E.D. is correct that both events, the massacre and the battle, took place the same day with an interval of time between them.

Regarding Major Johnston being in the area, the amalgamated group of different guerrilla bands attacked Fayette, county seat of Howard County, on Friday, September 23, which alerted all Union troops in the area to be on alert, even though the attack on Fayette was disastrous to the southerners, as they suffered heavy losses for no gain. Just prior to the Fayette attack, the different guerrilla band leaders (John Thrailkill, Bill Anderson, George Todd, Silas "Cy" Gordon, Tom Todd, Dave Poole, Bill Stewart, William Quantrill and a small bodyguard, and possibly Confederate Colonel and recruiter Caleb Perkins and perhaps other officers) appointed Bill Anderson as being in command of all the bushwhacker bands. After the failed Fayette attack, Quantrill and his body guard and perhaps also the Confederate officers left the group and the rest rode north into Randolph County Saturday, September 24 and Sunday, September 25 where they attempted without success to bluff the Union force of militia at Huntsville into surrendering, then veered east into Monroe County on Monday, September 26 with the intent to attack Paris, the county seat. When Anderson learned that Major Johnston and several companies of his mounted 39th Missouri Infantry were there, he turned the whole group southwest and out of Monroe County, possibly across a corner of Audrain County, and into northeast Boone County to camp Monday evening of September 26 only four miles from Centralia. Meanwhile, Major Johnston learned that the guerrilla group had been only a few miles from him at Paris on September 26 and set out following their trail trying to locate them. He eventually did find them on the afternoon of Tuesday, September 27 in that battle outside Centralia.

Bruce Nichols