|
A Union Victory in the
Battle with Many Names
a.k.a. Battle of the Osage | Battle of the Marais des
Cygnes | Battle of Little Osage
The Battle of Mine Creek was
fought on Oct. 25, 1864, between the rear guard of the Confederate
Army, led by Gen. Sterling Price, and an advance of about
3,000 Union horsemen, commanded by Gen. Alfred Pleasonton.
Price's division of nearly 7,000 soldiers formed a defensive
line more than a half-mile long, defending the wagon train
as it tried to cross the creek. Although they outnumbered
their Union foes by more than 2 to 1, the Confederate line
was pierced by the force of the Union charge and then buckeled.
Chaos ensued as the fleeing Confederates tried to cross the
high-banked creek.
Maj. Gen. John Marmaduke, second
in command in Price's army, was captured along with Brig.
Gen. "Tige" Cabell, a well-known, hard-nosed Arkansan.
Some Confederates wore articles of Union clothing and were
killed trying to surrender or perhaps after being captured.
Union troops had been under orders while fighting Missouri
guerillas to kill the enemy when found in Union garb. Other
Kansas troopers were said to show "no quarter" after
seeing local farms burned and farmers killed in Price's wake.
When the dust settled, the Union Cavalry had killed or captured
nearly 1,000 Confederate soldiers and commandeered all of
their artillery.
Price's wagon train was virtually
destroyed during the Confederate disaster at Mine Creek and
he was forced to send Brig. Gen. Joseph Shelby's division
back to save his routed brigades. The wagon train was further
decimated during the accelerated retreat, forcing Price to
abandon plans to move south and wage an attack on Fort Scott.
After a short respite, Union forces attacked Price again at
Newtonia, Mo., but were held off one more time by Shelby's
division. In the final analysis, Mine Creek proved to be the
last major Civil War battle in the west.
|
Union
Cavalry soldier as portrayed
by
a modern-day reenactor
Gravestone
of Lt. Hira Curtis, the only
Union officer killed at Mine Creek
|
