January 2024 Meeting

At the dinner meeting on January 17th, Civil War Round Table Member Dick Titterington gave an excellent program titled: “Sterling Price Returns: The Southern Counteroffensive to Retake Missouri in 1861.”

Following the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, Confederate Major General Sterling Price broke away from his alliance with Brigadier General Ben McCulloch, to head north for the Missouri River. What followed was the siege and capture of Lexington, Missouri and the Federal response by Missouri’s commander, Major General John Charles Fremont. Attendance at the dinner meeting was 55.

During his presentation, Dick covered the following main topics:

• Prologue: Battle of Wilson’s Creek aftermath.
• The action at Drywood Creek in western Missouri. 
• Major General Sterling Price heads north.
• The Federal response.
• Brigadier General James Lane follows in Price’s wake.
• The Federal’s destruction of Osceola MO.
• The siege and capture of Lexington MO by Price’s army.
• Major General John C. Fremont goes after Price.
• Epilogue: Fremont is relieved of command and the Federals pull back to Rolla MO. Price winters in Springfield.

Dick’s presentation was based on the book that he wrote and published in 2014 titled: Sterling Price Returns, The Southern Counteroffensive to Retake Missouri in 1861. The following is a description of Dick’s book from his website:

It’s the summer of 1861 and the Missouri State Guard has just won a fight with Federal volunteers from Missouri in the Battle of Carthage. Having been driven to the extreme southwestern part of Missouri by the Federals, Major General Sterling Price is eager to launch a counter-offensive and retake control of the State of Missouri.

But first Price needs to convince Brigadier General Ben McCulloch to ally his Confederates with Price’s Missouri State Guard. Combined, the Southerners will have the strength to defeat the army being assembled by Federal Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon. The Southern allies march north and meet the Federals just ten miles south of Springfield, Missouri along a stream called Wilson’s Creek.

After the fight at Wilson’s Creek, Sterling Price marches his Missouri State Guard north to try and capture the key Missouri River town of Lexington, Missouri. In response, Major General John Charles Fremont, mobilizes the forces under his command in Missouri to pursue and destroy the Missouri State Guard. Fremont’s army finally catches up with the Missouri State Guard in Springfield later that fall.

Dick’s book was available for sale at the January dinner meeting for $20.