Battle of Mount Zion Church, Missouri
An early Benjamin Prentiss affair

On December 24, 1861, newly appointed Brigadier Benjamin M. Prentiss, proceeded from Palmyra for Sturgeon with five companies of the Third Missouri Cavalry looking for persons sabotaging the North Missouri Railroad, They arrived at Sturgeon on the evening of the 26^th.

Col. Dorsey, who left Pike County, Mo. on December 24, 1861, was organizing his force, comprised of six companies of about 350 men. His camp was near the town of Grandview which was located just west of the Mount Zion Church in Boone County, Mo. near Hallsville and about 10 miles south of the North Missouri Railroad.

On the 27th Prentiss sent one troop of cavalry commanded by Captain James T. Howland to locate a concentration of confederates near Hallsville and finding none in Hallsville, Captain Howland proceeded about 2 miles beyond his advance guard and encountered Dorsey's men about one half a mile northeast of Mount Zion Church and fired upon them wounding two of the men and then fell back. Dorsey pursued them and three miles form the church overtook and fired upon them. A ten minute skirmish ensued, in which one federal was mortally wounded and the federal Captain and one private were captured. By 6:00 p.m. the rest of Howland's men had returned to Sturgeon.

The next morning at 2:00 a.m. on the 28th Colonel Glover commanding five troops of cavalry and Colonel Birge commanding five companies of Sharpshooters started towards Dorsey's camp in the brush about 100 yards east of the Mount Zion Church. About 8:00 a.m. after marching a distance of 16 miles Prentiss found one company of confederates commanded by Captain Johnson, in position to the left of the road leading from Hallsville to Mount Zion. Prentiss ordered two companies of sharpshooters to pass to the rear of Johnson and one troop of cavalry to dismount and engage Johnson's company in the front. Seeing the sharpshooters passing Capt. Johnson withdrew his company to Dorsey's camp which was located in the brushy hollow about 100 yards east of the Mount Zion Church. One troop of cavalry were ordered to dismount and attack and the sharpshooters were ordered through a field to their right to skirmish with the confederate left. The Federals made three charges and during the third charge the ammunition in Dorsey command became exhausted. Dorsey then fell back to his wagons. The battle closed about 11:00 a.m. The Federals took some ten prisoners and then marched on to the church and seeing soldiers in the church fired on it. Two of the federal prisoners who were in the church, ran out and said: "There are no fighting men here; this is a hospital." upon which the Federal fire ceased.

General Prentiss then gathered his dead and wounded, pressed teams and wagons, and returned to Sturgeon, leaving the Confederate wounded in the field. The confederate surgeon, Dr. Herndon, distributed his wounded among the farm houses in the neighborhood. Prentiss reported that he lost 3 killed, 17 severely wounded and 17 slightly wounded. The rebel loss was 25 killed and 150 wounded. The confederates reported 5 killed, 35 wounded and 10 prisoners which were exchanged and estimated the federal loss to be 30 killed; 60 wounded and 10 prisoners. Whichever set of figures you accept there was a lot of blood.

A few days after the fight an arrangement was effected for the exchange of the prisoners. After leaving Mt. Zion Church, Col. Dorsey made his way westward into Perche township and went into camp near Everett. (About a mile and a half southeast of Woodlandville) He remained there a day or two, and then, pursuant to orders from Gen. Price, ordered his command to "scatter."

Even though Merrill's Horse was not on the Mount Zion Church fight, in Colonel Merrill's report regarding the Battle of Silver Creek he said that on Sunday January 5th he had received information that the remains of the command of Colonel Dorsey, which had been engaged in the Mount Zion fight was then marching to attack him in Columbia.

In February 1862 the major portion of Dorsey's command crossed the Missouri river and joined Price's army probably in Springfield. Were any of Poindexter's veterans of the Silver Creek battle with them? Poindexter himself was at Pea Ridge. On Sunday, September 22, 1862 a detachment of the 3rd Iowa Regiment burned the Mount Zion Church to the ground. They also burned the dwellings and barns on two farms in the area.

- Bobby D. Bedsworth