Battle of Byram's Ford, 1864, Facts, Details, Significance, Civil War

Key facts about the Battle of Byram's Ford (aka Battle of Big Blue River), which was fought on October 22, 1864, during the Civil War.

Portrait of Sterling Price — On October 22, 1864, elements of Confederate General Sterling Price’s (pictured here) Army of Missouri outflanked Major General James G. Blunt’s division of the Union Army of the Border, forcing the Yankees to withdraw to Westport, Missouri. [Wikimedia Commons]

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Date

October 22, 1864

Location

Jackson County, Missouri

Campaign

Price’s Missouri Expedition

Principal Union Commanders

Major General Samuel Curtis
Major General James G. Blunt

Principal Confederate Commanders

Major General Sterling Price
Brigadier General Joseph O. Shelby

Union Forces Engaged

Blunt’s Division, Army of the Border

Confederate Forces Engaged

Shelby’s Division, Army of Missouri

Number of Union Soldiers Engaged

Roughly 4,000

Number of Confederate Soldiers Engaged

Roughly 4,500

Union Casualties

Unknown

Confederate Casualties

Unknown

Result

Confederate victory

Significance

After Blunt conceded the strategic crossing at Byram’s Ford, Price got his supplies across the Big Blue River and sent them south toward the small town of Little Santa Fe on the Santa Fe Trail.

Written by Harry Searles