Battle of Roan's Tan Yard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Roan's Tan Yard Battle of Silver Creek
Part of the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War
Date January 8, 1862 (1862-01-08) Location Randolph County, Missouri 39°19′29″N 92°33′30″W / 39.3246°N 92.5584°W / 39.3246; -92.5584 Result Union victory
Belligerents
Union Army	Missouri State Guard
Commanders and leaders
W. M. G. Torrence	John A. Poindexter
Units involved
1st Missouri Cavalry Regiment 2nd Missouri Cavalry Regiment 4th Ohio Cavalry Regiment 1st Iowa Cavalry Regiment	Missouri State Guard recruits
Strength
c. 450–500	c. 1,000
Casualties and losses
4–27	80–128

The Battle of Roan's Tan Yard, also known as the Battle of Silver Creek, was a small but important fight during the American Civil War. It happened on January 8, 1862, in Randolph County, Missouri.

Before this battle, the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard, led by Sterling Price, was mostly in southwestern Missouri. In late 1861, Price allowed his men to recruit new soldiers and raid areas in central Missouri. A main target was the North Missouri Railroad.

In January 1862, Major W. M. G. Torrence of the Union Army found a Missouri State Guard camp in Randolph County. He attacked it on January 8 with soldiers from four cavalry regiments. The camp, led by Colonel John A. Poindexter, did not fight back much and was quickly taken over. Many supplies were captured and the camp was destroyed. This battle, along with another Confederate loss at the Battle of Mount Zion Church in December, helped reduce Confederate activity in central Missouri.

Why the Battle Happened

When the American Civil War started in 1861, the state of Missouri was divided. Even though it was a slave state, it did not leave the United States. However, Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson supported leaving the Union.

In May, Jackson and his supporters tried to take over the St. Louis Arsenal. But Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon of the Union Army stopped them. After this, Governor Jackson created the Missouri State Guard. This was a militia group that supported leaving the Union. He chose Sterling Price to lead it.

General Lyon chased Jackson and Price into southwestern Missouri in June. There, Price got help from Brigadier General Benjamin McCulloch and his Confederate States Army unit. On August 10, Lyon attacked Price's and McCulloch's camp. But Lyon was killed, and his army lost badly at the Battle of Wilson's Creek.

Price then led the Missouri State Guard north. They captured Lexington in September. But in mid-October, Union troops gathered against Price. He then went back to southwestern Missouri. In November, Governor Jackson and other pro-secession lawmakers voted for Missouri to join the Confederate States of America. This was a "government-in-exile" because they had been forced out of the state capital. Other lawmakers had already voted for Missouri to stay in the United States.

The Battle of Roan's Tan Yard

Map of the Roan's Tan Yard battlefield

In December 1861, General Price sent recruiters into central Missouri. He hoped to get more men to join his army. Another goal was to attack the North Missouri Railroad on December 20. Several hundred men volunteered for this raid. They damaged about 100 miles (160 km) of the railroad by burning bridges. Thousands of Missourians joined Confederate groups after this raid.

The Missouri State Guard then set up a camp near Yates, Missouri, in Randolph County. Here, they trained new recruits. In January 1862, Union Major W. M. G. Torrence of the 1st Iowa Cavalry Regiment was scouting near Silver Creek. He learned about the Missouri State Guard camp. Union leaders had known about the camp for over a week, but its exact location was a secret until then. The camp was led by Colonel John A. Poindexter. One report from 1864 said Poindexter had about 1,000 men.

On January 8, Major Torrence decided to attack Poindexter's camp. He gathered soldiers from his own regiment, plus the 1st and 2nd Missouri and the 4th Ohio cavalry regiments. The National Park Service believes the Union force had about 450 men. Another history from 1908 says they had about 500.

About 4 miles (6.4 km) from the camp, Torrence got his men ready. One battalion of the 2nd Missouri Cavalry and one company of the 4th Ohio Cavalry were to draw the enemy's fire. Parts of the 1st Iowa Cavalry and 1st Missouri Cavalry would charge on horseback. Three more companies of the 2nd Missouri Cavalry would attack from a different side.

The attack began around 4:30 PM, and there was fog on the field. At first, the Missouri State Guardsmen held their ground. They used the fog and the land for cover, and both sides fired at each other. Torrence ended the standoff by sending four companies to charge Poindexter's line. Three of these companies were from the 1st Iowa Cavalry. This caused confusion among the defenders. The camp was captured after only thirty or forty minutes of fighting. Many supplies and equipment were taken from the camp. Poindexter's remaining men ran away, using the fog to hide their escape. Torrence said in his report that he sent two companies to block their escape, but the fog and land made it impossible.

What Happened After

After the battle, the camp was destroyed. With the camp gone, the Missouri State Guard stopped recruiting in Randolph County. This defeat, along with the loss at the Battle of Mount Zion Church in December, led to less Confederate activity in central Missouri.

The number of soldiers hurt or killed in the battle varies in different reports. Torrence estimated that 80 to 100 Missouri State Guard soldiers were killed or wounded. He also reported capturing 28 more. The National Park Service and historian Frances H. Kennedy say Poindexter lost a total of 80 men. Union losses are usually reported as four or 11, but one source says as many as 27.

The battle site is on private land and does not have a memorial. However, a museum in nearby Huntsville explains the battle. A study in 2011 by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission found that about 1,329 acres (538 ha) of the battlefield might be added to the National Register of Historic Places. The study also said that the land use at the site was similar to how it was during the battle.