Horace Greeley, The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States of America, 1860-65: its Causes, Incidents, and Results: Intended to exhibit especially its moral and political phases with the drift and progress of American opinion respecting human slavery from 1776 to the close of the War for the Union. Volume I.

[574] as we have seen, having found the Convention, which his Legislature had called, utterly and emphatically intractable to the uses of treason, had reconvened his docile Legislature.¹ But even this body could not be induced to vote the State out of the Union. Below that point, however, it stood ready enough to aid the bolder conspirators; and its pliancy was taxed to the utmost. The State School Fund, the money provided to pay the July interest on the heavy State Debt, and all other available means, amounting in the aggregate to over three millions of dollars, were appropriated to military uses, and placed at the disposal of Jackson, under the pretense of arming the State against any emergency. By another act, the Governor was invested with despotic power — even verbal opposition to his assumptions of authority being constituted treason; while every citizen liable to military duty was declared subject to draft into active service at Jackson's will, and an oath of obedience to the State Executive exacted. Under these acts, Jackson appointed ex-Gov. Sterling Price Major-General of the State forces, with nine Brigadiers — Parsons, M. L. Clark, John B. Clark, Slack, Harris, Rains, McBride, Stein, and Jeff. Thompson, commanding in so many districts into which the State was divided. These Brigadiers were ordered by Maj. Gen. Price to muster and organize the militia of their several districts so fast as possible, and send it with all dispatch to Booneville and Lexington, two thriving young cities on the Missouri, respcectively some forty and one hundred miles west of Jefferson, and in the heart of the slaveholding region. This call having been made, Jackson and Price, fearing an attack from the Federal forces gathering at St. Louis, started westward with their followers, reaching Booneville on the 18th of June. Price, being sick, kept on by steamboat to Lexington.

They had not moved too soon. Gen. Lyon and his army left St. Louis by steamboats on tile 13th, and reached Jefferson City on the morning of the 15th, only to find that the Confederate chiefs had started when he did, with a good hundred miles advantage in the race. Reembarking on the 16th, he reached Rockport, nearly opposite Booneville, next morning, and espied the Rebel encampment just across the river. In it were collected some two or three thousand men, only half armed, and not at all drilled, under the immediate command of Col. Marmaduke: Jackson, utterly disconcerted by Lyon's unexpected rapidity of movement, had ordered his “State Guard” to be disbanded, and no resistance to be offered. But Marmaduke determined to fight, and started for the landing, where he hoped to surprise and cut up the Unionists while debarking. He met Lyon advancing in good order, and was easily routed by him, losing two guns, with much camp-equipage, clothing, etc. His raw infantry were dispersed. but his strength in cavalry saved him from utter destruction.

Jackson fled to Warsaw, on the Osage, some eighty miles south-west.