The Battle of the Mine Creek - Assignment Example

The Battle of the Mine Creek The American Civil War was a result of diverging ideologies between the southern states in the US that were reliant on slaves and the northern states that supported the changes proposed by President Abraham Lincoln. Many significant battles were fought in the war. One of these significant battles was the battle of the Mine Creek. The battle was between the Union cavalry from Iowa and the rebels led by the Major General Price (Beckenbaugh 5). The Mine Creek battle was fought at noon on the 25th of October 1884. It was among the last battled west of the River Mississippi and it resulted in a resounding victory for the Union soldiers. The battle has a lot of historical significance because it represented a heavy defeat for the Confederates and crippled their cause. Outline Introduction Historical background Reasons for the battle The course of the battle Battle outcomes Historical significance of the battle outcome Conclusion Introduction The Battle of Mine Creek was part of the Civil War and it represented a major turning point in the war. The Union soldiers against the Confederacy soldiers, also called the Missouri army, led by General Price, fought the battle of Mine Creek on October 25, 1984 (Beckenbaur 3). The battle was a function of Major General Price’s expedition to liberate the states of Missouri and Kansas and thus weaken the position of President Abraham Lincoln and prevent his reelection (Beckenbaugh 8). The battle commenced when US Union soldiers pursued retreating Confederate soldiers and was the most decisive battle in the day when three separate battled involving Major General Price’s Army and the Union soldiers. Though the battle was part of a bigger war and had no immediate or direct impacts to the American Civil War, it represented a big victory for the Union forces and influenced morale and symbolized Union dominance. This paper will examine the course of the Battle of the Mine Creek and its historical significance. Southern states relied on slave labor because of their agriculture-based economies. Therefore, they were opposed to the election of Abraham Lincoln because of his antislavery stance and his vocal support of its abolition in the United States. Therefore, eight southern states formed the confederation on the day of the inauguration of President Lincoln. The confederation planned to expand and occupy 12 states in addition to the territory controlled by Confederate forces and ideologies. The new states included Missouri-Kansas (Peterson 104). The additional states had similar requirements for slave labor in addition to a resentment for the Lincoln administration. However, Union soldiers protected them. The differences led to the onset of the Civil War. During the war, the vast numbers of the Union soldiers led to an increasing outlook of the Union victory in the war. Therefore, the southerners attempted to reduce the likelihood of a reelection of Lincoln by reducing the number of states loyal to the Union. Therefore, General Price led an army of twelve thousand Confederate soldiers in an attempt to capture the states of Missouri and Kansas for the Confederacy. The plan was to reduce the chances of reelection of Lincoln. However, a decisive defeat by General Curtis in the battle of Westport and fortification of many cities that Price had hoped to capture led to withdrawal towards the southern states (Peterson 109). However, Union soldiers overtook Major General Price’s forces when crossing the Mine Creek and engaged them in the Mine Creek battle. The main reason for the battle was the determination of the Union to defeat the southerners and their plight to cause divisions within the United States. The operation by the Major General Price was one of the biggest events in the war. The Union soldiers involved in the war, was loyal to the Lincoln administration and, therefore, determined to crush resistance. Therefore, the battle was a product of the Civil War and the soldiers were motivated by the different ideologies. The Confederate army had a long train of wagon carrying goods and supplies for the fighters. The length of the Confederate train was one of the main reasons why the Union soldiers overtook to Confederates when they were crossing the Mine Creek. On 25th October, federal forces caught up with the rear end of General Price’s forces (Peterson 107). That day, three battles ensued, one at daybreak, one at noon and one in late afternoon. All battles ended in Union victories. The most significant of the three battles, the battle of Mine Creek, ensued at noon (Peterson 132). Colonel John F. Phillips and Lt. Colonel Frederick Benteen led the Union soldiers who attacked the rear of the Confederate soldiers, leading the battle. The two colonels had about two thousand five hundred men to attack the Confederate forces of more than seven thousand men. After the initial wave of attack, the Confederate soldiers formed a defensive line to hold the Union cavalry as they awaited the arrival of the soldiers ahead because as mentioned earlier, the retreating party was more than ten kilometers long and the length was increased with the delay caused by wagon crossing the creek. However, the soldiers of the Confederate were able to hold the federal charges long enough for the arrival of the rest of the soldiers. At that point, the Union soldiers were outnumbered by a ratio of close to three to one. However, the Confederate soldiers were poorly equipped and lacked proper combat training as compared to the Union forces. In addition, the Union soldiers had a stronger psychological mentality due to their earlier battles as well as prepared for the attack. The Confederates attempted to confuse the Union soldiers by dressing in Union uniforms confiscated in their raids but they were discovered. One of the leaders of the Confederate expedition, General Marmaduke, was captured when he was unable to tell the difference between his soldiers and Union soldiers due to the confusion caused by the changes in uniforms. The Union forces won the battle convincingly. Despite their relatively low numbers, they had determination and superior battle supplies. In addition, the Union took two of the leaders in the Price expedition along with six hundred men and six cannons (Fryman 82). The rest of the Confederate soldiers continued their retreat towards the southern states where they enjoyed local support, but they were pursued and caught in the afternoon of the same day, leading to the final battle of the day, Battle of Marmiton River, also ending in a federal victory (Peterson 76). In the battle of the Mine Creek, there were 1300 casualties. Of the dead men, only 100 were Union soldiers (Fryman 91). Therefore, the battle led to heavy losses of life, especially for the southerners, as well as loss of property. The Price expedition had high expectations. Initially, there were high hopes among the Confederates that the attempt to take the state of Missouri and Kansas would be successful. However, the resounding defeats in various battled forced the retreat of the Confederate campaign (Kansas Historical Society 3). After the heavy losses endured by Major General Price and his army, there was no other significant indulgence in the north by the southerners. The battle also played a significant role in resolution of the Civil War. Such emphatic defeats of the Confederates weakened the campaign of the southerners and eventually resulted to defeat (Kansas Historical Society 23). After the failure of the Confederate campaign, Abraham Lincoln was reelected for a second term in office. The reelection is a significant point in history because it represented a victory in the struggle against human slavery and gender equality in the country (Fryman 52). The Battle of the Mine Creek, though a small part of the many battles that secured victory against the southerners, played a key role in facilitating the reelection because it was the most decisive battle in the defeat of Price and his army. In fact, there was no other significant expedition by the southerners after the failure of the Price expedition. One of the significant effects of the Civil War is its facilitation of empowerment of minority races and empowerment of women in the society. The Lincoln administration pushed for abolition of slavery and installed the necessary framework for equality in the future (Fryman 73). Though the African Americans and other sections of the population continued to strive for social changes in the country until 1964, the victory of the Union in the Civil War is a major turning point in their history because it was among the first steps in their long journey to liberation, freedom and equality. A historical site has been established at the site of the battle of the Mine Creek. The site is relevant to American values such as freedom and liberty because of the direct effects of the battle and the Civil War at large (Petersen). People visit the historical site to help them appreciate the sacrifices made by others for the existence of the country as it is today. The site is a reminder of the values of bravery and commitment and the role of the Civil War in the creation of the present day country (Donovan). Visitors to the site get a vivid description of the war and where the major events in the battle of the Mine Creek (Donovan). The biggest feature of the battle of the Mine Creek was its significance to the greater war. It represented an unlikely defeat and provided a big mental boost to the Union while dealing the hopes of the Confederate army a big blow. In fact, the southerners never ventured outside their territory after the battle. After the battle and the subsequent reelection of President Lincoln, the war ran out of steam. The war also represented a significant victory to American values of bravery and determination because though the Iowa battalion soldiers had inferior numbers, they still claimed victory, perhaps leading to the reverence of the war in the contemporary society. The battle of the Mine Creek was therefore among the most significant events in the Civil War due to its significance to the war and the reference in contemporary culture. Work cited Beckenbaugh, Terry. "Battle of Mine Creek" Civil War on the Western Border: The Missouri- Kansas Conflict, 1854-1865. The Kansas City Public Library. Accessed Nov, 05, 2014 at http://www.civilwaronthewesternborder.org/content/battle-mine-creek-0 Donovan, Peter. “The Mine Creek battle." Personal interview. 11 2014. Fryman, Robert I. "Engaged the fumes Again": An Assessment of the 1862 ard 1864 Civil War Battlefields at Newtonian" Missouri. Atlanta: Garrow and Associates, Inc., 1995. Kansas Historical Society. "Mine Creek Battle - October 25, 1864." - Kansapedia. 1 June 2014. Web. 5 Nov. 2014. . Petersen, Wayne. “The Mine Creek battle." Personal interview. 11 2014. Peterson, Richard C. et al. Steering Price’s Lieutenants: A guide to the Officers and Organization of the Missouri State Guard I 86 l - I I 6 5 . Shawnee Missouri, Kansas: Two Trails Publishing, 1995. Read More