Thomas Farmhouse Historical Marker Tour Stop 23 (Battle of Westport Driving Tour

Marker Inscription: About 4 p.m. Oct. 23, 1864 after their victory at Westport the Union leaders met here for consultation. Included were Generals Curtis, Blunt, Pleasonton and Dietzler; Gov. Carney and Sen. Jim Lane of Kansas. The Confederates had lost over 1,000 men and General Price was forced to retreat south but with his army intact. The Union also suffered heavy losses. Union leaders discussed their next step. Pursuit would be started with Blunt's and Pleasonton's Cavalry. Two days later two of Price's Divisions were practically destroyed at Mine Creek near Pleasanton, Kansas.

End of Tour. Start at Westport and Pennsylvania.

This historical marker shares the historical significance of the Thomas Farmhouse, which was the location of an important meeting of Union leaders following a victory at Westport. Present at the meeting were Generals Curtis, Blunt, Pleasanton, and Dietzler as well as Governor Corney and Senator Jim Lane of Kansas. The marker was placed in 1964 by the Civil War Round Table of Kansas City.

In the Battle of Westport in October of 1864, General Curtis and his Union forces outnumbered and defeated Confederates led by General Sterling Price. This victory proved to be a turning point in Price's Missouri Campaign and ended the last major Confederate offensive west of the Mississippi River. For the remainder of the Civil War, the Union maintained control of Missouri.

At the time of the battle and victory, however, Union leaders feared a return of Confederate raiders and decided upon an aggressive pursuit of Price's army. As a result, Union generals and area government leaders met at the Thomas Farmhouse to make a plan of attack. Curtis wanted a vigorous pursuit while Pleasanton thought his unit was too exhausted for immediate action. Dietzler and Carney wanted their units home in time for the upcoming elections. An agreement was met here, with men under Pleasanton and Blunt pursuing the Confederates. Thanks to this decision, what was left of Price's Confederate army was practically destroyed two days later at Mine Creek near Pleasanton, Kansas.  

Two Confederate divisions were obliterated two days later at Mine Creek, which is located along the state line about 68 miles south of Westport. There were several additional fights, the Battle of the Mounds, the Battle of the Marais des Cygnes River, the Battle of Mine Creek, and the Second Battle of Newtonia as the Union army worked to push Price’s Army out of Missouri and back into Arkansas. At Mine Creek, Confederate Maj. Gen. John S. Marmaduke was captured. Price also burned most of the wagon train the night of the 25th of October. Price’s Raid (sometimes known as the Missouri Expedition) failed to achieve any of its objectives. Lincoln was reelected, the Union maintained control of Missouri, and a significant portion of the wagon train was burned and lost. In total the Raid ended up with about 4,000 Confederate casualties – mostly to desertion. This is the last stop on the Battle of Westport Driving Tour. 

Beckenbaugh, Terry. Battle of Westport. Civil War on the Western Border. . Accessed September 23, 2018. http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/encyclopedia/battle-westport.

Collins, Charles D. Battlefield Atlas of Price’s Missouri Expedition of 1864. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute, US Army Combined Arms Center, 2016.

The Historical Marker Database. Accessed December 7, 2024. https://www.hmdb.org/.