Price’s Raid in 1864 saw Sterling Price lead Confederate cavalry across Missouri—from Pilot Knob to Westport—ending Confederate hopes in the state.
In the fall of 1864, Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price led a sweeping mounted expedition across Missouri. What began as a bid to reclaim a slave state, capture supplies, and sway the 1864 election became a running fight from Pilot Knob to Westport to Mine Creek—and the end of Confederate hopes in Missouri.
Table of Contents
Why Price’s Raid, Missouri 1864 Happened
By 1864 the Confederacy’s Trans-Mississippi forces were isolated. Price proposed a bold answer:
- Political shock: Seize headlines before the presidential election by taking St. Louis or Jefferson City.
- Military pressure: Draw Union troops off other fronts and reopen recruiting in Missouri.
- Logistics: Gather horses, arms, clothing, and destroy rail/river infrastructure.
He organized three divisions (Fagan, Marmaduke, Shelby) into a fast-moving column and crossed into southeast Missouri in September.
Fort Davidson / Pilot Knob (Sept. 27)
Price’s first objective—St. Louis—ran through the Iron Mountain corridor. At Fort Davidson (Pilot Knob), a small Union garrison repelled direct assaults and slipped away by night, denying Price time and blood he could not spare. With St. Louis reinforced and the rail hub too strong, Price veered west toward Jefferson City along the Missouri River valley.
Up the River: Jefferson City to Lexington (Oct. 7–19)
- Jefferson City (Oct. 7): He reconnoitered strong defenses and declined a full attack.
- Boonville (Oct. 9): Brief occupation for supplies and propaganda.
- Glasgow / Sedalia raids: Arms and mounts gathered, track and depots hit.
- Lexington (Oct. 19): Skirmishing and pressure as the column pushed toward Kansas City.
Union forces converged from two directions:
- Maj. Gen. Samuel R. Curtis and the Army of the Border (Kansas militia and volunteers) barred the way west.
- Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton’s cavalry pursued from the east, harrying Price’s rear.
Running Battles on the Blue (Oct. 21–22)
- Little Blue River (Oct. 21) and Independence (Oct. 21): Sharp actions as Union troops fell back toward stronger positions.
- Big Blue River / Byram’s Ford (Oct. 22): Day-long fighting over crossings; Price forced the ford but at mounting cost while Pleasonton closed in behind him.
Westport (Oct. 23): The Turning Point
The Battle of Westport, often called the “Gettysburg of the West,” decided the campaign. Curtis’s line held south of Kansas City while Pleasonton smashed into Price’s rear east of town. Pressed from front and back, Price broke contact and fled south into Kansas, the raid’s momentum shattered.
The Rout: Mine Creek to Newtonia (Oct. 25–28)
- Mine Creek, KS (Oct. 25): One of the Civil War’s largest cavalry fights. Union troopers overran segments of Price’s column in open prairie, capturing Marmaduke and other officers, wagons, and guns.
- Marais des Cygnes & Mound City actions (Oct. 25): Additional checks and losses along the retreat route.
- Newtonia, MO (Oct. 28): A final clash as Union forces pressed Price back into Arkansas.
What was supposed to rekindle Confederate control became a costly withdrawal. The raid failed to take major objectives, drained men and mounts, and ended organized Confederate operations in Missouri.
Why Price’s Raid, Missouri 1864 Mattered
- No political payoff: The raid did not alter Northern morale or the election’s outcome.
- Strategic failure: Missouri stayed firmly in Union hands; rivers, rails, and cities remained secure.
- Operational losses: Thousands of horses and wagons lost, officers captured, and veteran brigades worn down beyond quick recovery.
- Psychological impact: After Westport and Mine Creek, Confederate hopes for Missouri as a sustained theater effectively ended.
Follow the Campaign Today
You can trace the arc of Price’s Raid across preserved fields, town squares, and wayside markers:
- Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site (Fort Davidson): Earthworks, visitor center, and excellent interpretation of the opening fight.
- Lexington & Independence: Streets and landmarks that saw repeated wartime occupations and skirmishes.
- Westport (Kansas City): Walking tour markers and the Battle of Westport Visitor Center interpret the decisive battle.
- Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield (KS): Sweeping prairie that makes the scale of the cavalry action clear.
- Newtonia Battlefield (MO): Quiet ground where the raid’s final Missouri clash unfolded.
Final Take
Price’s Raid, Missouri 1864 was the Confederacy’s last big throw in the Trans-Mississippi—bold in concept, punishing in result. From Pilot Knob to Westport to Mine Creek, the campaign proved that speed and audacity couldn’t overcome fortified cities, converging Union columns, and worn-out mounts. After October 1864, Missouri’s Civil War would still be cruel, but the map would not change.
Go Explore
Ready to walk the route of Price’s Raid? Start at Pilot Knob, follow the Missouri River towns to Lexington and Independence, then stand at Westport and Mine Creek to see where the raid broke.
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