Battle of Little Blue River

| Battle of Little Blue River
Westport

| Began:|

October 21, 1864

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| Ended:|

Same day

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| Location:|

Jackson County, Missouri

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| Theater:|

Trans-Mississippi Theater

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| Campaign:|

Price’s Missouri Expedition

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| Outcome:|

Confederate victory

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Combatants

1st Division,
Army of the Border

Army of Missouri

Commanders

Samuel R. Curtis
Major General, USA

Sterling Price
Major General, CSA

Strength

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Casualties

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. (NPS summary)

v • d • e

Major General Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition, September-October 1864

Fort Davidson \-- Glasgow \-- 2nd Lexington \-- Little Blue River \-- 2nd Independence \-- Byram's Ford \-- Westport \-- Marais des Cygnes \-- Marmiton River \-- Mine Creek \-- 2nd Newtonia

v • d • e

Battles of the American Civil War: 1864

Eastern Theater|

Morton's Ford \-- Walkerton \-- Plymouth \-- Albemarle Sound \-- The Wilderness \-- Port Walthall Junction \-- Todd's Tavern \-- Cloyd’s Mountain \-- Spotsylvania Court House \-- Swift Creek \-- Chester Station \-- Cove Mountain \-- Yellow Tavern \-- Proctor's Creek \-- New Market \-- Ware Bottom Church \-- North Anna \-- Wilson’s Wharf \-- Haw's Shop \-- Totopotomoy Creek \-- Old Church \-- Cold Harbor \-- Piedmont \-- 1st Petersburg \-- Trevilian Station \-- Jerusalem Plank Road \-- 2nd Petersburg \-- Lynchburg \-- Saint Mary's Church \-- Staunton River Bridge \-- Sappony Church \-- Monocacy \-- Fort Stevens \-- Heaton's Crossroads \-- Cool Spring \-- Rutherford's Farm \-- 2nd Kernstown \-- 1st Ream's Station \-- 1st Deep Bottom \-- The Crater \-- Folck's Mill \-- Moorefield \-- 2nd Deep Bottom \-- Guard Hill \-- Globe Tavern \-- Summit Point \-- Smithfield Crossing \-- 2nd Ream's Station \-- Berryville \-- Beefsteak Raid \-- Opequon \-- Fisher's Hill \-- Chaffin's Farm \-- Peebles' Farm \-- Darbytown and New Market Roads \-- Darbytown Road \-- Tom's Brook \-- Cedar Creek \-- Boydton Plank Road \-- Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road \-- Rainbow Bluff Expedition \-- 1st Fort Fisher \-- Fort Branch

Western Theater|

Dandridge \-- Athens \-- Fair Garden \-- Meridian \-- Okolona \-- 1st Dalton \-- Paducah \-- Fort Pillow \-- Rocky Face Ridge \-- Resaca \-- Adairsville \-- New Hope Church \-- Dallas \-- Pickett's Mill \-- Marietta \-- Brice's Crossroads \-- Cynthiana \-- Kolb's Farm \-- Kennesaw Mountain \-- Pace's Ferry \-- Tupelo \-- Peachtree Creek\-- Atlanta \-- Ezra Church \-- Brown's Mill \-- Utoy Creek \-- 2nd Dalton \-- Lovejoy's Station \-- Mobile Bay \-- Fort Gaines \-- 2nd Memphis \-- Fort Morgan \-- Jonesborough \-- 1st Saltville \-- Allatoona \-- Decatur \-- Johnsonville \-- Bull's Gap \-- Griswoldville \-- Columbia \-- Buck Head Creek \-- Honey Hill \-- Spring Hill \-- 2nd Franklin \-- Waynesboro \-- 3rd Murfreesboro\-- Altamaha Bridge \-- 2nd Fort McAllister \-- Nashville \-- Marion \-- 2nd Saltville

Trans-Mississippi Theater|

Fort De Russy \-- Elkin’s Ferry \-- Mansfield \-- Pleasant Hill \-- Prairie D'Ane \-- Blair's Landing \-- Monett's Ferry \-- Poison Spring \-- Marks' Mills \-- Jenkins' Ferry \-- Calcasieu Pass \-- Mansura \-- Yellow Bayou \-- Old River Lake \-- Killdeer Mountain \-- Fort Davidson \-- Glasgow \-- 2nd Lexington \-- Little Blue River \-- 2nd Independence \-- Byram's Ford \-- Westport \-- Marais des Cygnes \-- Marmiton River \-- Mine Creek \-- 2nd Newtonia

Lower Seaboard Theater|

Olustee \-- Gainesville

Naval|

Hunley vs Housatonic \-- Cherbourg