During the early stages of the campaign, Price abandoned his plan to capture St. Louis and later his secondary target of Jefferson City.

The Confederates then began moving westwards, brushing aside Major General James G. Blunt's Union force in the Second Battle of Lexington on October 19.

Two days later, Blunt left part of his command under the authority of Colonel Thomas Moonlight to hold the crossing of the Little Blue River, while the rest of his force fell back to Independence.

On the morning of October 21, Confederate troops attacked Moonlight's line, and parts of Brigadier General John B. Clark Jr.'s brigade forced their way across the river.

On October 23, the Confederates were defeated by Curtis and Pleasonton at the Battle of Westport, forcing Price's men to retreat from Missouri.

[6] Meanwhile, in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, the Confederates had defeated Union attackers during the Red River campaign in Louisiana, which took place from March through May.

[11][12] Marmaduke's division contained two brigades, commanded by Brigadier General John B. Clark Jr. and Colonel Thomas R. Freeman; Shelby's division had three brigades under Colonels David Shanks (replaced by Brigadier General M. Jeff Thompson after Shanks was killed in action), Sidney D. Jackman, and Charles H. Tyler; and Fagan's division contained four brigades commanded by Brigadier General William L. Cabell and Colonels William F. Slemons, Archibald S. Dobbins, and Thomas H.

[13] When the campaign began, Price's force was composed of about 13,000 cavalrymen, but several thousand of these men were poorly armed, and all 14 of the army's cannons were of light caliber for artillery of the war.

[11] Countering Price was the Union Department of Missouri, under the command of Major General William S. Rosecrans, who had fewer than 10,000 men on hand.

[14] In late September, the Confederates encountered a small Union force holding Fort Davidson near the town of Pilot Knob.

Attacks against the post in the Battle of Pilot Knob on September 27 failed, but the Union garrison abandoned the fort that night.

[17] In turn, Price determined that Jefferson City was too strong to attack, and began moving westwards along the course of the Missouri River.

[18] Meanwhile, Union troops commanded by Major General Samuel R. Curtis were withdrawn from their role in suppressing the Cheyenne; the Kansas State Militia was mobilized.

[19][20] George W. Dietzler, a major general in the Kansas State Militia, was appointed as its general-in-chief, although the troops were under Curtis's authority.

[21] 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.

[24] On October 14,[25] or 15,[26] Blunt moved his command to Hickman Mills, Missouri, where he formed it into a three-brigade division; one of the brigades was composed of Kansas militia and was led by Colonel Charles W. Blair.

The two brigades composed of the Union Army troops were commanded by Colonels Charles R. "Doc" Jennison and Thomas Moonlight.

[30] After the battle at Lexington, Blunt's forces fell back to the west, Moonlight's brigade serving as the rear guard.

Once the combat reached close quarters, the Confederate artillery was no longer effective, as the risk of accidental friendly fire was too great.

Blunt then began a return from Independence to the river, bringing his non-militia units and 900 men and six cannons under the command of Colonel James H.

[55] After some fighting and a Union counterattack, the Confederates began to run low on ammunition and started a retreat,[59] which was accompanied by Harris's Battery.

Most of Jackman's brigade was inexperienced and made little progress, but Nichols's Missouri Cavalry Regiment, which was still mounted, advanced against the Union left flank.

Complicating matters for the Union soldiers was Curtis's decision to send the wagons containing more ammunition back to Independence.

[65] The 11th and 16th Kansas Cavalry and McLain's battery made a stand on a ridge 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Independence, the 16th even making a brief counterattack, but this position had become indefensible by around 15:00 and was abandoned.

It is not known if the civilian gunmen were pro-Confederates, or were under the mistaken belief that the Union soldiers were guerrillas in captured uniforms, or if they were attempting to hamper the destruction of military supplies, hoping to take them themselves.

[67] By nightfall, Curtis's men were on the west side of the Big Blue River, and Price's army was in the Independence area.

Among the Union dead was Major Nelson Smith of the 2nd Colorado Cavalry, while Confederate guerrilla leader George Todd was also killed.

In the initial stages of the Battle of Byram's Ford, Shelby's men forced their way across the Big Blue River, causing Curtis to order a withdrawal to Brush Creek.

Meanwhile, Union cavalry commanded by Major General Alfred Pleasonton attacked Price's rear guard from the east in the Second Battle of Independence.

[78] The site is part of Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area and the Civil War Roundtable of Western Missouri acts as a battlefield friends group.