This small red granite marker is located on the corner of Main and Vine in Boonville, Mo. This marker was placed by the John A. Hays Post of the G.A.R. I believe the date on the marker is incorrect as The text reads:
This marks defence works where three companies of Union soldiers were taken prisoner when Confederates captured Boonville.
Oct. 16, 1864
The Third and Fourth Battles of Boonville occurred on the 11th of October - it was part of Sterling Price's Raid into Missouri that culminated in the Battle of Westport. The Federal "companies" captured would have been Union "Home Guard" militia defending the town during the initial contact of Price's forces.
From About Boonville on the Little League Website:
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"Boonville enjoyed a continuous and properous growth during the 30 years preceding the Civil War. With the outbreak of the conflict, Boonville's strategic location made it a pawn of the opposing forces. It was occupied by one side or the other as the fortunes of local warfare ebbed and flowed. The first land battle of the Civil War was fought near here on June 17, 1861, a month before the Battle of Bull Run. Federal troops commanded by General Lyon defeated a force of State troops led by Governor Jackson. Military strategists consider it to have been one of the decisive battles of the war, since it had a most important bearing on keeping Missouri in the Union. A marker one the Courthouse lawn, erected by the John A. Hays Post of the G.A.R., commemorates the Battles of Boonville, June 17 and September 13, 1861, and the "capture of Boonville", October 16, 1864."
From CivilWarHistory:
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"On October 7, Price finally arrived at the outskirts of Jefferson City. He launched a few probing attacks on the city and soon discovered he had again been beaten to the punch by Rosecrans. In his view, the city could not be taken and he would abandon that objective as well. This caused him to clash violently with Governor Reynolds, who could see the prospect of Confederate control of Missouri rapidly slipping away. Price elected to move west “in the direction of Kansas, as instructed in my original orders, hoping to be able to capture a sufficient number of arms to arm my unarmed men at Boonville, Sedalia, Lexington, and Independence, places which I intended to occupy with my troops en route.”
Two days later, with Price comfortably camped at Boonville, the Federal strategy for dealing with the raid shifted dramatically from one of a passive, static defense to an active defense. Rosecrans realized that Price’s move west provided an opportunity for pursuit and even destruction of the Confederate army. He sent his newly arrived infantry marching west across the state and ordered Pleasonton to use his cavalry to chase and harass Price’s column. As Smith’s 4,000 foot soldiers quickly moved out, Pleasonton organized a force of 4,100 cavalry under General John Sanborn and ordered them to find Price, follow him, and attack the rear of his army at every opportunity. Sanborn and his troopers rode hard to the west following Price’s trail and, by the time Price left Boonville on October 13, they were already snapping at his heels."