In September, the unit joined Price's Raid into the state of Missouri, but their assault during the Battle of Pilot Knob failed to capture Fort Davidson.

The Confederate commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department surrendered on June 2, 1865, and the men of the 13th Missouri Cavalry Regiment were paroled six days later.

In response, Jackson formed a secessionist militia unit known as the Missouri State Guard; he placed Major General[a] Sterling Price in command on May 12.

[14] Confederate law required cavalrymen to replace their horses when they were killed or rendered unusable, and reimbursement was only provided if the death occurred in combat.

Five days later, Price's aide-de-camp, Captain Robert C. Wood, and 16 men of the general's escort were transferred to form a new artillery unit.

According to Union estimates made in August in Fulton County, Arkansas, Wood had collected about 150 men and still had the four cannons, which were described by the Unionists as "flying artillery".

[20] On September 28, Wood and the 275 men he had recruited by then were ordered to move from their camp at Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to join Marmaduke's command.

[18] Earlier that month, Union forces commanded by Major General Frederick Steele had taken Little Rock; this success was followed by the occupation of several points along the Arkansas River.

[22] The detached force followed this path of approach, and Wood's battalion and most of the rest of the column dismounted after reaching a brickyard 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from the town.

[25] The Union defenders bolstered the strength of their cotton bale line with nine artillery pieces, and the Confederates were unable to take the position, despite launching several attacks and attempting to burn down the courthouse.

[20] Throughout the rest of 1863, Wood's battalion served as an independent unit under Marmaduke's command; it spent the early portion of the next year associated with Price's headquarters.

[27] In March 1864, Steele was sent from Little Rock with 8,500 men to thrust into southwestern Arkansas in support of the Union Red River campaign, which was targeting Shreveport, Louisiana.

[28] After the capture of Camden, Wood's battalion began fighting a series of small actions against parties sent out from the main Union position.

[32] Wood's unit was deployed briefly after the line broke, but was soon disengaged to prepare wagons captured during the fighting to be moved.

Isolated and running low on food, the Union troops abandoned Camden on April 26, and were harried by pursuing Confederates during their retreat.

[29] When Steele's column reached the crossing of the Saline River, they were caught by the Confederate pursuers, who launched several futile attacks on April 30, in the Battle of Jenkins' Ferry.

In the 1864 United States presidential election, incumbent president Abraham Lincoln supported continuing the war, while former Union general George B. McClellan promoted ending it.

By the beginning of September 1864, events in the eastern United States, especially the Confederate defeat in the Atlanta campaign, gave Lincoln an edge in the election over McClellan.

[43] During the ensuing Battle of Pilot Knob, Wood's battalion served with Brigadier General John B. Clark Jr.'s brigade, which attacked down from Shepherd Mountain against the fort.

[49] Wood's battalion was intended to travel to Jefferson City by train after boarding in the area of Hermann, but the railroad tracks were impassable.

Union Major General James G. Blunt fought a delaying action in the Second Battle of Lexington on October 19, but his force was brushed aside.

[53] Elements of Clark's brigade had crossed the river and were fighting against the rear guard when Blunt arrived on the field with reinforcements, pressuring the Confederates.

[55][56] Eventually, the weight of Union numbers forced the Confederates back towards the river, but Clark's men were reinforced, stabilizing the situation.

The Union line was under the command of Major General Samuel R. Curtis and contained many units of the Kansas State Militia.

[59] While Confederate forces broke through the line at the Big Blue River during the opening stages of the Battle of Byram's Ford on October 22, Union cavalry commanded by Major General Alfred Pleasonton, who had been pursuing Price's army from the east, caught up to the Confederates at Independence, resulting in the Second Battle of Independence.

[60] While Clark's brigade, including Wood's battalion, managed to slow the Union pursuit, Pleasonton continued fighting into the night, which was uncommon during the American Civil War.

[61] The next day, the Battle of Byram's Ford resumed as Pleasonton's men attacked the Confederate position at the Big Blue River.

Union cavalrymen drove the Confederate front lines back from the river towards a height known as Potato Hill, where Clark's brigade was aligned.

[62] At around 11:00, Union soldiers armed with repeating rifles attacked Potato Hill and drove off the Confederates, most of whom retreated before the fighting reached close quarters.

[52] After Mine Creek, Wood's battalion retreated with the rest of Price's army through the Indian Territory into Texas, with an eventual destination of Laynesport, Arkansas.