Battle of Hartville The Battle of Hartville was fought January 9 – 11 , 1863 , in Wright County , Missouri , as part of John S . Marmaduke ' s first expedition into Missouri , during the American Civil War . Background . Marmaduke led a Confederate raid into Missouri in early January 1863 . This movement was two - pronged . Col . Joseph C . Porter led one column , comprising his Missouri Cavalry Brigade , out of Pocahontas , Arkansas , to assault Union posts around Hartville , Missouri . When he neared Hartville on January 9 , he sent a detachment forward to reconnoiter . It succeeded in capturing the small militia garrison . The same day , Porter moved toward Marshfield . On January 10 , some of Porter ' s men raided other Union installations in the area before making contact with Marmaduke ' s column east of Marshfield . Marmaduke had received reports of Union troops approaching to surround him and prepared for a confrontation . On January 10 , Col . Samuel Merrill commanded an approaching Union relief column from Houston , Missouri . He and his command arrived in Hartville that morning , discovered that the small garrison had already surrendered , and set out toward Springfield . His force went into camp on Wood ' s Fork of the Gasconade River . Early on the morning of January 11 the approaching Confederates under Porter made contact with Merrill ' s scouts and skirmishing commenced . Battle . Marmaduke believed he was being pressed by several forces , so he diverted Porter and Shelby ' s columns along another road to Hartville . Meanwhile , observing this movement , Merrill marched his force directly to Hartville where it took a strong defensive position on covered , high ground west of the courthouse . Shelby and Porter ' s brigades attempted to dislodge Merrill ' s force , but it was too strongly positioned . Over a four - hour period several Confederate assaults were made , each being repulsed in turn . Eventually Merrill withdrew most of his force , although a third of the men under Lt . Col Dunlap never received the order and remained on the field until nightfall . Aftermath . Elements of both sides observed the other withdrawing from the field as night approached , and both claimed victory as a result . The real results were mixed . From the Union command ' s perspective they had repulsed Marmaduke ' s assaults inflicting heavy casualties , but the Federals had been forced to leave the field . From the Confederate perspective Marmaduke had united his force and secured his line of withdrawal . He set up a field hospital in town and could claim to control the field briefly . However , he was compelled to make a rapid retreat into Arkansas and then an arduous trek to winter camp . Additionally , the frontal assaults had resulted in the death or mortal wounding of several senior CSA officers including : brigade commander Col . Joseph C . Porter , Col . Emmett MacDonald , Lt . Col . John Wimer , and Major George R . Kirtley . The raid itself caused great disruption of Federal forces in the region and a number of small outposts had been overrun , destroyed , or abandoned . However , the other major objective , the depot at Springfield , remained in Union hands . The successful escape of the raiding party did foreshadow the vulnerability of Federal Missouri to fast - moving expeditions . Order of battle . Union : Colonel S . Merrill Confederate : Brig . Gen . John S . Marmaduke Based on Frederick Goman ' s order of battle , except where noted .