Price's Missouri Expedition: Difference between revisions

| partof = the [[Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War|Trans-Mississippi Theater]] of the<br>[[American Civil War]]

| scope = [[Military strategy|Strategic]] [[Offensive (military)|offensive]]

| location = [[Arkansas]], [[Missouri]], [[Kansas]], [[Indian Territory]], and [[KansasTexas]]

'''Price's Missouri Expedition''' (August 29 – December 2, 1864), also known as '''Price's Raid''' or '''Price's Missouri Raid''', was an unsuccessful [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] [[Cavalry in the American Civil War|cavalry]] raid through the states of [[Arkansas]], [[Missouri]], and [[Kansas]] in the [[Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War|Trans-Mississippi Theater]] of the [[American Civil War]]. Led by Confederate Major- General [[Sterling Price]], the [[Military campaign|campaign]]'s intention wasaimed to recapture Missouri and renew the Confederate initiative in the larger conflict.

Despite achieving several early victories, Price was ultimately defeated at the [[Battle of Westport]] by [[Union (American Civil War)Army|Union forces]] forces under Major- General [[Samuel R. Curtis]] in late October. He suffered further reverses at the hands of Union cavalry under Major- General [[Alfred Pleasonton]] at the [[Battle of Mine Creek]], [[Kansas]], forcing him to retreat back into [[Arkansas]]. Price's Missouri Expedition proved to be the last significant Southern operation west of the [[Mississippi River]]. Its failure bolstered confidence in an ultimate Union victory in the war, thereby contributing to President [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s [[1864 United States presidential election|re-election]]. It also cemented Federal control over the hotly contested [[Border states (American Civil War)|border state]] of Missouri.

After three years of bloody fighting, Confederate authorities were becoming desperate as the [[U.S. presidential election, 1864|U.S. presidential election]] approached during the fall of 1864. The Union controlled the key western rivers and cities, Sherman was moving through Georgia, and Lee was tied down to the defense of Richmond. With foreign recognition now hopeless, Abraham Lincoln's re-election would be disastrous for their cause.

[[File:NPS CW at a Glance Western 1864.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|left|The strategic situation in the west in 1864.]]

|<gallery perrow="3">File:Sterling Price-1.jpg|<{{center>|Maj. Gen.<br />[[Sterling Price]], CSA</center>}}

File:Samuelcurtis.jpg|<{{center>|Maj. Gen.<br />[[Samuel R. Curtis]], USA</center>}}</gallery>

Price assembled a force he named the [[Army of Missouri]], consisting of 12,000 men and fourteen artillery pieces.<ref name="missouridivision-scv.org">[http://www.missouridivision-scv.org/pricereport1864raid.htm Official Report of Maj. Gen. Sterling Price] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618203715/http://www.missouridivision-scv.org/pricereport1864raid.htm |date=June 18, 2013 }}. Retrieved on 2009-11-27.</ref> His army was divided into three [[division (military)|divisions]] under Maj. Gen. [[James F. Fagan]], Maj. Gen. [[John S. Marmaduke]], and Brig. Gen. [[Joseph O. Shelby|Joseph O. "Jo" Shelby]]. However, the infantry units originally assigned to Price were ordered to the Western Theater, changing his mission from ana full-fledged invasion into a cavalry raid.<ref>Davis, Dale E. [httphttps://wwwapps.dtic.mil/cgi-binsti/pdfs/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA428656&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf Assessing Compound Warfare During Price's Raid]. Ft. Leavenworth: U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, 2004, pg. 46.</ref>

The Union Army in Missouri included thousands of [[Missouri State Militia (Union)|Missouri State Militia]] cavalry, which would play a key role in defeating Price, together with the [[XVI Corps (ACW)|XVI Corps]] of Maj. Gen. [[Andrew J. Smith]]. These were augmented by Maj. Gen. [[Alfred Pleasonton]]'s cavalry division, detached from [[William S. Rosecrans]]'s Department of Missouri. As Price commenced his campaign, Smith's corps was on naval transports leaving [[Cairo, Illinois]], to join Gen. [[William T. Sherman]]'s army in Georgia; Rosecrans requested these troops be assigned to Missouri to deal with the threat, and Army Chief of Staff [[Henry W. Halleck]] immediately complied. By mid-October, more troops had arrived from the Kansas border under Maj. Gen. [[Samuel R. Curtis]], Price's old adversary at the [[Battle of Pea Ridge]] and commander of the newly activated [[Army of the Border]]. Curtis commanded the divisions of Maj. Gen. [[James G. Blunt]] (cavalry), Maj. Gen. [[George Dietzler|George W. Dietzler]] (Kansas Militia), Pleasonton's cavalry, and two [[infantry]] divisions from Smith's corps under [[Colonel]]s Joseph J. Woods and David C. Moore&mdash;aboutMoore—about 35,000 men in all.<ref>Monnett, Howard N. ''Action Before Westport: 1864'' (Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado), 1995 Revised Edition. See also [http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=jayprice&p=/PricesRaid/ The Western Theater and Price's Raid] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100708160649/http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=jayprice&p=/PricesRaid/ |date=July 8, 2010 }}, from Wichita State University. Retrieved on 2009-11-30. A unit-by-unit breakdown of this force can be found in the Wikipedia article [[Westport Union order of battle]].</ref> The Confederates were already greatly outnumbered.

Price departed on his horse, Bucephalus, from [[Camden, Arkansas]], on August 28, 1864. The following day he linked up with two divisions in [[Princeton, Arkansas|Princeton]], and then a third in [[Pocahontas, Arkansas|Pocahontas]] on September 13. His combined force entered Missouri on September 19. ThoughAlthough Missouri pro-Union militia skirmished with the invading force almost daily, Price's first full battle did not come until September 27, at [[Pilot Knob, Missouri|Pilot Knob]], southwest of St. Louis in [[Iron County, Missouri|Iron County]].<ref name="missouridivision-scv.org"/>

: That same day, 130 miles to the northwest, a band of pro-Confederate [[guerrilla warfare|guerrillas]] led by [[William T. Anderson|William "Bloody Bill" Anderson]] sacked the town of [[Centralia, Missouri|Centralia]], executing 24 unarmed Union soldiers in the infamous [[Centralia Massacre (Missouri)|Centralia Massacre]]. Anderson, an associate of the notorious [[bushwhacker]] Col. [[William Quantrill|William C. Quantrill]], was accompanied by [[Frank James|Frank]] and [[Jesse James]].<ref>[http://mmcwrt.missouri.org/2000/default0007.htm The Centralia Massacre and Battle] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090413071830/http://mmcwrt.missouri.org/2000/default0007.htm |date=2009-04-13 }}. Mid-Missouri Civil War Roundtable. Retrieved on 2009-11-29. See also Davis, pp. 40-4140–41.</ref> In response to these events XVI Corps now moved to St. Louis, reinforced by Pleasonton. Seeing that his primary target of St. Louis was too strongly defended to take, Price turned west toward Jefferson City.<ref>Davis, pg. 49.</ref> He eventually discovered, however, that the capital was also too heavily fortified, and he bypassed it and continued west toward [[Kansas City, Missouri]].<ref>Davis, pp. 50-5250–52.</ref>

: As Price's army continued to creep slowly west, Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, commanding the [[Department of the Missouri]], proposed a [[pincer movement]] to surround and trap his enemy. However, he was unable to contact Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, commander of the [[Department of Kansas]], to formalize the plan. In any event, Curtis was having problems of his own, since many of his men were Kansas militia and they refused to serve in Missouri. A force of 2,000 under Major General [[James G. Blunt]] finally set out for [[Lexington, Missouri]], about {{convert|30|mi|km}} east of Kansas City. On October 19, Price's army approached Lexington, colliding with Union [[Reconnaissance|scout]]s and [[Picket (military)|picket]]s at about 2:00 p.m. The Confederates quickly forced them back, then engaged the main Federal force. The Union troops resisted for a time, but Price's men finally drove them through the town to the western outskirts, pursuing them along the Independence Road until nightfall. Without Curtis's force, Rosecrans could not stop Price's army, but he did retard their sluggish march. Blunt also gained valuable information on the size and disposition of Price's army.<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/mo023.htm Lexington]. National Park Service CWSAC Battle Summary. Retrieved on 2009-11-29. See also Davis, pp. 61-6261–62.</ref>

: On October 20, Blunt's retreating troops arrived on the [[Little Blue River (Missouri)|Little Blue River]], {{convert|8|mi|km}} east of [[Independence, Missouri|Independence]]. The Union force turned to engage the Confederates once again, using a strong defensive position on the west bank. However, Curtis ordered Blunt to return to Independence, leaving only a brigade under Colonel [[Thomas Moonlight]] on the Little Blue. The next day, Curtis changed his mind and ordered Blunt to take his volunteers back to the river. As he approached the stream, Blunt found that Moonlight's brigade had engaged Price's advance guard at sunup, burning the bridge as they had previously been ordered. Price's main force had arrived and was fiercely engaging Moonlight's men, who stubbornly guarded every [[ford (river)|ford]] in the area. Blunt immediately attacked, trying to drive Price back beyond the defensive positions he hoped to recover. A five-hour battle took place, in which the Union troops would force the Confederates to fall back, entrenching themselves behind rock walls, and await an inevitable counterattack. The outnumbered Federals compelled their enemy to fight for every inch of ground, but Confederate numeric superiority eventually forced the Yankees to retreat. The focus of the battle shifted to Independence itself.<ref>[http://ehistory.osu.edu/World/BattleView.cfm?BID=611 Little Blue River (Westport)]. Retrieved on 2009-11-26. See also [http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/mo024.htm Little Blue River]. National Park Service CWSAC Battle Summary. Retrieved on 2009-11-29.</ref><ref>Davis, pp. 62-5462–54.</ref>

:As Blunt's forces at the Little Blue withdrew westward toward Kansas City, they passed through Independence. Here Union rearguard units attempted to cover their retreat by engaging Price's oncoming troops in the city streets. Brisk fighting raged through the town all afternoon, with the Federals slowly being pushed back. On the night of October 21 Price camped along an unfinished railroad cut just west of Independence, having taken the city itself. However, he was himself being pursued by 10,000 Union cavalry under Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton, who caught up with Price in Independence at dawn the following day. Pleasonton crossed the Little Blue and attacked the city from the northeast, thus hitting Price in his rear as he undertook to continue his westward march. Two of Fagan's brigades were mauled by the attacking Federals, being pushed back through the city toward the west where the main Federal force lay. Another Confederate brigade attempted to stem the onslaught on the grounds of what is now the [[Community of Christ]]'s [[Independence Temple]], but was practically annihilated by Pleasonton's force. Nevertheless, a decisive victory eluded the Union in Independence. Marmaduke's division engaged Pleasonton about {{convert|2|mi|km}} west of town, managing to push the Federals back and hold them until the morning of the 23rd. The focus of activity now shifted westward from Independence to Westport, in modern Kansas City.<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/mo025.htm Independence]. National Park Service CWSAC Battle Summary. Retrieved on 11 July 2008. See also Davis, pp. 64, 67-6867–68.</ref>

: As Price neared Kansas City, he learned that General Curtis' Federal Army of the Border had assembled in and around [[Westport, Kansas City|Westport]], blocking his way west. Furthermore, Pleasonton's cavalry division was pressing Price's rear, being heavily engaged with elements of his force in Independence on the 22nd (see above). Price had nearly 500 wagons in his train, and he required a good ford over the [[Blue River (Missouri)|Big Blue River]] to enable the safe passage of his supplies. Byram's Ford was the best in the area, and thus became a strategic point during the fighting that was about to take place around Westport. On October 22, Blunt's Union division held a defensive position on the Big Blue's west bank. Around 10:00 a.m., parts of Shelby's division conducted a diversionary frontal attack on Blunt's men. The rest of Shelby's men [[flanking maneuver|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 south toward Little Santa Fe and temporary safety.<ref>Davis, pp. 65-6765–67. See also [http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/mo026.htm Byram's Ford]. National Park Service CWSAC Battle Summary. Retrieved on 2009-11-29.</ref>

:The second skirmish at Byram's Ford took place on the 23rd, forming a part of the decisive [[Battle of Westport]], which was raging nearby. Having dislodged Blunt's division the day before, Confederates under Marmaduke now held the west bank of the Big Blue to prevent Pleasonton from attacking Price's rear. The Northern general began his assault on Byram's Ford around 8 a.m., and initially the Confederates held their own. One of the Union brigade commanders, Brigadier General [[Egbert B. Brown]], stalled his attack and was arrested by Pleasonton for disobeying orders. Another brigade commander, Colonel Edward F. Winslow, was wounded and succeeded by Lt. Col. [[Frederick Benteen]], who later rode to fame at the [[Battle of the Little Bighorn|Little Bighorn]]. Despite these setbacks, Federal troops gained the west bank by 11 a.m. and Marmaduke retired. Price now faced two Federal armies, one to his front and one to his rear, each of which outnumbered his beleaguered force. The outcome of the Battle of Westport was sealed, although the fighting would continue until that evening.<ref>Davis, pp. 69, 71-7271–72. See also [http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/mo026.htm Byram's Ford]. National Park Service CWSAC Battle Summary. Retrieved on 2009-11-29.</ref>

:Spurning the idea of any retreat southwards, Price decided that he would deal with Curtis and Pleasonton by attacking them one at a time. Pleasonton was coming hard after the previous day's fighting in Independence, so Price decided to strike Curtis' [[Army of the Border]] at Westport first, then turn to deal with Pleasonton in his rear. However Curtis held strong defensive positions and despite numerous charges during the four-hour battle, Price was unable to break the Union line. Once Pleasonton crossed the Big Blue River at Byram's Ford, Price's fate was sealed. His army retreated south through Kansas toward Arkansas, pursued by Pleasonton's cavalry; it would never recover. This battle, known afterwards as "the Gettysburg of the West", effectively ended Price's campaign and all remaining Confederate hopes west of the Mississippi River.<ref>Davis, pp. 69-7369–73. See also [http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/mo027.htm Westport]. National Park Service CWSAC Battle Summary. Retrieved on 2009-11-29.</ref>

: About {{convert|6|mi|km}} south of Trading Post, the brigades of Col. [[Frederick W. Benteen]] and Col. [[John Finis Philips|John Philips]] of Pleasonton's division, overtook Price's Confederates as they were crossing Mine Creek. The Southerners had been stalled as their wagons crossed the swollen ford, and they formed their line of battle on the north side of Mine Creek. Although outnumbered, the Federals commenced a mounted attack, led by the [[4th Iowa Cavalry]], which one participant described as bursting upon the Confederates "like a thunderbolt", causing Price's line to disintegrate "like a row of bricks".<ref>Scott, William Forse. [https://archive.org/details/storyacavalryre00scotgoog ''The Story of a Cavalry Regiment: The Career of the Fourth Iowa Veteran Volunteers from Kansas to Georgia''] (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons), 1893, pp. 250-301250–301.</ref> Superior Union firepower and the ferocity of their attack made up for their inferior numbers, and Pleasonton's cavalry forced Price to retreat once more. Approximately 600 of Price's men and two of his generals, Marmaduke and Brig. Gen. [[William L. Cabell]], were captured, together with six cannon.<ref>Davis, pg. 74. See also [http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/ks003.htm Mine Creek]. National Park Service CWSAC Battle Summary. Retrieved on 2009-11-29.</ref><ref>[http://webs.wichita.edu/?u=jayprice&p=/BattleofMineCreek/ The Battle of Mine Creek]. Retrieved on 2009-11-29.</ref>

: The tattered remnants of Price's army stopped to rest about {{convert|2|mi|km}} south of [[Newtonia, Missouri]]. Soon afterward, Blunt's Union cavalry surprised the Confederates and engaged them. With many of Price's troops in pell-mell retreat, Joseph Shelby's division&mdash;includingdivision—including his [[Shelby's Iron Brigade|Iron Brigade]]&mdash;rode—rode to the front, dismounted, and engaged the Federals while the remaining Southerners retreated towards the [[Indian Territory]]. Brigadier General [[John B. Sanborn|John Sanborn]] later appeared with Union reinforcements, convincing Shelby to retire. Union troops had once again forced the Confederates to retreat, but failed to destroy or capture them. This was the final battle in Price's Missouri campaign.<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/mo029.htm Newtonia]. National Park Service CWSAC Battle Summary. Retrieved on 2009-11-29.</ref>

In his 2004 paper [httphttps://wwwapps.dtic.mil/cgi-binsti/pdfs/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA428656&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf Assessing Compound Warfare During Price's Raid], written as a thesis for the [[U.S. Army Command and General Staff College]], Major Dale E. Davis postulates that Price's Missouri Expedition failed primarily due to his inability to properly employ the principles of "compound warfare"." This requires an inferior power to effectively utilizeuse regular and irregular forces in concert (such as was done by the [[North Vietnamese]] and [[Viet Cong]] against the French and Americans during the [[Vietnam War]]) to defeat a superior army. He also blamedblames Price's slow rate of movement during his campaign, and the close proximity of Confederate irregulars to his regular force, for this outcome.<ref>Davis, pp. 85-8685–86.</ref>

Major Davis observes that by wasting valuable time, ammunition and men in relativelyfairly meaningless assaults on Fort Davidson, Glasgow, [[Capture of Sedalia|Sedalia]] and Boonville, Price offeredgave Union General Rosecrans time to organize an effective response he might not otherwise have had to organize an effective response. Furthermore, he says, Price's insistence on guarding an ever-expandinggrowing wagon train of looted military supplies and other items ultimately became "an albatross to [his] withdrawal"."<ref>Davis, pg. 55.</ref> Price, wrote Davis, ''ought'' to have used Confederate bushwhackers to harass Federal formations, forcing thehis Union Unionistsfoe to dispersesend large numbers of troops out to pursue them over wide ranges of territory. This in turn would have reduced the number of effectives available to fight against Price's main force. Instead, Price kept many guerrillas close to his army and even incorporated some into his ranks, thuswhich largelysharply negatingreduced the value represented byof their mobility and small, independent formations. This in turn allowed the Federal generals to ultimately concentrate a force large enough to trap and defeat Price at [[Battle of Westport|Westport]], effectivelywhich endingended his campaign, forced him to retreat, and crushingcrushed one of the Confederacy's last hopes for the Confederacy in the Civil War.<ref>Davis, pg. 87.</ref>

* {{cite book|last1=Lause|first1=Mark A.|title=The Collapse of Price's Raid: The Beginning of the End in Civil War Missouri (Shades of Blue and Gray)|date=2014|publisher=University of Missouri PrssPress|location=Columbia and London|isbn=978-0826220257}}

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