Battle of Byram's Ford

The ford

Date	October 22, 1864 (1864-10-22) – October 23, 1864 (1864-10-23)
Location	Kansas City, Missouri
Result	Union Victory

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

Casualties and losses

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".

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.

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.

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Wikipedia