Robertson, a store owner in Saline County, Missouri born in Kentucky had been granted his commission by Major General Sterling Price at Lexington.

Meanwhile, Union Brigadier General John Pope, in command of the District of Central Missouri, was determined to suppress Southern recruiting in the region.

They were unable to merge with Clarkson but they were joined by Colonel Ebenezer Magoffin, who was on parole after being captured while attempting to recruit his own regiment.

General Pope claimed the capture of "1,300 men…three colonels (Robinson, Alexander, and Magoffin)…one lieutenant-colonel (Robinson), one major (Harris), and 51 commissioned company officers" and "About 500 horses and mules, 73 wagons heavily loaded with powder, lead, tents, subsistence stores, and supplies of various kinds…also 1,000 stand of arms.

Franklin Robertson's military career did not recover, and he re-entered service as a captain after exchange at Vicksburg in the summer of 1862.

Among the 684 known prisoners marched to Sedalia and carried by rail to St. Louis were several other notables: Ebenezer Magoffin, William Goff Caples, and Bartholomew W. Keown.

Of national interest a Missouri military tribunal convicted Ebenezer Magoffin of violating his parole and sentenced him to be executed.

William Goff Caples was a fiery secessionist minister and president of the Missouri Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.

It was alleged that in this capacity he obtained detailed information about the Benton County Home Guard (Unionist) regiment and relayed it to secessionist militia in Warsaw who launched a successful attack, the Battle of Cole Camp (1861).