“The Gettysburg of the West”

The Battle of Westport may be the largest battle in the Civil War fought west of the Mississippi river, but as I’ve come to find out, many people that live in the area are unaware of its cultural and historical significance.

The battle was fought virtually all over the Overland Park region of Kansas City, Missouri, but the only clue to its existence is what remains of the 25 markers indicating significant spots throughout town. The plaques were put in place by the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund between 1977 and 1980 in order to “commemorate the battle and to educate the public.”

During an interview with Daniel Smith, the Chairman of the Board for the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund, he pointed out two main reasons why the people of Kansas City and surrounding areas are not familiar with the history they virtually stand on.

The first being that “the Westport battlefield encompassed about 35 square miles over the three days; all of the Westport battlefield is now a highly developed urbanized landscape, with the exception of the Byram's Ford site which we are attempting to rehabilitate.” 

The second reason most people in the area are unaware of the battle could simply be because “perhaps people have lost interest in the Civil War in general.”  Now I’m not sure if this last reason is completely true, especially since there are still many Civil War reenactment groups scattered throughout the whole U.S. However, it could certainly be conceivable that to the rest of the public, the Battle of Westport is, more or less, “out of sight, out of mind.”

In either situation, Smith does see it as their goal to change these perceptions of the battle fought right in their own backyards. Through the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund’s plan, they are seeking “to open and restore the vistas across the battlefield to conditions existing in1864 to provide a sense of place and feeling to the visitor of the historic context of the site.” 

The extensive, 38-page plan also intends “to restore and create within the Byram’s Ford Historic District the ‘integrity of location, setting, feeling and association’ for the historic events of 1864 at Byram’s Ford and Battles of the Big Blue.”

Though the self-guided driving tour is a start to informing residents of Kansas City’s past, it is through the dedication of the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund to return the Byram’s Ford site to as close to it’s original state as possible and hopefully bring awareness to the community in doing so. 

Click HERE to view the full PDF version of the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund's plan to restore and educate the battlefields of Westport, Missouri.

The Ghosts of Westport's Past

On a side note, here are a few videos I stumbled upon in my research of the John Wornall House. They are all footage of amateur "ghost hunters" doing an investigation in the house; they believe there are still spirits of the soldiers who didn't survive their surgery's in this makeshift field hospital.

The Wornall House Museum

The Wornall House is located on stop ten of the self-guided driving tour of the Battle of Westport in Missouri. It is the original house of John Wornall and his family. John Wornall did own 4 slaves and had two hired hands as well. Their home was basically taken from them by both Union and Confederate troops for use as a field hospital during the battle. It is now a restored museum and is one of only two remaining original buildings used in the battle.

During the tour of the Wornall House museum, our guide, Margueritte Millken, went in detail about how the home was actually used during the war. The main living room was the primary place they performed operations on the soldiers. Mainly amputations were done in this room because they had few alternative ways to deal with most injuries at that time and during war. An interesting fact is that they had nowhere to discard the amputated limbs, so they simply tossed them out the living room window into a horse’s trailer carriage to get rid of them. The bodies of anyone who did not survive a surgery, got sick and died, or obtained any number of fatal injuries or wounds were stacked one on top of the other in the formal dining room of the home. 

The main living room.

Formal dining room.

Here is a link to the Wornall House website for more information: Wornall House

Price's Raid and his plan to take Westport

Confederate General Sterling Price

           Former governor of Missouri

Union General Samuel R. Curtis:

          Commander of the Department of the Border

• Price's Missouri Expedition changed course from St. Louis and Jefferson City to Kansas City and Fort Leavenworth.

• Curtis learned of Price’s plan to take Kansas City/Westport for Confederacy and fortified defensive lines along the west bank of the Little Blue River.

• There were about 17,000 Union troops for defense at Little Blue River, commanded by General James G. Blunt and General George W. Deitzler.

• A second Union cavalry division under command of General Alfred Pleasonton (also commander of cavalry at Gettysburg) advanced from St. Louis to help Curtis’ defense. About 7,000-8,000 men.

• Price chose to strike Curtis' troops at Westport before dealing with Pleasonton's division at St. Louis. 

• A third Union infantry corps of about 9,000 men under command of General A.J. Smith proceeded westward and parallel to the course of Pleasonton’s division to aid Westport.

• Price's troops could not break the Union lines and retreated south. "Westport was the decisive battle of Price's Missouri Expedition, and from this point on, the Confederates were in retreat."

Sources: Battle of Westport

The Battle of Westport Driving Tour

When researching the Battle of Westport, I came across the self-guided driving tour set up by the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund. Since I would be in the Kansas City area, I chose to take full advantage of such a hands-on experience with this particular Civil War battle.

The tour was a somewhat tedious experience as most of the battlefield is now a heavily populated urban area. Though this made it harder to find each of the 25 markers along the tour, it became somewhat of a "Where's Waldo" journey. Each marker had information on what exactly happened at the site, some of the important people involved, as well as where to head to next.

Along the five-hour journey through the streets of the Overland Park area of Kansas City, I found it interesting to put into perspective how much everything has changed. The public went on with their day-to-day lives, and most had no clue of the history they stand on every day. The Battle of Westport is also referred to as "The Gettysburg of the West" and was the largest battle fought west of the Mississippi River. Despite it's cultural significance in General Sterling Price's Missouri Raid, many Missourians are simply unaware of its existence.

The public's unfamiliarity with the battle that was fought right in their backyards is part of the reason the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund chose to place these historical markers. They are meant to inform and educate those who are unaware of Missouri's significance in the Civil War in general.