First Battle of Newtonia

Battle of Newtonia
Part of the American Civil War
Date September 30, 1862 (1862-09-30) Location Newtonia, Missouri Result Confederate victory
Belligerents
United States (Union)	CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
Frederick Salomon	Douglas H. Cooper
Units involved
1st Brigade, Department of Kansas	Indian Brigade
Strength
1,500	1 brigade
Casualties and losses
245	100

First Battle of Newtonia Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Show map of Missouri Show map of the US
Nearest city	Newtonia, Missouri
Area	152.3 acres (61.6 ha)
Built	1862 (1862)
NRHP Reference #	04000697
Added to NRHP	December 23, 2004

Coordinates: 36°53′01″N 94°11′04″W / 36.8836°N 94.1845°W / 36.8836; -94.1845

The First Battle of Newtonia was fought as part of the American Civil War, on September 30, 1862 in Newton County, Missouri.

Following the Battle of Pea Ridge in March 1862, most Confederate and Union troops had left northwestern Arkansas and southwestern Missouri. By late summer, the Confederates had returned to the area, which caused much apprehension in nearby Federally occupied Springfield, Missouri, and Fort Scott, Kansas. Confederate Colonel Douglas H. Cooper reached the area on September 27 and assigned two of his units to Newtonia, where there was a mill for making breadstuffs. In mid-September, two brigades totalling 1,500 men of Brig. Gen. James G. Blunt's division of the Union Army of Kansas left Fort Scott for southwestern Missouri.

On September 29, Union scouts approached Newtonia but were chased away. Other Federal troops appeared in nearby Granby where there were lead mines, and Cooper sent some reinforcements there.