An unveiling ceremony was held October 3 for the first of ten historic markers interpreting the Byram’s Ford Battlefield of the Battle of Westport in Kansas City, Missouri. The ceremony took place on the battlefield grounds atop the portion of the field known as Bloody Hill in Big Blue Battlefield Park.
A portion of the battlefield is on the National Register of Historic Places as the Byram’s Ford Historic District. These markers were researched and designed by the officers of the Battle of Westport Fund and have been funded by generous donors including members of the Fund and Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA). Byram’s Ford is designated as a Star Site of the FFNHA.
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-5) provided the principal remarks concerning the battle’s significance to the community and the region.
The importance of the marker is two-fold. The marker first addresses the fact that the Union victory at Westport led a few weeks later to the 1864 election and the resulting adoption of the Missouri Emancipation Ordinance. The marker also describes a notable figure from the battle, Lt. Patrick Henry Minor, an African American, (1829-1865) commanding Douglas’ Independent Colored Battery, who was the first regularly commissioned Black officer to command Black troops in combat on 22 and 23 October 1864.
This ceremony also highlighted the many improvements, including the walking trail over the field, which the Parks Department has made for the greatly improved interpretation of the battlefield, as well as the launch of the latest phase of the Battle of Westport Fund’s Saving Kansas City’s Battlefield initiative for raising an additional $1,000,000 for further land acquisition and improvements on the battlefield.
The public is invited to see the new markers at the upcoming Battle of Westport 160th Commemoration on Saturday, October 19, 2024. More>>
The Battle of Westport of October 21-23, 1864 was the largest battle fought west of the Mississippi River, stretching for seven miles from east to west and five miles from north to south. The battle involved over 32,000 troops on the outskirts of the village of Westport lying on the turbulent border between Missouri and Kansas. It marked the climax to a decade of war beginning with the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. Westport is one of only two battles in the state of Missouri designated by the National Park Service as a Class “A” battle because of it decisive effect upon the outcome of the war.
