Battle of Liberty/Blue Mills Landing

Battle of Liberty/Blue Mills Landing. . , In September of 1861, Liberty and Clay County briefly became a focal point during the American Civil War in Missouri. Near this site, the Battle of Liberty was a decisive victory achieved by the pro-Southern Missouri State Guard against Union forces that unsuccessfully attempted to prevent them from crossing the Missouri River to support Southern forces under General Sterling Price at Lexington., Approximately 3,500 pro-Southern Missouri State Guard recruits from counties in northwest Missouri consolidated in St. Joseph bound for Lexington. On September 16th, the first wave of Southern troops began the lengthy process of crossing the river using two small flatboats at Blue Mills Landing. Troops under the command of Colonel Richard Chiles made camp at Town Branch Creek near this site., Northern troops were given orders to intercept them before they could cross the Missouri River south of Liberty. Shortly after sunrise on Tuesday the 17th, about 500 soldiers of the Third Iowa Infantry under Lt. Colonel John Scott along with 100 pro-Northern Missouri “Home Guard” volunteers from Adair, Macon and Caldwell counties, arrived in Liberty. They established camp on a hill north of Liberty and waited for reinforcements to arrive from Platte City., While Southern troops steadily continued to cross the river, Lt. Colonel Scott sent 20 mounted scouts towards the landing to locate the enemy and determine the status of their crossing. About one mile southeast of this location near Liberty Landing Road at Old Highway 210, Colonel Chiles’ rear guard waited in ambush. The Northern scouts rode directly into the trap with four of their men killed and a fifth severely wounded. The surviving scouts retreated back towards Liberty., Lt. Colonel Scott had determined that he could no longer wait for reinforcements and began to move his troop towards the river. They marched as a column of four men wide heading down the narrow road directly into a well-placed ambush. The battle began past a corn field that is now near Liberty Bend Road at NE 52nd Street., Six hundred Southern troops commanded by Colonels J. P. Saunders, Richard Chiles and John Patton had concealed themselves in a dry creek bed and in the woods along the road. The narrow road and thick woods made it impossible for them to form an effective line of fire therefore they moved into the woods on both sides of the road and fought from there. The Southern force maintained a strong advantage throughout the engagement and gradually the Union soldiers retreated back towards Liberty., The battle lasted about an hour. Nineteen Union troops were killed and approximately 80 were wounded. Three Missouri State Guard troops were killed and approximately 18 were wounded. After returning to Liberty, the Union troops established a hospital at William Jewell College and buried their dead in an area near Mt. Memorial Cemetery. Those soldiers were reinterred at the Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery in 1912., The Southern troops successfully completed their crossing of the Missouri River at Blue Mills Landing and made their way east where they joined General Price in defeating Union forces at the Battle of Lexington.