworth. Mid-Missouri Civil War Round Table (2000). Retrieved 2008-12-11

Aftermath

The Missouri State Guard was effectively routed from northern Boone county to Columbia. Dorsey's forces lost 25 dead, 150 wounded, and an additional 60 captured, including an officer. Additionally, the Guardsmen lost wagons, 90 horses, and 105 arms. The remainder dispersed, with Dorsey heading westward into Perche township, the northwest section of Boone County towards the Missouri River. After negotiation and exchange of prisoners, Dorsey made camp near

Everett, Missouri Everett is an Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in Cass County, Missouri, Cass County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. History Everett was platted in 1867, and named in honor of politician Edward Everett. A post office ca ...

. Within days Dorsey received orders from State Guard commander, Maj. Gen.

to scatter his forces. Mount Zion and the associated battle of Roan's Tan Yard effectively ended attempts at formal State Guard organization in Central Missouri. Remaining elements of Dorsey's command crossed the Missouri and joined General Pierce in February 1862. While

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrori ...

reappeared to the south and west of Columbia, Confederates did not thereafter face Union forces in conventional battle in the area until

Price's Raid Price's Missouri Expedition (August 29 – December 2, 1864), also known as Price's raid or Price's Missouri raid, was an unsuccessful Confederate cavalry raid through Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the Ame ...

in the autumn of 1864.

Battlefield today

Today, the church and associated cemetery are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The cemetery grounds contain the remains of soldiers who perished and a memorial marker for the Missouri State Guard.

Notes

References

National Park Service battle description

Proclamation for Mount Zion Church, Order 435-2003
Boone County Commission Minutes. September 11, 2003.
History of Boone County, Missouri: Written and Comp. from the Most Authentic Official and Private Sources; Including a History of Its Townships, Towns, and Villages. Together with a Condensed History of Missouri; the City of St. Louis ... Biographical Sketches and Portraits of Prominent Citizens ...
Missouri Western Historical Company: St. Louis (1882). pp. 415–17
CWSAC Report Update

External links

Church location: Mount Zion Church. Hallsville, Boone County, MO.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mount Zion Church, Action At 1861 in the United States Mount Zion Church Mount Zion Church Mount Zion Church

Mount Zion Mount Zion (, ''Har Ṣīyyōn''; , ''Jabal Sahyoun'') is a hill in Jerusalem, located just outside the walls of the Old City (Jerusalem), Old City to the south. The term Mount Zion has been used in the Hebrew Bible first for the City of David ( ...

Boone County, Missouri 1861 in the American Civil War 1861 in Missouri December 1861