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      eHistory  >  American Civil War  >  Battles  >  Springfield II Search
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Springfield II (1863)
 
War:   American Civil War
 
Date(s):   8 Jan 1863
 
Location:   Greene County, Missouri, US
 
Outcome:   Union victory
 
Description:   Brig. Gen. Egbert B. Brown, USA
Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke, CSA

The Union forces mustered about 2,000; the Confederates deployed a cavalry division, while guerrillas operated in the neighborhood.

US losses were a bit over 150, Confederate losses just under 250.

Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke’s expedition into Missouri reached Ozark, where it destroyed the Union post, and then approached Springfield on the morning of January 8, 1863. Springfield was an important Federal communications center and supply depot, on the main supply route to forces in Arkansas, so Marmaduke’s strategy was to destroy it.

The garrison had prepared blockhouses to defend the town, but their numbers were depleted because Francis J. Herron’s two divisions had not yet returned from their victory at Prairie Grove on December 7. After receiving a report on January 7 of the Rebels’ approach, Brig. Gen. Egbert B. Brown set about preparing for the attack and rounding up additional troops.<

> Around 10am, the Confederates dismounted three regiments and sent them forward in battle line. The day included desperate fighting with attacks and counterattacks until after dark, but the Federal troops held and the Rebels withdrew during the night. The Confederates had stormed one of the larger buildings in town – a female academy – and captured a gun, but couldn’t break down the blockhouses. Brown was wounded during the day, leading the resistance. Meanwhile, the guerrillas under Quantrill wouldn’t take part in the battle, preferring to round up Union militiamen from surrounding villages.

The Confederates appeared in force the next morning but retired eastward without attacking. Marmaduke hadn’t broken the Union supply line, the main goal of his raid. Furthermore, with the garrison intact, Union influence in the area was maintained.


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Selected sources:
American Battlefield Protection Program, Heritage Preservation Services, National Park Service.



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