The Battle of Boonville was over almost before it began, but its consequences were huge. By driving the secessionist Missouri State Guard out of the river port, Union forces gained control of the Missouri River — the main highway across the state — and prevented Missouri's pro-Confederate governor from organising serious resistance there. Historians often call it the first land battle of the western theatre of the Civil War.
The battlefield today is largely farmland and suburban edge on the northwest side of town. Interpretive markers along Highway B and the old Rocheport Road explain the action; a small memorial sits near the spot where the Confederate line broke. Combine it with a walk along the Cobblestone Street and a stop at the Kemper Military School grounds for a half-day Civil War circuit.