Major Sturgis was moving from Leavenworth toward Springfield, and expected to arrive there in advance of General Lyon.
Major Sturgis was delayed in crossing a river, so that the Rebels arrived at Carthage before Colonel Sigel had been reinforced.

The latter, with about eleven hundred men, encountered the Rebel column, twice as large as his own.

The battle raged for several hours, neither side losing very heavily.

It resulted in Sigel's retreat to avoid being surrounded by the enemy.

Wonderful stories were told at that time of the terrific slaughter in the Rebel ranks, but these stories could never be traced to a reliable source.