alternatehistory.com
Introduction
In late August 1864, 12,000 Confederate cavalrymen in three divisions styled the “Army of Missouri“ departed from Pocahontas, Arkansas to invade the state of Missouri. The following campaign that became known as “Price's Missouri Expedition“ or simply “Price's Raid“ thanks to its leader, Major-General Sterling Price, is a mainly neglected chapter of American Civil War historiography as are many of the military operations in the Trans-Mississippi Theater.
Though little remembered today, Price's endeavor resulted in heavy fighting throughout central and northwestern Missouri as well as along the border to Kansas. Despite winning several early engagements, Price was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Westport by Union forces under Major-General Samuel R. Curtis near the end of October. He suffered further reverses at the hands of Union cavalry under Major-General Alfred Pleasonton at the Battle of Mine Creek, Kansas, and was forced to retreat back into Arkansas. The expedition's failure significantly bolstered civilian confidence in an ultimate Union victory in the war and therefore contributed to President Abraham Lincoln's re-election in November, 1864.
Price was unable to effectively pursue his original goal of liberating the state of Missouri with the means available to him. This was due to the fact that the commander of the department, Edmund Kirby Smith, ultimately did not provide the infantry units originally promised to him. Without the opportunity to take over larger parts of the state and holding them for a protracted period of time, Price's mission degenerated from an full-fledged invasion into a simple cavalry raid. Although the men were underequipped and outgunned and the army did not win a single major victory, over 6,000 volunteers joined Price's ranks during his endeavor. This fact impressively demonstrates the level of Confederate sympathy and the remaining recruitment opportunities within the state.
Ironic and at the same time symbolic for the Trans-Mississippi Theater was the circumstance that due to logistical difficulties the restrained infantry forces were not, as originally intended, led east across the Mississippi River, but remained idle in their positions until the end of the year. The department's large land mass housed, on paper, an impressive number of forces throughout the whole war. At no point in time, however, were these actually used in a holistic and concentrated manner in order to achieve offensive goals. The existing potential was thus wasted in a situation in which every man in the western and eastern theaters of the war capable of bearing arms was sent to the front lines.
Price's raid is an intriguing study because of the wasted potential to bring about a late turn in the fortunes of the Civil War. The following work will explore the question of what would have happened if, instead of a few disorganized cavalry brigades, the entire military strength of the Trans-Mississippi Department had been thrown into the balance to secure the state of Missouri for the Confederates in an unparalleled effort and therefore to produce a serious setback for Abraham Lincoln's chances of re-election.
This TL is a redux of my thread This May Seem A Wild Plan, because I got my hands on new literature and reports, which changed my perspective on the matter and it would not satisfy me to continue on the basis of a, in my eyes, flawed premise. So please enjoy the ride!
Literature:
Blessington, Joseph P., The campaigns of Walker's Texas Division
Winters, John D., The Civil War in Louisiana
Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Gray
Forsyth, Michael J., The Camden Expedition of 1864 and the Opportunity lost by the Confederacy
Hewitt, Lawrence L., Confederate Generals in the Trans-Mississippi, Volumes I - III
Castel, Albert E., General Sterling Price and the Civil War in the West
Sinisi, Kyle S., The Last Hurrah: Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition of 1864
Cutrer, Thomas W., Theater of a Seperate War: The Civil War West of the Mississippi River
Foote, Shelby, The Civil War
Lowe, Richard G., Walker's Texas Division, C.S.A., Greyhounds of the Trans-Mississippi
Thomas, David Y., Arkansas in War and Reconstruction
O'Flaherty, Daniel, General Jo Shelby: Undefeated Rebel
Edwards, John N., Shelby and his men or The War in the West
Davis, Dale E., Guerilla Operations in the Civil War: Assessing Compound Warfare during Price's Raid
Rea, Ralph R., Sterling Price: The Lee of the West
Jones, Terry L., Louisiana in the Civil War
Taylor, Ethel C., Dust in the Wind: The Civil War in Indian Territory
Introduction
In late August 1864, 12,000 Confederate cavalrymen in three divisions styled the “Army of Missouri“ departed from Pocahontas, Arkansas to invade the state of Missouri. The following campaign that became known as “Price's Missouri Expedition“ or simply “Price's Raid“ thanks to its leader, Major-General Sterling Price, is a mainly neglected chapter of American Civil War historiography as are many of the military operations in the Trans-Mississippi Theater.
Though little remembered today, Price's endeavor resulted in heavy fighting throughout central and northwestern Missouri as well as along the border to Kansas. Despite winning several early engagements, Price was ultimately defeated at the Battle of Westport by Union forces under Major-General Samuel R. Curtis near the end of October. He suffered further reverses at the hands of Union cavalry under Major-General Alfred Pleasonton at the Battle of Mine Creek, Kansas, and was forced to retreat back into Arkansas. The expedition's failure significantly bolstered civilian confidence in an ultimate Union victory in the war and therefore contributed to President Abraham Lincoln's re-election in November, 1864.
Price was unable to effectively pursue his original goal of liberating the state of Missouri with the means available to him. This was due to the fact that the commander of the department, Edmund Kirby Smith, ultimately did not provide the infantry units originally promised to him. Without the opportunity to take over larger parts of the state and holding them for a protracted period of time, Price's mission degenerated from an full-fledged invasion into a simple cavalry raid. Although the men were underequipped and outgunned and the army did not win a single major victory, over 6,000 volunteers joined Price's ranks during his endeavor. This fact impressively demonstrates the level of Confederate sympathy and the remaining recruitment opportunities within the state.
Ironic and at the same time symbolic for the Trans-Mississippi Theater was the circumstance that due to logistical difficulties the restrained infantry forces were not, as originally intended, led east across the Mississippi River, but remained idle in their positions until the end of the year. The department's large land mass housed, on paper, an impressive number of forces throughout the whole war. At no point in time, however, were these actually used in a holistic and concentrated manner in order to achieve offensive goals. The existing potential was thus wasted in a situation in which every man in the western and eastern theaters of the war capable of bearing arms was sent to the front lines.
Price's raid is an intriguing study because of the wasted potential to bring about a late turn in the fortunes of the Civil War. The following work will explore the question of what would have happened if, instead of a few disorganized cavalry brigades, the entire military strength of the Trans-Mississippi Department had been thrown into the balance to secure the state of Missouri for the Confederates in an unparalleled effort and therefore to produce a serious setback for Abraham Lincoln's chances of re-election.
This TL is a redux of my thread This May Seem A Wild Plan, because I got my hands on new literature and reports, which changed my perspective on the matter and it would not satisfy me to continue on the basis of a, in my eyes, flawed premise. So please enjoy the ride!
Literature:
Blessington, Joseph P., The campaigns of Walker's Texas Division
Winters, John D., The Civil War in Louisiana
Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Gray
Forsyth, Michael J., The Camden Expedition of 1864 and the Opportunity lost by the Confederacy
Hewitt, Lawrence L., Confederate Generals in the Trans-Mississippi, Volumes I - III
Castel, Albert E., General Sterling Price and the Civil War in the West
Sinisi, Kyle S., The Last Hurrah: Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition of 1864
Cutrer, Thomas W., Theater of a Seperate War: The Civil War West of the Mississippi River
Foote, Shelby, The Civil War
Lowe, Richard G., Walker's Texas Division, C.S.A., Greyhounds of the Trans-Mississippi
Thomas, David Y., Arkansas in War and Reconstruction
O'Flaherty, Daniel, General Jo Shelby: Undefeated Rebel
Edwards, John N., Shelby and his men or The War in the West
Davis, Dale E., Guerilla Operations in the Civil War: Assessing Compound Warfare during Price's Raid
Rea, Ralph R., Sterling Price: The Lee of the West
Jones, Terry L., Louisiana in the Civil War
Taylor, Ethel C., Dust in the Wind: The Civil War in Indian Territory
- Lothar
- Word Count: 750