After crossing into western Missouri on the afternoon of the 25th, Price's wagon train became stalled at the crossing of the Marmaton River, much as it had at the Mine Creek crossing. Price formed a line to protect his wagon train from the Union soldiers. The front of the line consisted of militia officer M. Jeff Thompson's brigade of Shelby's division, some of the remains of Major General James F. Fagan and Marmaduke's (commanded by Brigadier General John B. Clark Jr. after Marmaduke's capture) divisions, which had been shattered at Mine Creek, and a portion of Colonel Charles H. Tyler's brigade. Some of the men in Tyler's brigade were unarmed. The rest of Fagan and Clark's divisions and Tyler's brigade were aligned in a second line. Colonel Sidney D. Jackman's brigade was held in reserve. While Price's men were estimated to number around 8,000, many of these men were either too demoralized or fatigued to fight, or were unarmed.[4] Estimates of how many Confederates were in true fighting condition range from 1,000[5] to 4,000.[6]
Union cavalry commanded by Brigadier General John McNeil and Lieutenant ColonelFrederick W. Benteen caught up to Price's makeshift line. After the arrival of the Union forces, Shelby ordered the portion of Tyler's brigade on the front line to charge, but this attack was quickly repulsed by McNeil's men. The Union forces then brought up artillery in the form of two sections of cannons.[7] Shelby used several feints to try to hold off the Union forces, but these assaults were also driven off.[8] A Union attempt to charge the Confederate line was delayed when it was discovered that the cavalry charge would block the line of fire of the Union artillery, requiring the Union artillery to change positions. Once the Union attack was restarted, the Union troopers discovered that their horses were too tired to move at a gallop. The Confederates still had three serviceable cannons remaining, but did not engage them in the fight, possibly due to a fear of the cannons being captured (most of the Confederate cannons had been captured at Mine Creek). While the Union cavalrymen were unable to reach the Confederate line because of the fatigue of their horses, some of the demoralized Confederates, especially in Thompson's brigade, began to retreat. Near dusk, Jackman's brigade was released from reserve, and charged the Union line. Jackman's charge was able to force the 4th Iowa Cavalry to withdraw.[9] At nightfall, the Confederates withdrew, and the fighting ended.[8]
Aftermath
Exact Union losses are not known, but are reported to have been light. The Confederates lost about 75 men, with about a third of that total having been killed.[8] That night, Price decided to destroy any wagons that were not essential. At this point, the Confederate army was so shattered that historian Albert E. Castel described the force as essentially an armed mob. By the end of October 26, Price's force had fallen back to Carthage, Missouri, where rations were handed out. Some of the Confederate soldiers had not received rations for six days.[10] On October 28, Price was again defeated, this time at the Second Battle of Newtonia. The Confederates withdrew into Arkansas, and were pursued to the Arkansas River. Price continued to retreat, and what was left of his army reached Texas in early December.[11]
Preservation
The landscape at the battlefield is considered to be in good condition, although the landscape faces some threats from changes in land use. The Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (CWSAC) noted that the current land use at the site is similar to what it was in 1864. None of the site is currently protected, although the CWSAC determined that 1,488.12 acres (602.22ha) of the site could potentially be added to the National Register of Historic Places. The site is part of the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area. Public interpretation features, but no visitor's center, exist at the site.[12]
Buresh, Lumir F. (1977). October 25 and the Battle of Mine Creek. Kansas City, Missouri: The Lowell Press. ISBN0-913504-40-8.
Castel, Albert (1993). General Sterling Price and the Civil War in the West (Louisiana Paperbacked.). Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN0-8071-1854-0.