Second Battle of Independence
Historical Aliases: Independence Street Fighting · Pleasonton’s Advance on Independence
Date: 1864-10-22 · Location: Courthouse Square and Downtown Streets, Independence (Jackson County, Missouri)
Federal (Union) Command
Pleasonton’s provisional cavalry division charged into Independence from the east, deploying saber and revolver tactics in urban terrain to dislodge the Confederate rear guard.
Estimated Strength: ~6,000 troops
Estimated Casualties: ~300
Confederate Command
Cabell’s brigade held courthouse corners and brick buildings to buy time for the army’s wagon train, sustaining heavy losses before retreating under pressure.
Estimated Strength: ~4,500 troops
Estimated Casualties: ~400
Strategic Significance
Pleasonton’s cavalry struck Price’s rear guard, forcing the Confederates into an acute two-front dilemma between Curtis in front and Pleasonton behind.Tactical Engagement Summary
On the afternoon of October 22, 1864, the cavalry division of Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton struck Price’s Confederate rear guard in and around Independence. Fighting began along the eastern approaches and quickly escalated into vicious mounted and dismounted clashes through the town square and surrounding residential streets. Brig. Gen. William L. Cabell’s and Maj. Gen. John S. Marmaduke’s Confederate brigades attempted to hold the town to protect Price’s enormous supply train moving southwest toward the Big Blue River. Mounted charges by Union cavalry, including the 1st Missouri State Militia Cavalry, broke the Confederate positions, capturing hundreds of prisoners and two artillery pieces, and driving the Confederates westward toward Byram’s Ford.
Civilian & Community Context
Citizens sought refuge in brick basements; cannonballs struck private residences and the Jackson County Courthouse, with visible damage lingering for generations.Tactical Sequence Navigation
Archival Provenance & Sources2 cited
Repository: U.S. War Department / Government Printing Office|Locator: Series I, Vol. XLI, Part 1, Reports, pp. 340–352
"Official dispatches of Pleasonton, Sanborn, and Cabell detailing the cavalry charges through Independence on October 22, 1864."
Provenance: U.S. War Department compilation published 1893.
Repository: National Park Service, American Battlefield Protection Program|Locator: Battle Summary MO028
"CWSAC summary documenting tactical engagement, force estimates, and decisive Union cavalry breakthrough."
Provenance: National Park Service battlefield classification survey.