First Battle of Independence The First Battle of Independence was a minor engagement of the American Civil War , occurring on August 11 , 1862 , in the city of Independence , located in Jackson County , Missouri . Its result was a Confederate victory , continuing the Southern domination of the Jackson County area during the early years of that conflict . This battle should not be confused with the Second Battle of Independence , which was fought in 1864 . That battle also resulted in a Confederate victory . Background . During the summer of 1862 , many Confederate and Missouri State Guard recruiters were dispatched northward from Arkansas into Missouri to replenish the depleted ranks of Trans - Mississippi forces . Among these were Captain Jo Shelby , Colonel Vard Cockrell , Colonel John T . Coffee , Upton Hays , John Charles Tracy , John T . Hughes , Gideon W . Thompson and DeWitt C . Hunter . Various guerrillas and bushwhackers , most notably those under William Quantrill , had gathered in Missouri and assisted these recruiters as they worked in the region . For example , Upton Hays was aided by thirty men from Quantrill ' s command under the brutal George Todd . By August 1 , Hays was camped near Lee ' s Summit with 150 men . Additional Confederates continued to infiltrate the area throughout the days that followed . Union forces , meanwhile , were bivouacked in Independence , the county seat of Jackson County . These were led by Lt . Col . James T . Buel . Like many towns in that part of Missouri , Independence had a number of sympathizers from both sides residing in it . Colonel Hughes intended to cross the Missouri River , to recruit around his hometown of Clinton County , Missouri . He and Gideon Thompson rode to Hays ' s camp with 75 men ; 25 additional men with Quantrill soon arrived . The officers conferred . Desperate for ammunition , and needing a victory to stir their recruiting efforts , they determined to make a surprise attack against Buel before he could attack them . Cole Younger and another man conducted a successful reconnaissance of the town on the day prior to the Confederate attack . Lt . Col . Buel for his part had sent one of his officers , a Captain Breckenridge , scouting for eleven days , but Breckenridge found nothing . Buel became aware of Hays ' s camp , however , and prepared to attack it . On the evening of August 10 , several citizens warned Buel of an impending assault on the city ; many Union residents had already fled . Buel ignored these warnings , but another of his officers , a Captain Rodewald , did not . The Federals were positioned in three main concentrations : their camp near a rock wall , the bank serving as Buel ' s headquarters , and the county jail . Battle . Col . John T . Hughes ’ s Confederate force , including the partisan leader William Quantrill , attacked Independence before dawn , in two columns using different roads . They drove through the town to the Union Army camp , delivering a deadly volley to the sleeping men . Captain Breckenridge suggested surrender , but Captain Jacob Axline formed the Federal troops behind a rock wall and a nearby ditch while the Confederates rifled through their camp , looking for ammunition . The Rebels made several attacks against Axline ' s wall , but never succeeded in taking it . Here Colonel Hughes was killed , while Thompson and Hays were wounded . Lt . Col . Buel attempted to hold out with part of his force in the bank building he used as his headquarters . He was forced to surrender after an adjacent building was set afire . Through a flag of truce , Buel arranged a meeting with the new Confederate commander , Col . Gideon W . Thompson , who had replaced Colonel Hughes , killed earlier . Buel surrendered , and about 150 of his men were paroled ; the remainder had escaped , hidden , or been killed . Murders committed by George Todd . Realizing that they would be quickly overwhelmed , the Federal troops defending the jail fired a volley and fled . Confederate guerilla leader George Todd freed the prisoners at the jail , among them City Marshal James Knowles , jailed for the killing of a rowdy citizen . Todd also captured a Union Captain named Thomas at this same time . These two men had successfully ambushed Todd ' s command in an earlier engagement , killing several of them . Todd and his men summarily executed Knowles and Thomas . Ironically , George Todd would later be killed at the Second Battle of Independence , in 1864 . Casualties and aftermath . The First Battle of Independence resulted in approximately 344 known Union casualties ; total losses for the Confederate side are unknown . Most of the Union command in Independence was captured , with only a few units making good their escape . The Confederate victory was costly , however , resulting in the death of ten experienced officers , among them Colonel John T . Hughes , and the wounding of Colonels Hays and Thompson . Having taken Independence , the Confederate force headed for Kansas City , which they were unable to take due to heavy Union fortification . Although the Southerners had won a victory at Independence , they were unable to follow it up in any significant fashion . Confederate dominance in the Jackson County area would continue — but not for long . Lt . Col . Buel ' s performance and his failure to heed warnings of impending attack by prominent citizens were widely condemned . Captain Breckenridge ' s inability to find any guerrillas in the preceding eleven days , together with his eagerness to surrender , were also considered disgraceful . Both men were court - martialled and the soldiers who had been captured were mustered out of service . Since the two officers had been dismissed with their men , nothing ultimately came of the court martial proceedings . Independence would later become the site of a second Civil War battle , in October 1864 , as part of General Sterling Price ' s Missouri Campaign that culminated in his defeat at the Battle of Westport . Order of battle . USA Lt . Col . James T . Buel CSA Col . / Acting Brigadier John T . Hughes