Skirmish at Blackwater Creek The Skirmish at Blackwater Creek ( actually a river ) or Skirmish at Milford was an American Civil War skirmish that took place in central Missouri on December 19 , 1861 near present day Valley City . It was a victory for the North . Background . Following the Siege of Lexington , Missouri the secessionist Missouri State Guard withdrew to the southwest portion of Missouri . Some Southern recruiters such as Colonel Franklin S . Robertson remained , attempting to fill their regiments . Robertson , a store owner in Saline County , Missouri born in Kentucky had been granted his commission by Major General Sterling Price at Lexington . Meanwhile , Union Brigadier General John Pope , in command of the District of Central Missouri , was determined to suppress Southern recruiting in the region . He headed Southwest from Sedalia before turning the main body north toward Warrensburg . Robertson collected his recruits at Grand Pass where they elected officers . On December 16 , 1861 the 750 men began their March south . The plan was to first link up with Colonel J . J . Clarkson ’ s recruits near Warrensburg , Missouri before proceeding south to General Price . They were unable to merge with Clarkson but they were joined by Colonel Ebenezer Magoffin , who was on parole after being captured while attempting to recruit his own regiment . Magoffin is notable as the brother of Kentucky Governor Beriah Magoffin . General Pope learned on the evening of December 18 that Robertson ’ s force would be camped at Milford . The battle . Early the next morning Pope ’ s force marched toward Knob Noster , Missouri . Pope ordered Colonel Jefferson C . Davis ’ s brigade to the Blackwater bridge where he was to force the bridge . Simultaneously a battalion of the 2nd Missouri Cavalry ( “ Merrill ’ s Horse ” ) moved northeast to complete the envelopment . Realizing his guardsmen were in a precarious position , Robertson formed a firing line of approximately 250 men while Colonel Magoffin was detailed with several dozen men to take possession of the bridge before the Federals arrived . It was insufficient . Colonel Davis ordered three companies of the 4th United States Cavalry forward under Lieutenant Charles Copley Amory , with the 1st Iowa Cavalry in support . Amory dismounted his men and gave two volleys to the bridge ’ s defenders causing them to waver . Amory ordered a charge and the defenders fled . The now mounted force pursued , encountering some casualties at they made contact with the second line . They held their positions as the infantry came up and the envelopment was completed . Robertson ' s men recognized their predicament and requested a brief truce before surrendering . Casualties . Federal casualties were exceedingly light , two killed and eight wounded . General Pope claimed the capture of “ 1 , 300 men … three colonels ( Robinson , Alexander , and Magoffin ) … one lieutenant - colonel ( Robinson ) , one major ( Harris ) , and 51 commissioned company officers ” and “ About 500 horses and mules , 73 wagons heavily loaded with powder , lead , tents , subsistence stores , and supplies of various kinds … also 1 , 000 stand of arms . ” However , this appears to be overstated as records indicate “ 684 guardsmen and several civilians ” eventually reached prison . Aftermath . The engagement resulted in the capture of a full , newly - recruited Missouri State Guard regiment , hampering future Confederate recruiting in the region . John Pope would have another major triumph at the Battle of Island Number Ten where he would capture ~ 4 , 500 Confederates ( while claiming 7 , 000 . ) Lincoln would appoint him commander of the Union Army of Virginia , in command of which he would suffer a crushing defeat at Second Manassas . Franklin Robertson ’ s military career did not recover , and he re - entered service as a captain after exchange at Vicksburg in the summer of 1862 . Other notables captured . Among the 684 known prisoners marched to Sedalia and carried by rail to St . Louis were several other notables : Ebenezer Magoffin , William Goff Caples , and Bartholomew W . Keown . All three would die before the close of the war . Of national interest a Missouri military tribunal convicted Ebenezer Magoffin of violating his parole and sentenced him to be executed . Lincoln , sensitive to Kentucky politics ( Being a native of that state ) , intervened on his behalf requesting a review . Before any final disposition could be made , Magoffin and several dozen inmates tunneled out of Alton Prison and escaped . He was killed near the end of the war while intervening in bar fight in southern Arkansas . The other two were of more interest to Missourians . William Goff Caples was a fiery secessionist minister and president of the Missouri Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South . After six weeks confinement he gave his oath and eventually moderated his politics . He even became supervisor of the telegraph guard for a stretch near Glasgow . In an ironic twist he was killed there by an artillery shell from Jo Shelby ' s bombardment on October 15 , of 1864 . Bartholomew W . Keown ( also referred to as Keon or McKeown ) was a South Carolinian who had become sheriff of Benton County , Missouri . It was alleged that in this capacity he obtained detailed information about the Benton County Home Guard ( Unionist ) regiment and relayed it to secessionist militia in Warsaw who launched a successful attack , the Battle of Cole Camp ( 1861 ) . He died of disease in Alton Prison before he could be tried .