September 20, 1861…. The Battle of Lexington
After withstanding incessant Confederate firing for 2 days, Colonel J. A. Mulligan and his greatly outnumbered Union troops surrendered at Lexington, September 20, 1861, to General Sterling Price, leader of the Missouri State Guard.
Price followed up the Confederate victory at Wilson's Creek by moving on Lexington. This Missouri river town was of strategic importance to the Confederates, for control of it would enable Confederate recruits from Northern Missouri to pass over the river there. Moreover, Price hoped to capture arms and supplies there. Price arrived in Lexington September 12, 1861, but withheld the order for a general attack for 6 days. Meanwhile Mulligan and his 3000 men
firmly entrenched themselves on the hill on which the Masonic college stood. With only 40 rounds of ammunition they were facing an enemy force of 15,000. Mulligan sent an urgent appeal to Jefferson City for reinforcements, and
failure of this aid to arrive proved disastrous to the Union troops.
The morning of September 18th Price ordered heavy firing, which was continued incessantly for 52 hours. On September 20th Price resorted to the action which gained for the conflict its nickname of "battle of the hemp
bales." All attempts to take the college building had failed. Price now ordered that bales of hemp be taken from warehouses and soaked in water. The men then rolled these toward the building, keeping up a well-directed fire from behind their protection. Mulligan and his men had exhausted their water supply, their ammunition was nearly gone, and the leader had received 2 wounds. Consequently he was soon forced to surrender. The Union loss was 40 killed and 120 wounded; 25 State Guard soldiers were killed and 72 wounded.
Jubilant over the victory, Price exaggerated the number of Union prisoners taken, placing the figure at 3500. The Guard took 5 pieces of artillery, over 300 stands of infantry arms and sabers, 750 horses and cavalry equipment, more
that $100,000 worth of commissary stores and other property. Even by the time the battle ended, Price's army was increased by the arrival of unarmed recruits from north and south of the river, and Price left Lexington with a larger and
better-equipped force at his command.
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