Battle of Westport Action on the Third Day Historical Marker

This historical marker commemorates a key moment in the three-day series of Civil War battles that are collectively known as the Battle of Westport. Near this marker on October 23rd, 1864, a Confederate artillery battery returned fire from the 9th Independent Battery Wisconsin Light Artillery in a two-hour engagement that was followed by a Confederate retreat. The Wisconsin battery was led by Captain Cyrus Johnson, and the men in this Union battery had fought the previous day in the Battle of the Big Blue which also resulted in a victory for the Union.

The Battle of Westport is widely regarded as the most historically significant Civil War battle place west of the Mississippi. The battle occurred in modern-day Kansas City from October 21-23, 1864, and the Confederate defeat battle was a turning point in the war in this region and marked the end of the Confederate threat in the West. As the largest battle in the West with over 30,000 combatants, the three-day battle resulted in about 1,500 fatalities for both the United States Army and the forces who marched under the banner of the Confederate States of America. The scale, significance, and high casualties led to the Battle of Westport earning the nickname “Gettysburg of the West.”

In addition to contributing to the Union victory in the Battle of Westport which forced a Confederate retreat, the 9th Wisconsin joined other United States forces in a series of other battles against Confederate forces under Sterling Price as they retreated towards Texas, including the Battle of Mine Creek on October 25th. The Battle of Westport was the key turning point against Sterling Price's Confederate force who had launched an offensive into central and western Missouri in hopes of gaining support amongst Missourians and turning control of the border state to the Confederacy. With a series of decisive Union victories throughout present-day Kansas City and additional victories against the retreating Confederates in the final days of October, Sterling Price's army dissolved through desertion, capture, and casualties as they retreated to Texas.

Castel, Albert. General Sterling Price and the Civil War in the West. Baton Rouge. LSU Press, 1993.