The battle saw Confederate troops under Colonels Douglas H. Cooper and Joseph O. Shelby defeat a Union force commanded by Brigadier General Frederick Salomon.

The historic district contains some Civil War-period structures, as well as the Mathew H. Ritchey House, which is listed separately on the NRHP.

In September 1862, a Union column commanded by Brigadier General James G. Blunt advanced south into southwestern Missouri.

Blunt's advance guard, commanded by Brigadier General Frederick Salomon, learned of the Confederate presence of Newtonia.

A combined charge by Shelby's brigade and Cooper's Native Americans broke a secondary line the Union forces had formed after their initial repulse.

The central areas of the site are five contributing resources, as well as the Mathew H. Ritchey House, which is listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places.