Second Battle of Independence

Second Battle of Independence.
The Second Battle of Independence was fought on October 22, 1864, near Independence, Missouri, as part of Price's Missouri Expedition (map pictured) during the American Civil War. In late 1864, Major General Sterling Price led a Confederate force of cavalry into Missouri. Price was opposed by Union Army and state militia forces to his west led by Major General Samuel Ryan Curtis; Union cavalry under Major General Alfred Pleasonton caught up to the Confederates from the east as Price moved west along the Missouri River. On October 21, the Confederates occupied Independence. The next day, while part of Price's command broke through Curtis's line at the Big Blue River, Pleasonton attacked the Confederates at Independence, pushing them back through town, and after fresh troops arrived, towards the Big Blue River. By the end of the day, almost all of Price's men were west of the river. On October 23, the Confederates were defeated in the Battle of Westport, and Price's campaign ended in failure.