New Santa Fe Tour Stop 22 (Battle of Westport Driving Tour) (Price's Raid)

Marker Inscription: In 1864 this village straddled the state line. The military road running north and south was ¼ mile west of the line. On October 23, 1864, General Sterling Price's wagon train moving southwest on this road turned south on the military road at 2 P.M. followed by most of his army. Shelby's Division withdrew south at 3 P.M. with Union troops in pursuit. Jennison's and Ford's Brigades continued for four miles and stopped. Price continued south for 20 miles that night. Union troops camped near here and at Indian Creek.

This marker notes that Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price and his Army of the Missouri passed by on this road, fleeing Union pursuit. Union forces stopped the pursuit for the evening due to the need to rest after having fought all day at Westport. This is part of the larger three-day Battle of Westport. 

The Battle of Westport took place on the 23 of October 1864. It was the largest Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River and the turning point of Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling Price’s Raid into Missouri.  The battle resulted in a Union victory and Price’s Army of the Missouri’s retreat to Arkansas. The Union maintained control of Missouri for the rest of the war. 

Price’s army retreated south from the battlefield in an effort to secure his wagon train. The wagon train had about 500 wagons full of war loot and supplies, and about 5,000 head of cattle.  They came to New Santa Fe about 11 miles south of Westport, taking the military road south around 2PM. Confederate Maj Gen. Joseph Shelby’s Division tried their very best to hold off Union forces as long as possible to ensure the retreat of the wagon train. Shelby’s Division retreated at about 3PM with Union forces in hot pursuit. Union forces under Col. Charles Jennison and Col. James H. Ford pursued the Confederate forces for about four miles and then eventually stopped due to nightfall and exhaustion. After a fierce fight the prior three days, Union officers decided their men needed to rest and they needed time to decide the next course of action. Price continued for about 20 more miles to put some distance between his army and Union forces. Union forces camped Little Santa Fe and at Indian Creek.

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