A network of historical markers distributed across Kansas City commemorates the Battle of Westport (October 21–23, 1864) — the largest Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River and the decisive engagement that ended Confederate General Sterling Price’s 1864 Missouri Expedition. The marker system is maintained by the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund and spans a 32-mile self-guided automobile tour across the Greater Kansas City area.

The battle

The Battle of Westport was fought October 21–23, 1864, across what is now south Kansas City — from the Big Blue River bottoms eastward through Byram’s Ford, across Brush Creek, and into the village of Westport itself. More than 32,000 combined Union and Confederate troops were engaged across an area roughly seven miles east–west and five miles north–south.

Confederate Major General Sterling Price led a large-scale Missouri raid aimed at drawing the state back into the Confederacy, threatening the 1864 presidential election, and resupplying his Army of Missouri.1 Union forces under Major General Samuel R. Curtis — supported by General Alfred Pleasonton’s cavalry pressing Price from the east — converged on Price’s army simultaneously from multiple directions. The three-day battle ended in a decisive Union victory and the permanent end of significant Confederate military operations in Missouri.21

The scale and outcome of the engagement earned it the nickname “Gettysburg of the West”3 — numerous historians have used the phrase, and at least one recent account argues Westport was “actually… more decisive than Gettysburg.”3 The Battle of Westport Fund states that the National Park Service’s Civil War Sites Advisory Commission classifies Westport as a Class A battle site — ranking it among the top 25 most significant Civil War sites in the nation — making it one of only two such sites in Missouri, alongside Wilson’s Creek.4

The marker system

In 1975, members of the Civil War Round Table of Kansas City incorporated the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund, Inc. (now formally the Battle of Westport Fund), a 501(c)(3) organization named after Dr. Howard N. Monnett, whose 1964 book Action Before Westport was the standard scholarly account of the engagement and inspired the marker project.562 By 1979 the Fund had raised $25,000, erected permanent monument markers at 25 sites, and published a self-guided 32-mile automobile tour of the widely dispersed battlefield.56

The marker system has grown considerably since. In October 2024 — at the 160th anniversary commemoration — the Fund unveiled a new series of 10 interpretive markers at the Byram’s Ford Battlefield, installed at Big Blue Battlefield Park (including Bloody Hill) with funding from the Fund and Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA).78 Dozens of additional markers throughout Big Blue Battlefield Park, Kansas City proper, and Independence chart the full progression of events across the three-day battle.

The Fund offers both self-guided automobile tours and guided battlefield tours of sites throughout the Greater Kansas City metropolitan area.5

Key sites

Loose Park — The land now occupied by Loose Park sits near the center of the October 23 fighting, where Confederate forces were pressed back and ultimately broken. The Battle of Westport Monument, a permanent marker, was dedicated on October 23, 1953, and stands in Loose Park north of the Rose Garden adjacent to 52nd Street. A replica cannon and a cluster of detailed interpretive markers — the latter installed as an Eagle Scout project — are also sited here. Walking and driving tours of the Brush Creek fighting focus on the Loose Park area.

Big Blue Battlefield Park / Byram’s Ford — Byram’s Ford on the Big Blue River was the strategic pivot of the October 21–22 fighting. Federal and Confederate forces contested the ford on successive days, and the adjacent heights known as Bloody Hill saw some of the battle’s fiercest action. The Byram’s Ford Historic District was entered into the National Register of Historic Places on October 16, 1989 (NRIS #89001629).9 The land at Byram’s Ford was later purchased by the Monnett Battle of Westport Fund and the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites in 1992.5 The 2024 marker series is located here.7

Wornall House Museum — The 1858 Wornall House (6115 Wornall Road) served first as a Confederate field hospital and then as a Union field hospital during the battle.10 Markers at the site interpret its role in the fighting and the broader Westport / Brookside corridor engagement.

Forest Hill Cemetery — Markers at Forest Hill Cemetery (6901 Troost Avenue) commemorate the Confederate and Union casualties of the battle buried there.11

State Line Road corridor — Price’s retreating army crossed back into Kansas along State Line Road following the Union breakthrough; markers along the corridor trace the pursuit.

Visitor Center and Museum

[CORRECTION, 2026-08-05] As of this remediation, the Battle of Westport Fund’s own website states the Visitor Center is currently located in the historic Harris-Kearney House (4000 Baltimore Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64111), open by appointment (a $25 fee for up to four visitors); the earlier draft of this page incorrectly stated the center had relocated to an unconfirmed location.12 The Harris-Kearney House is a Greek Revival house museum (built 1855, moved to its present site in 1922) operated by the Westport Historical Society, which also functions as the Society’s headquarters.13 The Fund’s mailing address is 4125 NW Willow Dr, Kansas City, MO 64116; current information is available at battleofwestport.org.14

Annual commemoration

The Battle of Westport Fund holds an annual October commemoration tied to the battle’s anniversary dates (October 21–23). Events have ranged from guided battlefield tours and marker unveilings to formal reenactments; the scale varies by anniversary year. The 160th Commemoration was held October 19, 2024, and centered on the newly unveiled Byram’s Ford marker series.15 Large-scale reenactments have been staged at milestone anniversaries — including a 125th Anniversary Reenactment in 1989 and an early Byram’s Ford reenactment in Swope Park in 1912.

See also

Sources

Footnotes

  1. Kyle S. Sinisi — The Last Hurrah: Sterling Price’s Missouri Expedition of 1864 (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015, ISBN 978-0-7425-4535-9) (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: first comprehensive operational study of the full Price Missouri Expedition of 1864, including its political and logistical context. ↩ ↩2

  2. Howard N. Monnett — Action Before Westport, 1864 (Westport Historical Society, 1964; revised ed., University Press of Colorado, 1995, ISBN 978-0-87081-413-6) (title/ISBN verified 2026-08-05; also listed at University Press of Colorado, upcolorado.com) — Confirms: standard scholarly account of the battle, written by a CWRT-KC member who grew up on the battlefield. ↩ ↩2

  3. Civil War on the Western Border (Kansas City Public Library) — “Battle of Westport.” (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: Westport as “the largest battle of the Civil War west of the Mississippi River”; the “Gettysburg of the West” nickname used by numerous historians, with the further claim that Westport was “more decisive than Gettysburg.” ↩ ↩2

  4. Battle of Westport Fund — “The Battle of Westport.” (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: “The Battle of Westport ranks among the top 25 most significant Civil War sites in the nation as a Class A battle site according to the National Park Service’s Civil War Sites Advisory Commission,” and that Wilson’s Creek and Westport are the only two Class A sites in Missouri. ↩

  5. Battle of Westport Fund — “About Us.” (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: 1975 founding by Civil War Round Table of Kansas City members as the Howard N. Monnett Battle of Westport Fund, Inc., a 501(c)(3); by 1979 the Fund had raised $25,000, erected markers at 25 sites, and produced a self-guided 32-mile automobile tour; the Fund’s reclamation of the Byram’s Ford battlefield including a 1983 50-acre Commerce Bank land donation and the 1989 NRHP listing; guided and self-guided tour offerings. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  6. Civil War Round Table of Kansas City — “Monnett Battle of Westport Fund.” (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: 1975 founding by CWRT-KC members; Dr. Howard N. Monnett authored Action Before Westport (1964); the Fund’s 1979 accomplishments (25 markers, $25,000 raised, 32-mile tour). ↩ ↩2

  7. Kansas City Parks & Recreation — “Historic Battle of Westport Battlefield Markers Unveiled.” (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: October 3, 2024 unveiling of the first of ten new interpretive markers at the Byram’s Ford Battlefield, on Bloody Hill in Big Blue Battlefield Park; markers researched/designed by Battle of Westport Fund officers; public unveiling tied to the October 19, 2024 160th Commemoration. ↩ ↩2

  8. Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area — “Historic Battle of Westport Markers Unveiled.” (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: the same 2024 ten-marker unveiling at Byram’s Ford, funded by Fund donors and FFNHA; the markers cover the Missouri Emancipation Ordinance and Lt. Patrick Henry Minor, commander of Douglas’ Independent Colored Battery. ↩

  9. National Park Service, NPGallery — Byram’s Ford Historic District, National Register of Historic Places (NRIS #89001629, Jackson County, Missouri; listed October 16, 1989) (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: listing date, location at 63rd Street and Manchester Trafficway at the Big Blue River, period of significance including 1864. ↩

  10. Wornall/Majors House Museums — “The Wornalls and the Civil War.” (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: the Wornall House was commandeered as a Confederate field hospital on the morning of October 23, 1864, then used by Union forces after the Confederate retreat. ↩

  11. Forest Hill Calvary Cemetery — official site (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: location at 6901 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO; site includes “History” and “Notable Burials” sections. ↩

  12. Battle of Westport Fund — “Visitor Center and Museum.” (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: the Visitor Center is currently located in the Harris-Kearney House, 4000 Baltimore Ave, Kansas City, MO 64111, viewable by scheduled appointment ($25 admission for up to four visitors). ↩

  13. Westport Historical Society — “Harris Kearney House.” (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: the 1855 Greek Revival house, moved to its present site in 1922, serves as Westport Historical Society headquarters, visitor center, and meeting space; open Wednesday and Friday–Saturday for tours. ↩

  14. Battle of Westport Fund — “Contact Us.” (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: mailing address 4125 NW Willow Dr, Kansas City, MO 64116. ↩

  15. Battle of Westport Fund — “BOW 160.” (fetched 2026-08-05) — Confirms: 160th Anniversary Commemoration held Saturday, October 19, 2024, 10:00 AM–3:00 PM, at Big Blue Battlefield Park (60th Street and Colorado Avenue), featuring guided tours of Byram’s Ford, Central Battlefield, and Bloody Hill. ↩

See also

Categories
  • Wiki Page
  • Monument
  • Westport

On the record — ks.city/wiki/monuments-and-public-art/battle-of-westport-markers · last revised 2026-08-05