First Battle of Lexington

First Battle of Lexington
Part of the American Civil War
Date September 12, 1861 (1861-09-12) – September 20, 1861 (1861-09-20) Location Lexington, Missouri Result Missouri (Confederate) victory
Belligerents
Missouri (Confederate)	United States
Commanders and leaders
Sterling Price	James Mulligan
Units involved
Missouri State Guard	Lexington Garrison
Strength
15,000	3,500
Casualties and losses
~150 (30 killed, 120 wounded)	~36 killed, 117 wounded, 8 missing, ~3,000 captured

Anderson House and Lexington Battlefield
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Anderson House, a Union hospital, was attacked by Confederates during the battle
Show map of Missouri Show map of the US
Location	Roughly bounded by 10th, 15th, Utah and Wood Sts., and Missouri Pacific RR, Lexington, Missouri
Area	0 acres (0 ha)
Built	1853 (1853)
Architectural style	Federal
NRHP Reference #	69000110
Added to NRHP	June 4, 1969

The First Battle of Lexington, also known as the Battle of the Hemp Bales or the Siege of Lexington, was an engagement of the American Civil War, occurring from September 12 to September 20, 1861, between the Union Army and the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard, in Lexington, the county seat of Lafayette County, Missouri. The State Guard's victory in this battle bolstered the already-considerable Southern sentiment in the area, and briefly consolidated Missouri State Guard control of the Missouri River Valley in western Missouri.

This engagement should not be confused with the Second Battle of Lexington, which was fought on October 19, 1864, and also resulted in a Southern victory.

Prior to the Civil War, Lexington was an agricultural town of over 4,000 residents and county seat of Lafayette County, occupying a position of considerable local importance on the Missouri River in west-central Missouri. Hemp (used for rope production), tobacco, coal and cattle all contributed to the town's wealth, as did the river trade. Many residents were slaveowners, like those of adjacent counties; slaves comprised 31.7% of the Lafayette County population.

Following the battle at Boonville in June 1861, Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon ordered the 5th Regiment of the United States Reserve Corps to occupy Lexington. The regiment was composed primarily of Germans from St. Louis and it had participated in the Camp Jackson Affair. Arriving on the steamer White Cloud on July 9, they were commanded by Colonel Charles G. Stifel. Stifel's second in command was Lt. Col. Robert White, who was often the primary point of contact with the local civilians. Stifel selected the defunct Masonic College as his headquarters and the soldiers began entrenching and fortifying the position.