Battle of Byram ' s Ford The Battle of Byram ' s Ford was a minor engagement of the American Civil War , comprising two separate skirmishes on October 22 – 23 , 1864 , in Jackson County , Missouri . It formed a part of the larger Battle of Westport , which ultimately resulted in a Union victory and the end of all major Confederate operations in Missouri . This battle is also sometimes referred to as the " Battle of the Big Blue River " . Background . Maj . Gen . Sterling Price ' s Confederate Army of Missouri was headed westward towards Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth , hoping to capture Missouri for the South and negatively influence Abraham Lincoln ' s chances for reelection in 1864 . Maj . Gen . Samuel R . Curtis ' s Army of the Border , in and around Westport , was blocking the Confederates ' way west , while Maj . Gen . Alfred Pleasonton ' s provisional cavalry division was pressing Price ' s rear . Price had nearly 500 wagons with him , and required a good ford over the Blue River to facilitate passage of his supplies . Byram ' s Ford was the best crossing in the area , and would clearly be a point of great strategic significance during the impending Battle of Westport . First engagement , October 22 . On October 22 , Maj . Gen . James G . Blunt ' s division held a defensive position on the west bank of the Big Blue River . Around 10 a . m . , part of Brig . Gen . Joseph O . Shelby ' s Confederate division conducted a frontal attack on Blunt ' s men . This attack was a ruse , because the rest of Shelby ' s men flanked Blunt ' s hasty defenses , forcing the Federals to retire to Westport . Price ' s wagon train then crossed the Big Blue River at Byram ' s Ford and headed south to the village of Little Santa Fe and safety . Second engagement , October 23 . The Battle of Westport began in earnest on the morning of the October 23 . Pleasonton ' s cavalry was hot on the tail of Price ' s army , having engaged his rear guard in nearby Independence the previous day . Brig . Gen . John S . Marmaduke ' s Confederate division had stopped Pleasanton just west of Independence , and now held the west bank of the Big Blue at Byram ' s Ford to protect Price ' s rear from an expected Union attack . Pleasonton began his assault on Byram ' s Ford around 8 a . m . Initially the Confederates held their own . One of the Union brigade commanders , Brig . Gen . Egbert B . Brown , stalled his attack and was placed under arrest by Pleasonton for disobeying orders . Another of Pleasonton ' s brigade commanders , Col . Edward F . Winslow , was wounded and succeeded by Lt . Col . Frederick Benteen , who later rode to fame at the Little Bighorn . Despite these setbacks , Federal troopers gained the west bank by 11 a . m . and Marmaduke retired . As Brown ' s brigade ( now led by Col . John F . Philips ) forded the river , they came under heavy fire from Confederate artillery . Once they had crossed , they charged Marmaduke across an open field ; during this charge , Union troops from Missouri and Arkansas battled Confederates from these same two states . As Marmaduke rejoined Shelby and Fagan , Blunt pounded the consolidated Confederate forces with his own cannon , completing Pleasanton ' s victory at Byram ' s Ford and contributing significantly to Curtis ' s larger triumph at Westport . Aftermath . With Pleasonton now across the river he was now an additional threat to Price , who was heavily engaged with Curtis ' s main force at Westport . Defeated by Curtis there and menaced by Pleasanton and an additional Federal brigade under John McNeil , Price had to abandon his Missouri campaign and retreat southward . This brought to a close the last major Confederate military operation west of the Mississippi River , and ended the last major Southern threat to any Northern state .