Battle of Little Blue River Facts

October 21, 1864

Key facts about the Battle of Little Blue River Fought on October 21, 1864.

Portrait of Sterling Price

On October 21, 1864, elements of Confederate General Sterling Price’s (pictured here) Army of Missouri forced Major General James G. Blunt’s division of the Army of the Border to abandon Independence, Missouri following the Battle of Little Blue River. [Wikimedia Commons]

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Date

  • October 21, 1864

Location

  •  Jackson County, Missouri

Campaign

Principal Union Commanders

Principal Confederate Commanders

Union Forces Engaged

Confederate Forces Engaged

Number of Union Soldiers Engaged

  • Roughly 2,800

Number of Confederate Soldiers Engaged

  • Roughly 5,500

Union Casualties

  • Roughly 20 (killed, wounded, and captured or missing)

Confederate Casualties

  • Roughly 34 (killed, wounded, and captured or missing)

Result

  • Confederate strategic victory
  • Union tactical victory

Significance

  • The minor encounter was a tactical success for Price because he forced the Federals to retreat. However, the battle was a strategic victory for the Union because it enabled Alfred Pleasonton’s Provisional Cavalry Division, which was pursuing the Rebels from the rear, to gain ground on the Army of Missouri.