The Missouri in the Civil War Message Board

Re: Location of Battle of Lexington II ??

I wish to note that Kyle S. Sinisi's new book, published in 2015, entitled "The Last Hurrah--Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition of 1864" contains a battle map for the "Battle of Lexington II" of October 19, 1864. This map, presented as Figure 9.1 on page 175 therein, is consistent with everything that I subsequently have read, as noted in prior posts. Salt Pond Road, as shown in Fig. 9.1, today splits away from Missouri 13 near Tabo Creek bridge, and continues going southeast to Page City. There it continued on southeast past today's Confederate and Federal Cemeteries north of Higginsville, and continued on southeast to Brownsville of civil war days. The town name of Brownsville, incorporated in 1832, was changed to Sweet Springs in 1887.

The next road in Fig 9.1 west of Salt Pond Road traveling south-southeast from Lexington appears to be the Telegraph (old stage) Road passing just west of Higginsville that went to Aullville, Cook's Store, Dunksburg on the Blackwater, Rowletta, Georgetown and Sedalia. Most of Pleasonton's cavalry were positioned along the Blackwater from Cook's Store to Brownsville on the 19th, waiting for further orders, as Rosecran's rode the train from Jefferson City toward Sedalia, arriving there at 4 a.m. on the 20th, one day late.

Sinisi believes that Shelby's Iron Brigade, being commanded by BG Thompson, drove up the Salt Pond Road (here Missouri 13) northwest toward Lexington and attacked Blunt's defense line around Lick Ford Road. The Lick Fork Road ran west to the Warrensburg Road near the fairgrounds.

The center of the fighting then slowly moved west along Lick Fork Road, reaching its hottest artillery fire and combat along Blunt's strongest battle line positioned along the crest line used by the old Telegraph Road (the ridgeline near Linwood Lawn Drive). A northern extension of Linwood Lawn Drive (not there today) would closely follow the Telegraph Road to its junction with Salt Pond Road, heading into Lexington. Blunt decided to retreat at this position around 5 p.m. on October 19, 1864, withdrawing slowly west past the fairgrounds. Moonlight's spirited rear-guard action against Shelby seems to have occurred along the ridgeline where Marshall School Road crosses US 24, one miles west of the fairgrounds.

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Location of Battle of Lexington II ??
Re: Location of Battle of Lexington II ??
Re: Location of Battle of Lexington II ??