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Big Blue Battlefield Map Showing Shelby's Flanking Movements
Lt. Col. George H. Hoyt, 15th Kansas Cavalry
Col. Charles R. Jennison, 1st Brigade, Blunt's Division, Army of the Border
Brig. Gen. Jo Shelby, Shelby's Division, Army of Missouri
Col. Sydney D. Jackman, Jackman's Brigade, Shelby's Division
Brig. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson, Iron Brigade, Shelby's Division
Col. Alonzo W. Slayback, Slayback's Missouri Cavalry Battalion, Iron Brigade
Col. Thomas Moonlight, 2d Brigade, Blunt's Division, Army of the Border
Earlier today, Federal defenders at Byram’s Ford on the Big Blue River retreated to Westport after their position was flanked by Confederate cavalry. This evening, Confederate campfires are burning over a wide area west of the Big Blue River.
Yesterday evening, men belonging to the 4th Kansas State Militia marched for this location. They reached Byram’s Ford after midnight and settled down until morning. At first light, they began chopping down trees. Then they hauled the trees into the river to render Byram’s Ford impassable to the Confederates.
Defending Byram’s Ford was Jennison’s 1st Brigade, Blunt’s Division, Army of the Border, commanded by Lt. Col. George H. Hoyt. There were about 750 to 800 men from the 15th Kansas Cavalry, 3d Wisconsin Cavalry, and the 4th Kansas State Militia. Attached to the 15th Kansas Cavalry were two mountain howitzers, commanded by 2d Lt. Henry L. Barker, Company G.
The federals deployed their skirmish line about 300 yards from the ford along a fence line marking the eastern edge of William Adams farm. The battery section set up astride the Byram’s Ford Road with the 4th KSM to their right. The 15th Kansas Cavalry deployed to the left of the battery and the 3d Wisconsin Cavalry was on the Federal left flank.
Getting an early start, Brig. Gen. Jo Shelby took his division down the Santa Fe Trail out of Independence. After a couple of miles, Shelby ordered Col. Sydney D. Jackman to take his brigade west down the Independence to Westport Road to fake an attack against the Federal defenders at the Main Crossing over the Big Blue River. Shelby continued southwest with the Iron Brigade commanded by Brig. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson, taking the Byram’s Ford Road. They reached the approaches to Byram’s Ford around 9:00 a.m. and Shelby sent in General Thompson to get control of the ford.
It was heavy going for the Confederates. Thompson struggled to make any headway because of the work done by the 4th KSM to obstruct the ford coupled with the shelling from Barker’s two mountain howitzers. After a few hours of no progress, Shelby came to a decision. He ordered Col. Alonzo W. Slayback to take his cavalry battalion downstream, cross over to the west side of the river and hit the Federal left flank hard. Then Shelby took Col. Frank B. Gordon and his 5th Missouri Cavalry upstream to find a way across the river. Thompson was to remain in place until one or both of these flanking movements dislodged the Federals.
They didn’t have long to wait. Around 1:00 p.m., The Federals were beginning to sense movement on both flanks. Then Slayback’s battalion attacked the Federal left flank. The Federals resisted for awhile but had to retreat west around 3:00 p.m. Now, General Thompson moved the remainder of his brigade across Byram’s Ford and started after the retreating Federals. The Confederates chased the Federals all the way back to the State line where Col. Thomas Moonlight came to their rescue. Moonlight’s brigade had been deployed at Simmons’s Ford not quite one mile downstream from Byram’s Ford. When Moonlight heard the attack at Byram’s Ford, he decided to pull out from Simmons’s Ford and reinforce the retreating Federals. After Moonlight reinforced Jennison’s command, they pushed the Confederates back from the State line and then withdrew into Westport.
General Thompson ordered his men to remove the trees blocking the ford and Price’s wagon train began crossing the river, on their way to New Santa Fe. By midnight the Confederates were setting up their camps on the west side of the Big Blue River. General Price set up his headquarters at the Boston Adams House.
The Federal commander, Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis, was concerned. His troops had been hit hard and his defense line along the Big Blue River had failed. He had ordered his forces to fall back to Westport and Kansas City. And where were Generals Pleasonton and Rosecrans? It was going to be a long night.
If you’re wondering what happened to Shelby and Gordon, check out Mockbee Farm in Five Minutes.
McClure, William T. “The Fourth Kansas Militia in the Price Raid.” In Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society 1903-04, edited by George W. Martin, VIII:149–52. Topeka, KS: George A. Clark, State Printer, 1904.
Monnett, Howard N. Action Before Westport, 1864. Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado, 1995.
Sinisi, Kyle S. The Last Hurrah: Sterling Price’s Missouri Expedition of 1864. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.
Smith, Daniel L. “Byram’s Ford Marker Research Data for 22 October 1864,” March 7, 2022.
Titterington, Dick. The Battle of Westport, October 21–23, 1864: A Driving Tour of Battle Sites in Kansas City, Independence, and Northeastern Jackson County, Missouri. Overland Park, KS: Trans-Mississippi Musings Press, 2019.