On October 22, Price's army found itself caught between two Union forces, commanded by Major Generals James G. Blunt and Alfred Pleasonton.

While Price's wagon train escaped from Union Brigadier General John McNeil and his brigade, the Confederate army withdrew southwards in disorder.

The Confederates also lost equipment and supplies, while the Union war effort was only minimally hampered; the campaign was the last major operation west of the Mississippi River.

Governor of Missouri Claiborne Fox Jackson supported secession and the Confederate States of America, both of which were opposed by Union Army elements under the command of Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon.

[8] Encumbered by a slow-moving wagon train, Price's army took so long to reach Jefferson City that the Union was able to reinforce the garrison from 1,000 men to 7,000.

[9] Once Price reached Jefferson City in early October, he decided that it was too strong to attack, and continued moving west along the Missouri River.

[14] In September, part of the XVI Corps under the command of Major General Andrew Jackson Smith arrived in St. Louis to reinforce Rosecrans.

[27] While the Kansas State Militia remained under Curtis's authority, George W. Dietzler, a major general in the organization, served as its general-in-chief.

[28] The Kansas State Militia used a brigade organization, but little detail about the exact breakdown is provided in the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion.

The Union soldiers put up a strong enough defense that Price was forced to commit more troops, and Blunt fell back in the evening.

He wanted to make a stand there, but Curtis ordered his troops back to Independence due to the restrictions on the movement of the Kansas State Militia.

[45] About an hour later, Jackman's brigade of about 1,500 men feinted against the north portion of the Union line, although Curtis did not fall for the ruse,[46][47] as he believed the fighting was too dilatory to represent a primary attack.

He then gave Blunt, along with Melvin S. Grant – who commanded two Kansas State Militia regiments positioned to the south near Hickman Mills – orders to watch for Confederate movements and to send reports back every half hour.

[47] Also at around 11:00, Shelby decided to attempt to force a crossing of the Big Blue at Byram's Ford,[44] which was in the southern portion of the Union line.

[55] Slayback's Missouri Cavalry Battalion was sent north, where it quickly found Hinkle's Ford – [56][57]a crossing used by local farmers[50] – that had been left unguarded.

Participants in the battle provided times ranging from 14:00 to 15:00 for when the Confederates crossed the river; the modern historian Mark A. Lause believes that the variation in these estimates is due to the breakthrough occurring in stages.

[60] Jennison's brigade attempted to retreat to the northwest in the direction of Westport, but were prevented from moving north by the Confederates who had crossed at Hinkle's Ford.

[64] Meanwhile, Grant and his Kansas State Militia units south of Byram's Ford had become aware that they were in danger of being cut off from the rest of the Union army.

Shelby did not know that Grant's force was disordered, and believed that the Union units constituted a threat, so he sent Jackman's brigade to the south to cover that part of the Confederate line.

McNeil's brigade reached the Little Blue before sunrise, and pushed the Confederate rear guard at the river back after about half an hour.

Once Pleasonton's men reached the city, the Confederates had broken Curtis's line on the Big Blue, but Price's wagon train was still on the west side of the river.

[80] By 03:00 on October 23, Curtis and Blunt had developed a battle plan for the day: Ford, Jennison, and Moonlight would cross Brush Creek with their brigades and attack the Confederates, while Blair remained in reserve.

On the Confederate side, Price also planned an attack in the Brush Creek area,[81] about 3 miles (4.8 km) to the west,[82] using Fagan and Shelby's divisions.

[93] A battalion of the 4th Iowa Cavalry Regiment crossed the river at a ravine 300 yards (270 m) to the north and began firing into the Confederate flank.

The path from the ford was narrow, so Phillips only sent a single unit, the 1st Missouri State Militia Cavalry, down the road,[97] which was in the field of fire of Hynson's battery.

[103][101] As the Union troops charged towards the rock ledge, Winslow was shot in the leg; Lieutenant Colonel Frederick W. Benteen took over command of his brigade.

Shelby attempted to make another stand, but was struck by the brigades of Benteen and Phillips while Blunt's division from Curtis's force pushed southwards.

McNeil observed Confederate campfires at that time, but thought he was both further north than he actually was and that he was possibly isolated from the main Union force and in danger.

[1] According to the historian Kyle Sinisi in The Last Hurrah: Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition of 1864, the fight at the Mockbee Farm resulted in 43 Confederate casualties, and about 50 Union soldiers killed or wounded, as well as 68 prisoners.

[125] When figuring total October 23 losses (including both Byram's Ford and Westport), Lause estimates about 475 to 650 Union casualties and 700 to 1,000 for the Confederates.