Battle of Mine Creek The Battle of Mine Creek , also known as the Battle of the Osage , was a battle that occurred on October 24 , 1864 in Kansas as part of Price ' s Raid during the American Civil War . In one of the largest cavalry engagements of the war , two divisions of Major General Sterling Price ' s Army of Missouri were routed by two Federal brigades under the command of Colonel s Frederick Benteen and John Finis Philips . This battle was the second of three fought between Price and the Federals on this day ; the first had been earlier that morning at Marais des Cygnes a few miles away , while the third would be fought a few hours later at the nearby Marmiton River . Although vastly outnumbered , Union forces won all three engagements , forcing Price out of Kansas and sealing the fate of his disastrous Missouri campaign . Background . In the fall of 1864 , Sterling Price led an expedition into Missouri hoping to capture that state for the Confederacy , or at least to negatively affect Abraham Lincoln ' s chances for reelection in November . After a series of several battles across that state , Union forces under Maj . Gens . Samuel R . Curtis and Alfred Pleasonton finally defeated Price decisively at the Battle of Westport , in modern Kansas City , Missouri . Price withdrew south toward his base in Arkansas while Pleasonton , commanding a Union cavalry division , pursued him into Kansas hoping to capture or destroy his army before he could reach Confederate territory . Price ' s army was hampered by the presence of a rather large supply train , containing upwards of 500 wagons filled with badly needed war supplies for the South . As he camped along the Marais des Cygnes River near the town of Trading Post in Linn County , Kansas , Price ' s force was attacked by two Union brigades from Pleasonton ' s Provisional Cavalry Division . Although unable to prevent the escape of most of the Southern force , Pleasonton ' s men were able to capture around 100 prisoners and two cannon s , forcing Price to continue his withdrawal . Quickly renewing their pursuit , the Federal cavalry effected their own crossing of the river , which was delayed somewhat due to heavy rain and the swollen condition of the river . Battle . Six miles south of Trading Post , the brigades of Colonels Benteen and Phillips overtook Price ' s army once more , this time as it was crossing Mine Creek . The heavily laden Confederate wagons were experiencing difficulty with the rain - swollen ford , and Price had accordingly anticipated making a stand at this location . He formed a line on the north side of the stream , with Brig . Gen . James F . Fagan ' s division on the left , and John S . Marmaduke ' s on the right . Eight cannon were deployed in support of this force . Brigadier General William L . Cabell ' s brigade formed up on the south side of Mine Creek in reserve . General Price himself had gone on with the main wagon train toward Ft . Scott , about twenty miles south , in the company of his third division , under Brig . Gen . Jo Shelby . Price was hoping to capture that post , which held valuable military stores . The Union troops consisted of Philips ' s brigade , containing three regiments of Missouri State Militia cavalry ; and Benteen ' s brigade , which consisted of the 10th Missouri Cavalry , the 4th Iowa Cavalry and the 3rd Iowa Cavalry , augmented by two companies of the 7th Indiana Cavalry combined with a detachment from the 4th Missouri Cavalry . In all , about 2 , 600 Federal troops would face around 7 , 000 Confederates . Although outnumbered by more than two - to - one , the Union cavalry immediately commenced an attack . Col . Philips initially hesitated in the face of the overwhelming Confederate superiority in numbers , but he was overruled by Benteen ( who would later ride to fame at the Battle of the Little Bighorn ) , who charged full - tilt into the Confederate center while Philips hit Price ' s left flank . Faced with this sudden assault , Fagan and Marmaduke ordered their men to remain mounted ( rather than dismount , which had been their usual practice ) , turning the ensuing combat into one of the largest mounted cavalry engagements of the Civil War . Disaster nearly overtook the Federals , as Benteen ' s 10th Missouri Regiment inexplicably stopped their charge about halfway between their original position and the Confederate lines , refusing to start again until Major Abial R . Pierce of the 4th Iowa Cavalry galloped ahead of his regiment toward the Southern lines , followed in turn by his own regiment and then the rest of Benteen ' s brigade . Hitting the Confederates " like a thunderbolt " , according to William Forse Scott ' s " The Story of a Cavalry Regiment : the Career of the Fourth Iowa Veteran Volunteers " , the Union troopers forced the Confederate line to disintegrate " like a row of bricks " . Mass confusion reigned on the battlefield , as many of Price ' s men had donned captured Union uniforms , making it harder to distinguish between them and real Union soldiers . General Marmaduke was captured by an Iowa trooper named James Dunlavy , as he went to rally what he thought was a group of his own men ( but who turned out to belong to Benteen ' s command ) . General Cabell similarly became a prisoner , as would nearly 1 , 000 of Price ' s army by the time the battle had ended . Although the Confederates had numerical superiority , they were overwhelmed by the rapid attack and greater Union firepower , which included revolvers and breechloading carbines ( the Confederates were mostly equipped with muzzle - loaders ) . The battle itself lasted barely 30 minutes ; by the time General Price arrived on the scene , it was practically over . Although many Southerners fought tenaciously , especially Price ' s artillery , most chose to flee . General Fagan tried to reform these men south of the creek near the Jones house , but was not able to hold his troops there and retreated to a new position atop a treeless mound still further to the south . However , lacking artillery support ( Price ' s artillery had been captured on the main battlefield ) and having lost several of his immediate subordinates , Fagan could not hold this position either . Benteen ' s brigade began its charge up the hill , supported by Union artillery , and Fagan ' s command broke and ran for the nearby Ft . Scott road . Coming upon this scene , Price tried to rally his retreating men , to no avail . Aftermath . Confederate casualties were 1 , 200 , including those wounded during the retreat . Union casualties were 100 . Benteen and Philips continued their pursuit of Price ' s diminishing force , joining combat with it again at the Battle of Marmiton River later that same afternoon . The Army of Missouri would continue its withdrawal until reaching relative safety in Arkansas , though with only about one half of its original numbers . The great Missouri Raid had been a complete fiasco for Price , and the overall Union victory had precisely the opposite effect from what the Confederates had hoped , helping in Abraham Lincoln ' s successful campaign for reelection and contributing to the overall Union victory in the war . The battlefield has been preserved by the Kansas Historical Society as Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site , which includes a museum with details of the battle . Documentary . The Battle of Mine Creek was the focus of the documentary " Lost Battle of the Civil War " by the History Channel , released on November 15 , 2004 .