Battle of Backbone Mountain

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The following Union Army units and commanders fought in the Battle of Westport of the American Civil War. The Confederate order of battle is listed separately.

Command disputes

By order of MG Blunt (General Field Orders No. 2) the militia regiments of William H. M. Fishbeck, Brigadier General of Militia, were placed under the command of Charles W. Blair, Colonel of Volunteers; Fishbeck was infuriated that his command had been subordinated to a volunteer officer. Because Kansas law stated that militia should be kept under the command of militia officers, Fishbeck disregarded Blunt's order. Blunt had Fishbeck arrested and held until released by order of MG Curtis. Upon his release, Fishbeck resumed command of the Kansas Militia regiments, with orders to obey directives that came from MG Blunt. This rather cumbersome arrangement had BG Fishbeck in direct command of the militia units attached to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, and Col Charles Blair in overall command of the brigade. Howard N. Monnett describes the arrangement as a "brigade within a brigade". Blair and Fishbeck led the militia into action at Westport (accompanied onto the field by MG George W. Dietzler), and then in the subsequent pursuit of Price until MG Curtis ordered the militia to return home.[1]

Abbreviations used

Military rank

Other

Army of the Border

MG Samuel R. Curtis
Escort:

Division Brigade Regiments and others

Provisional Cavalry Division
     MG James G. Blunt

1st Brigade

   Col Charles R. Jennison

2nd Brigade

   Col Thomas Moonlight

3rd Brigade

   Col Charles W. Blair

4th Brigade

   Col James Hobart Ford

Kansas State Militia Division[2][3][4]
     MG George W. Deitzler, Kansas State Adjutant General
  

Brigade field commanders

   BG Melvin S. Grant[5]
   BG William H. M. Fishback[6]

(not brigaded)

Artillery

  • Independent Colored Battery (6 guns): Cpt H. Ford Douglas
  • Topeka Battery of 2nd Kansas Militia (1 gun): Cpt Ross Burnes

Unattached unit

Department of the Missouri

MG William S. Rosecrans

Division Brigade Regiments and others

Provisional Cavalry Division
     MG Alfred Pleasonton

1st Brigade

   BG Egbert B. Brown (arrested Oct. 23)
   Col John F. Philips

2nd Brigade

   BG John McNeil

  • 17th Illinois Cavalry: Col John Lourie Beveridge
  • 13th Missouri Cavalry: Col Edwin C. Catherwood
  • 5th Missouri Militia Cavalry: Ltc Joseph Eppstein
  • Detachments from:
    • 7th Kansas Cavalry: Maj Francis Malone
    • 2nd Missouri Cavalry: Cpt George M. Houston
    • 3rd Missouri Militia Cavalry: Ltc Henry M. Matthews
    • 9th Missouri Militia Cavalry: Ltc Daniel M. Draper
3rd Brigade

   BG John B. Sanborn

  • 2nd Arkansas Cavalry: Col John E. Phelps
  • 8th Missouri Militia Cavalry: Col Joseph J. Gravely
  • Detachments
    • 6th Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry: Ltc John F. McMahan
    • 7th Enrolled Missouri Militia Cavalry: Maj W. B. Mitchell
    • 6th Missouri Militia Cavalry: Maj William Plumb
4th Brigade

   Col Edward F. Winslow (w Oct. 23)
   Ltc Frederick W. Benteen

Artillery

   Col Nelson D. Cole

Unassigned
  • 2nd New Jersey Cavalry (detachment): Cpt Michael Gallagher
  • 19th Pennsylvania Cavalry (1 company)

XVI Corps

(detachment of First and Third Divisions; in pursuit, not present at the battle)
MG Andrew Jackson Smith

Division Brigade Regiments and others

First Division
     Col Joseph J. Woods

2nd Brigade

Col Lucius Frederick Hubbard   

3rd Brigade

Col Sylvester G. Hill   

Third Division
     Col David Moore

1st Brigade

Col Thomas J. Kinney   

2nd Brigade

Col James Isham Gilbert   

3rd Brigade

Col Edward H. Wolfe   

Notes

  1. ^ Monnett p.44-45
  2. ^ Deitzler's Official Report
  3. ^ Monnett p.47, 143
  4. ^ Eicher p. 205
  5. ^ Formed a brigade of the 2nd, 3rd, 13th and 23rd Kansas State Militia regiments to fight at Byram's Ford on October 22 (Monett p.77). On October 23 Grant was in command of another provisional brigade guarding Russell's Ford on the Big Blue River [1]
  6. ^ attached to Blair's brigade in command of the 5th, 6th and 10th Kansas Militia regiments

References

  • Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3
  • Jenkins, Paul B. The Battle of Westport (Kansas City, MO: Franklin Hudson Publishing Co.), 1906.
  • Monnett, Howard N. Action Before Westport: 1864 (Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado), 1995. [revised edition]