Presented by theDowntown Kansas City Missouri Rotary Club
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Presented by the Downtown Kansas City Missouri Rotary Club |
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A Brief History of the 1864 Price Campaign |
Prelude |
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| Confederate forces were getting desperate as the U.S. presidential election approached in the fall of 1864. They knew that the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln would be a disaster for their cause, but events on battlefields across the country were favoring Lincoln. Ulysses S. Grant had Robert E. Lee bottled up in the Siege of Petersburg; Jubal A. Early was driven back from the outskirts of Washington, D.C., and Philip Sheridan was pursuing him in the Shenandoah Valley; and William T. Sherman had captured Atlanta. Earlier that summer, Confederate authorities ordered their commander of forces in the Trans-Mississippi, Lt. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, to send a corps under Richard Taylor east across the Mississippi River to assist in the defense of Atlanta and Mobile. Such a crossing, by ferries or what would have been history's longest pontoon bridge, was deemed infeasible because of frequent Union gunboat patrols on the river, and Taylor was reassigned to other pursuits. Kirby Smith had a backup plan, inspired in part by preparations to divert Union attention from Taylor's proposed crossing. Smith decided to capture (or re-capture, in his view) Missouri for the Confederacy, believing it would be a way to turn Northern public perception against Lincoln. To accomplish this, he sent Sterling Price on a large cavalry raid in the direction of St. Louis. Price's plan was to capture St. Louis and its rich warehouses of military supplies, but if it turned out to be heavily defended, to bypass it and swing west to capture the state capital, Jefferson City. (This would be an obvious psychological blow and would provide some late justification for Missouri's star flying on the Confederate flag since 1861.) He would then continue to the west, cross into Kansas and head south through Indian Territory, "sweeping that country of its mules, horses, cattle, and military supplies". Price departed on his horse, "Bucephalus", from Camden, Arkansas, on August 28, 1864. The following day he linked up with two divisions in Princeton, and a third in Pocahontas on September 13. His combined force entered Missouri on September 19, and began almost daily skirmishing with Missouri militia units. |
  Lt. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith |
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September 27, 1864 |
 Maj. Gen. Sterling Price  One side of Fort Davidson as seen today. The crater from the powder magazine blast is visible on the far right. Pilot Knob is the hill at the back. |
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Fort Davidson / Pilot Knob |
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Approximately 305 miles South East of Kansas City |
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Estimated Casualties: 1,684 total (US 184; CS 1,500) |
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| Description: In September 1864, a Confederate army under Maj. Gen. Sterling Price crossed into Missouri with the goal of capturing St. Louis. Union Brig. Gen. Thomas Ewing moved with reinforcements down the railroad to Ironton to retard Price’s advance. On the morning of September 27, the Confederates attacked, driving the Federals back into their defenses anchored by Fort Davidson. In the late afternoon, Price unsuccessfully assaulted the fort repeatedly, suffering heavy casualties. Price, considering the possible time involved, had dismissed the possibility of mounting guns on the high ground to compel the fort to surrender or to shell the garrison into submission. During the night, the Federals evacuated the fort. Price had paid a high price in lives and gave Union forces the necessary time to concentrate and oppose his raid. | ||||||
October 15, 1864 |
 Maj. Gen. Sterling Price |
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Glasgow |
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Approximately 120 East of Kansas City |
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| Estimated Casualties: 450 total (US 400; CS 50) | ||||||
Description: While Maj. Gen. Sterling Price led his men westward across Missouri, he decided to send a detachment to Glasgow to liberate weapons and supplies in an arms storehouse, purported to be there. This combined mounted infantry, cavalry, and artillery force laid siege to the town and the fortifications on Hereford Hill. Before dawn on October 15, Confederate artillery opened on the town and Rebels advanced on Glasgow by various routes, forcing the Yankees to fall back. The Union forces retreated out of town and up the hill toward the fortifications on Hereford Hill. There they formed a defensive line in this area, but the Confederates continued to advance. Convinced that he could not defend against another Confederate attack, Col. Chester Harding surrendered around 1:30 pm. Although Harding destroyed some Federal stores, Price’s men found rifle-muskets, overcoats, and horses. The Confederates remained in town for three days before rejoining the main column with new supplies and weapons and marching on towards Kansas City. The victory and capture of supplies and weapons were a boost to Price’s army's morale. |
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October 19, 1864 |
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Lexington |
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Approximately 52 miles East of Kansas City |
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Estimated Casualties: Unknown |
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| Description: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s march along the Missouri River was slow, providing the Yankees a chance to concentrate. Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, commanding the Department of the Missouri, proposed a pincer movement to trap Price and his army, but he was unable to communicate with Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, commander of the Department of Kansas, to formalize the plan. Curtis was having problems because many of his troops were Kansas militia and they refused to enter Missouri, but a force of 2,000 men under the command of Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt did set out for Lexington. On October 19, Price’s army approached Lexington, collided with Union scouts and pickets about 2:00 pm, drove them back, and engaged in a battle with the main force. The Yankees resisted at first, but Price’s army eventually pushed them through the town to the western outskirts and pursued them along the Independence Road until night fall. Without Curtis’s entire force, the Yankees could not stop Price’s army, but they did further retard their slow march. Blunt gained valuable information about the size and disposition of Price’s army. | ||||
October 21, 1864 |
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Little Blue River / Westport |
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| Estimated Casualties: Unknown | ||||
Description: Price’s march along the Missouri River was slow, providing the Yankees a chance to concentrate. Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, commanding the Department of the Missouri, proposed a pincer movement to trap Price and his army, but he was unable to communicate with Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, commander of the Department of Kansas, to formalize the plan. Curtis was having problems because many of his troops were Kansas militia and they refused to enter Missouri, but a force of about 2,000 men under the command of Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt did set out for Lexington. He met the Confederate troops at Lexington on the 19th, slowed their progress, but was defeated and retreated. On the 20th, Blunt’s troops arrived on the Little Blue River, eight miles east of Independence. The Union force prepared to engage the Confederates again in a strong defensive position on the west bank. Curtis, however, ordered Blunt into Independence while leaving a small force, under Col. Thomas Moonlight, on the Little Blue. The next day, Curtis ordered Blunt to take all of the volunteers and return to the Little Blue. As he neared the stream, he discovered that Moonlight’s small force had burned the bridge as ordered, engaged the enemy, and retreated away from the strong defensive position occupied the day before, crossing the river. Blunt entered the fray and attempted to drive the enemy back beyond the defensive position that he wished to reoccupy. The Yankees forced the Confederates to fall back, at first, but their numerical superiority took its toll in the five-hour battle. The Federals retreated to Independence and went into camp there after dark. Once again, the Confederates had been slowed and more Union reinforcements were arriving. |
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October 22, 1864 |
 Brig. Gen. Joseph O. Shelby |
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Independence |
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Approximately 11 miles East of Kansas City |
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Estimated Casualties: Total unknown (US unknown; CS 140) |
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Description: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s army rode west in the direction of Kansas City. On the night of the 21st, he camped at Independence and resumed his westward march the next morning with Brig. Gen. Joe Shelby’s division in the lead followed by Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke’s division, with Brig. Gen. James Fagan’s division bringing up the rear. While Shelby’s men met success at Byram’s Ford, the other two columns did not fare as well. Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton’s Union force crossed the Little Blue, beat up a Rebel brigade in Fagan’s command, and occupied Independence. Marmaduke’s division then met Pleasonton about two miles west of Independence, hit the Federals hard, pressed them back, and held them at bay until the morning of the 23rd. Pleasonton’s actions, however, frightened Price and his army, and influenced them, after they had crossed the Big Blue, to send their wagon trains to Little Santa Fe on the Fort Scott Road. |
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October 22-23, 1864 |
 Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton |
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Byram’s Ford / Big Blue |
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Estimated Casualties: Unknown |
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Description: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s Army of Missouri was headed west towards Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth. Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis’s Army of the Border, in and around Westport, was blocking the Confederates’ way west and Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton’s provisional cavalry division was pressing Price’s army’s rear. Price had nearly 500 wagons with him and required a good ford over the Big Blue River to facilitate the passage of his supplies. Byram’s Ford was the best ford in the area and became a strategic point during the fighting around Westport. On October 22, Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt’s division held a defensive position on the Big Blue River’s west bank. Around 10:00 am on the 22nd, part of Brig. Gen. Joseph O. Shelby’s Confederate division conducted a frontal attack on Blunt’s men. This attack was a ruse because the rest of Shelby’s men flanked Blunt’s hasty defenses, forcing the Federals to retire to Westport. Price’s wagon train and about 5,000 head of cattle then crossed the Big Blue River at Byram’s Ford and headed southward toward Little Santa Fe and safety. Pleasonton’s cavalry was hot on the tail of Price’s army. Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke’s Rebel division held the west bank of the Big Blue at Byram’s Ford to prevent Pleasonton from attacking Price’s rear. Pleasonton assaulted Marmaduke at Byram’s Ford, around 8:00 am, on the 23rd. Three hours later, Marmaduke’s men had enough and fell back toward Westport. With Pleasonton across the river, he was now an additional threat to Price who was fighting Curtis’s Army of the Border at Westport. Price had to retreat south. |
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October 23, 1864 |
 General William S. Rosecrans |
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Westport |
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Approximately 5 miles South of Kansas City |
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| Estimated Casualties: 3,000 total (US 1,500; CS 1,500) | ||||
Description: Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s Missouri Expedition had changed course from St. Louis and Jefferson City to Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth. As his army neared Kansas City, Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis’s Army of the Border blocked its way west, while Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton’s provisional cavalry division was closing on their rear. Price decided that he needed to deal with the two Union forces and decided to attack them one at a time. With Pleasonton still behind him, Price chose to strike Curtis at Westport first. Curtis had established strong defensive lines and during a four-hour battle, the Confederates hurled themselves at the Union forces but to no avail. The Rebels could not break the Union lines and retreated south. Westport was the decisive battle of Price’s Missouri Expedition, and from this point on, the Rebels were in retreat. |
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October 25, 1864 |
 Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke |
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Mine Creek / Battle of Osage |
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Approximately 70 miles South of Kansas City (near Trading Post Kansas) |
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Estimated Casualties: 1,300 total (US 100; CS 1,200) |
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Description: About six miles south of Trading Post, where the Marais de Cygnes engagement had occurred, the brigades of Col. Frederick W. Benteen and Col. John F. Phillips, of Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton’s Provisional Cavalry Division, overtook the Confederates as they were crossing Mine Creek. These Rebels, stalled by their wagons crossing the ford, had formed a line on the north side of Mine Creek. The Federals, although outnumbered, commenced the attack as additional troops from Pleasonton’s command arrived during the fight. They soon surrounded the Rebels, resulting in the capture of about 600 men and two generals, Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke and Brig. Gen. William L. Cabell. Having lost this many men, Price’s army was doomed. Retreat to friendly territory was the only recourse. |
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October 28, 1864 |
 Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt |
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Newtonia |
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Approximately 174 South of Kansas City near Joplin |
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Estimated Casualties: 650 total (US 400; CS 250) |
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Description: Price’s force was in full retreat following its expedition into Missouri. On October 28, 1864, it stopped to rest about two miles south of Newtonia, Missouri. Soon afterward, Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt’s Union troops surprised the Confederates and began to drive them. Brig. Gen. Joe Shelby’s division, including his Iron Brigade, rode to the front, dismounted, and engaged the Yankees while the other Rebel troops retreated towards Indian Territory. Brig. Gen. John B. Sanborn later appeared with Union reinforcements which convinced Shelby to retire. The Union troops forced the Confederates to retreat but failed to destroy or capture them. |
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