Battle of Mount Zion Church Historical Marker

This monument commemorates the final battle of U.S. forces against the Missouri State Guard, which was created by Governor Claiborne Jackson at the start of the war and aligned with the Confederacy even though Missouri never seceded from the United States. The battle occurred here on December 28, 1861, and saw around 440 United States troops under General Benjamin M. Prentiss force nearly 900 pro-Confederate troops into a hasty retreat after a short battle. On Christmas Eve, Prentiss and his men had previously marched towards Boone County, Missouri, to protect the Northern Missouri Railroad and to deter Confederate support from the population of the surrounding area. Shortly after the U.S. army made their way into Boone County, Prentiss became aware that Confederate-aligned forces were massed near Hallsville. Prentiss sent only a fraction of his force to confront the Missouri State Guard, which quickly withdrew after an estimated 150 men were killed or wounded. Remnants of the Missouri State Guard joined Confederate General Sterling Price's Confederate forces after the defeat.

After General Benjamin M. Prentiss sent in a battalion of his forces to dismantle the Confederates in Hallsville, Missouri, pro-Confederate forces residing in Hallsville met Prentiss’s troops with heavy resistance. The Confederates in Hallsville were led by Colonial Caleb Dorsey. Dorsey and his troops prevailed in a small skirmish which led to the decision to send around 450 troops in an attack against Dorsey and his men on the night of December 28^th, 1861. Dorsey and his 900 Missouri State Guard recruits were situated in the courtyard of the Mount Zion Church when General Prentiss decided to attack. Though the Confederates had numerical superiority, many of them were untrained and underprepared to fight the Union forces.

After scouting the position of the Confederate forces, General Prentiss sent his men charging toward Mt. Zion Church. The Union forces were met with heavy resistance from Confederate forces, and the battle raged throughout the night. After sending multiple waves of troops towards the church, the pro-Confederate force had exhausted its supplies. With no other option, Dorsey and his Confederate forces were forced to scatter and retreat from the church. While retreating, Dorsey and his men left supplies, prisoners, and horses at Mount Zion Church.

General Benjamin M. Prentiss and his Union forces had earned a victory over the Confederates with only around a dozen casualties compared with around 150 wounded and killed. General Prentiss had achieved his goal of dissolving Confederate support in the area and protecting the Northern Missouri Railroad. Today, seven members of the Missouri State Guard are buried next to Mount Zion Church.

Mount Zion Church , Missouri Civil War Passport . Accessed December 9th, 2023. https://mo-passport.org/mount-zion-church/.

Battle of Mount Zion Church , Fandom . Accessed December 9th, 2023. https://civilwar-history.fandom.com/wiki/Battle_of_Mount_Zion_Church.

Mount Zion Church Civil War Missouri , American Civil War . Accessed December 9th, 2023. https://americancivilwar.com/statepic/mo/mo010.html.