The battle was described in a front page article in the New York Times as “The first serious conflict between the United States troops and the rebels…" As a result of the Battle of Carthage, the morale of the Missouri State Guard was raised to a level of confidence that allowed the troops to fight well with their allies at the bigger Battle of Wilson’s Creek a little more than a month later near Springfield, MO, contributing to a major Confederate victory there on August 10, 1861.