To Cross The Big Blue

Sterling Price

The Battle of Byram’s Ford [sometimes called the Battle of the Big Blue River] was really a small skirmish fought October 22^nd 1864 in Jackson County, Missouri.

Confederate Major General Sterling Price was moving his Army of Missouri toward Fort Leavenworth and Kansas City, planning to enter Missouri.  In response Union Major General Samuel R Curtis’ Army of the Border blocked his way, while Union Major General Alfred Pleasonton’ cavalry pushed from the rear.  Price was traveling with about 500 supply wagons and so needed a good crossing on the Big Blue River.  Byram’s Ford was the best crossing in the area.

Union Major General James G Blunt’s division was holding the west bank of the Big Blue River on October 22^nd 1864.  At about 10 am a part of Confederate Brigadier General Joseph O Shelby’s division made a frontal attack on the Union men, while the rest of the force flanked them.  Blunt’s troops were forced to pull back to Westport.  Price moved his wagons over Byram’s Ford, safely crossing the Big Blue River, and moving on to the south.

A Small Battle In Arkansas

The Battle of Hill’s Plantation was fought July 7th 1862 in Woodruff County, Arkansas.


In the summer of 1862 Union Major General Samuel R Curtis moved his army into the Helena, Arkansas area, looking for supplies which the United States Navy had promised but hadn’t delivered. As the Union troops moved south toward a supply flotilla in Clarendon, they skirmished with Confederate troops. Confederate Brigadier General Albert Rust moved on Curtis’ men on July 7th 1862 along the Cache River. Rust’s men hit the Union troops about four miles south of the river on the Parley Hill plantation. The out numbered Union troop under the command of Charles E Hovey, repeatedly repulsed attacks made by the Confederate cavalry of Colonel William H Parson. As Union reinforcements arrived the Confederate’s disengaged.

Scalded To Death

The Battle of St Charles was fought as an infantry and naval battle on June 17th 1862.


The USS Conestoga, Lexington, Mound City, St Louis and several transport ships all under the command of Commodore Augustus Kilty headed up the White River in the early morning of June 17th 1862 towards St Charles, Arkansas. The mission was to resupply Union Major General Samuel R Curtis’s army. Below St Charles the 46th Indiana Infantry disembarked and proceeded up the river on foot toward the Confederate batteries under the command of Confederate Captain Joseph Fry. As these troops moved, the Union gunboats continued up the river where they engaged the Confederate batteries. The USS Mound City was hit and her steam drum blew up. More than 125 of the Mound City’s crew were scalded to death. Pulling off the gunboats, the 46th Indiana attacked the Confederate batteries, flanking them. This opened St Charles to Union occupation.

A good web site for more information is ST. CHARLES BATTLE SITE, ST. CHARLES, ARKANSAS COUNTY