Battle of Byram's Ford

The Battle of Byram's Ford, officially known as the Action at the Big Blue, Mo., was a minor engagement of the American Civil War, comprising two separate skirmishes from October 22 to 23, 1864, in Jackson County, Missouri. It formed a part of the larger Battle of Westport, which ultimately resulted in a Union victory and the end of all major Confederate operations in Missouri.

Confederate Major-General Sterling Price's Army of Missouri was headed westward towards Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth, hoping to capture Missouri for the South and negatively influence Abraham Lincoln's chances for reelection in 1864. Union Major-General Samuel R. Curtis's Army of the Border, in and around Westport, was blocking the Confederates' way west, while Major-General Alfred Pleasonton's provisional cavalry division was pressing Price's rear. Price had nearly 500 wagons with him, and required a good ford over the Blue River to facilitate passage of his supplies. Byram's Ford was the best crossing in the area, and would clearly be a point of great strategic significance during the impending Battle of Westport.

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