Battle of Byram's Ford 1864
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 22 October 1864 – 23 October 1864 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1864 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | American Civil War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Confederate States Army, United States Army | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 39.0228, -94.5307 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Byram's Ford, also known as the Battle of Big Blue River and the Battle of the Blue, was fought on October 22 and 23, 1864, in Jackson County, Missouri during Price's Missouri Expedition, a campaign of the American Civil War. With the Confederacy on the verge of collapse, Confederate Major General Sterling Price conducted an invasion of Missouri in the fall of 1864. When Union forces led Price to abandon his objective of capturing St. Louis, he turned west.
On October 22, Price's army found itself caught between two Union forces, commanded by Major Generals James G. Blunt and Alfred Pleasonton. Part of Price's force conducted a delaying action against Pleasonton in the Second Battle of Independence, while the division of Brigadier General Joseph O. Shelby broke Blunt's line at Byram's Ford on the Big Blue River by crossing at an unguarded ford above the Union defenses. The Union defenders were forced to retreat to the Kansas state line, and the 2nd Kansas State Militia Infantry Regiment was caught at the Mockbee Farm and overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Pleasonton's men pushed Price's rear guard across the Big Blue in the Second Battle of Independence.
On October 23, Pleasonton attacked Confederate forces under Major General John S. Marmaduke at Byram's Ford and forced them back to a height known as Potato Hill.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Byram's Ford (revision 1370108342), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Westport 1864 · 6 km
- Second Battle of Independence 1864 · 10 km
- First Battle of Independence 1862 · 13 km
- Battle of Mount Elba 1864 · 13 km
- Battle of Little Blue River 1864 · 23 km
- Action at Blue Mills Landing 1861 · 23 km
Other battles of the American Civil War
- Siege of Suffolk 1863
- Siege of Vicksburg 1863
- Skirmish at Ashley's Mills 1863
- Skirmish near Brooklyn, Kansas 1863
- Skirmish of Sporting Hill 1863
- Action at Ashley's Station 1864
- Ambush of the steamboat J. R. Williams 1864
- Bahia incident 1864
- Battle of Adairsville 1864
- Battle of Albemarle Sound 1864
All 498 battles of the American Civil War →
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