Battle of Byram's Ford

Battle of Byram's Ford
Part of the American Civil War
The ford
Date October 22, 1864 (1864-10-22) – October 23, 1864 (1864-10-23) Location Kansas City, Missouri Result Union Victory[1]
Belligerents
United States (Union)	CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders and leaders
James G. Blunt Alfred Pleasonton	Joseph O. Shelby John S. Marmaduke
Units involved
Army of the Border, 1st Division Pleasanton's Cavalry Division	Army of Missouri, Shelby's and Marmaduke's Divisions
Strength
2 divisions	2 divisions
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Battle of Byram's Ford was a minor engagement of the American Civil War, comprising two separate skirmishes on October 22–23, 1864, in Jackson County, Missouri. It formed a part of the larger Battle of Westport, which ultimately resulted in a Union victory and the end of all major Confederate operations in Missouri.

This battle is also sometimes referred to as the "Battle of the Big Blue River".^[2]

Background

Maj. Gen. Sterling Price's Confederate Army of Missouri was headed westward towards Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth, hoping to capture Missouri for the South and negatively influence Abraham Lincoln's chances for reelection in 1864. Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis's Army of the Border, in and around Westport, was blocking the Confederates' way west, while Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton's provisional cavalry division was pressing Price's rear. Price had nearly 500 wagons with him, and required a good ford over the Blue River to facilitate passage of his supplies. Byram's Ford was the best crossing in the area, and would clearly be a point of great strategic significance during the impending Battle of Westport.

First engagement, October 22

On October 22, Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt's division held a defensive position on the west bank of the Big Blue River. Around 10 a.m., 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 then crossed the Big Blue River at Byram's Ford and headed south to the village of Little Santa Fe and safety.

Second engagement, October 23

The Battle of Westport began in earnest on the morning of the October 23. Pleasonton's cavalry was hot on the tail of Price's army, having engaged his rear guard in nearby Independence the previous day. Brig. Gen. John S. Marmaduke's Confederate division had stopped Pleasanton just west of Independence, and now held the west bank of the Big Blue at Byram's Ford to protect Price's rear from an expected Union attack.

Pleasonton began his assault on Byram's Ford around 8 a.m. Initially the Confederates held their own. One of the Union brigade commanders, Brig. Gen. Egbert B. Brown, stalled his attack and was placed under arrest by Pleasonton for disobeying orders. Another of Pleasonton's brigade commanders, Col. Edward F. Winslow, was wounded and succeeded by Lt. Col. Frederick Benteen, who later rode to fame at the Little Bighorn. Despite these setbacks, Federal troopers gained the west bank by 11 a.m. and Marmaduke retired. As Brown's brigade (now led by Col. John F. Philips) forded the river, they came under heavy fire from Confederate artillery. Once they had crossed, they charged Marmaduke across an open field; during this charge, Union troops from Missouri and Arkansas battled Confederates from these same two states. As Marmaduke rejoined Shelby and Fagan, Blunt pounded the consolidated Confederate forces with his own cannon, completing Pleasanton's victory at Byram's Ford and contributing significantly to Curtis's larger triumph at Westport.

Aftermath

With Pleasonton now across the river he was now an additional threat to Price, who was heavily engaged with Curtis's main force at Westport. Defeated by Curtis there and menaced by Pleasanton and an additional Federal brigade under John McNeil, Price had to abandon his Missouri campaign and retreat southward. This brought to a close the last major Confederate military operation west of the Mississippi River, and ended the last major Southern threat to any Northern state.

References

Missouri in the American Civil War
Pre-war	History of slavery in Missouri Missouri Compromise Dred Scott Decision Bleeding Kansas Armed Neutrality
Secession crisis and divided government	Missouri secession Missouri Constitutional Convention Camp Jackson Affair Gamble's Provisional Government Liberty Arsenal St. Louis Arsenal Missouri State Guard Missouri State Militia Price–Harney Truce Governor on the Run List of Missouri Confederate Civil War units
1861	Grant's First Command Battle of Boonville Battle of Cole Camp Battle of Carthage Battle of Athens Battle of Wilson's Creek Frémont Martial Law Battle of Dry Wood Creek Platte Bridge Railroad Tragedy Sacking of Osceola Battle of Liberty Siege of Lexington Battle of Fredericktown First Battle of Springfield Department of the Missouri Battle of Belmont Gratiot Street Prison Burning of Platte City Blackwater/Milford Battle of Mount Zion Church
1862	Army of the West Battle of Roan's Tan Yard Battle of Island Number Ten Battle of Moore's Mill Battle of Kirksville First Battle of Independence Battle of Lone Jack First Battle of Newtonia Palmyra Massacre Skirmish at Island Mound Battle of Clark's Mill
1863	Second Battle of Springfield Battle of Hartville Battle of Cape Girardeau Battle of Chalk Bluff General Order No. 11 Shelby's Raid
1864	Centralia Massacre Army of Missouri Price's Raid Battle of Fort Davidson Battle of Glasgow Battle of Albany Second Battle of Lexington Battle of Little Blue River Battle of Byram's Ford Second Battle of Independence Battle of Westport Battle of Marmiton River Second Battle of Newtonia
1865	Lincoln's Vaughn Pardon
Reconstruction	James–Younger Gang Bald Knobbers

Coordinates: 39°01′22″N 94°31′51″W / 39.0228°N 94.5307°W / 39.0228; -94.5307