Battle of Liberty
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| Operations to Control Missouri |
|---|
| Boonville – Carthage – Wilson's Creek – Dry Wood Creek – 1st Lexington – Liberty – Fredericktown – 1st Springfield |
Veteran politician and unofficial "general" David R. Atchison left Lexington on September 15, 1861, and proceeded to Liberty where he met the Missouri State Guard. On the night of September 16–17, his force of 4,000 men from the 4th Division crossed the Missouri River to the south side and prepared for a fight with Union troops reported to be in the area. At the same time, Union Lt. Col. John Scott led a small force (500 men of the 3rd Iowa Infantry, about 70 of the Missouri Home Guards, and one 6-pound smoothbore cannon) from Cameron on September 15, towards Liberty. Heavy rain and bad roads limited his progress to only seven miles that day. On September 16, Scott camped in Centreville (ten miles north of Liberty), where he heard artillery fire in the distance.
Lt. Col. Scott broke camp at 2:00 a.m. on September 17. He arrived in Liberty at 7:00 a.m. and sent scouts out to find the enemy. Skirmishing began about 11:00 a.m. At noon, Scott marched five miles in the direction of the firing, approached Blue Mills Landing on the Missouri River and, at 3:00 p.m., struck the Confederate pickets. Soon, they were engaged with the main body of Confederates and deployed into battle line. Scott placed his artillery pieces in position and fired two rounds of canister into the enemy, inflicting heavy damage. However, a fresh volley from the Confederates scattered or killed most of the gun crew. Scott ordered his outnumbered force to fall back slowly, bringing off the gun by hand. Atchison attempted a flanking movement on the Federal right, which resulted in a sharp fight. The Union force continued to withdraw, firing as they retreated, bringing off nearly all the wounded, but abandoning their ammunition wagon and a caisson. The Confederates pursued for some distance, but Atchison did not press the attack. Just before nightfall, Scott's column retired to Liberty, entering the town about an hour after sunset.
The fight at Blue Mills Landing lasted for an hour and resulted in 126 casualties (USA 56, CSA 70). Among the latter was the Missouri State Guard's Theodore Duncan, a native of Kentucky, who died on the same day that he had been promoted from captain to colonel. Ten of the sixteen Union field officers fell.
References
- U. S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, 70 volumes in 4 series. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1880–1901. Series 1, Volume 3, Part 1, pages 193–195.
- [National Park Service battle description]
- [3rd Iowa website]
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