Major General James G Blunt’s Union cavalry caught up to Major General Sterling Price’s Confederate cavalry at about three pm on the October 28th 1864 in Newtonia,MO. The rebel force was retreating after its foray into Missouri, when it made a rest stop about two mile south of the town. The Federal army spotted Price’s supply train on the Cassville road. This would become the second battle of Newtonia.
The Union’s 16th Kansas and 2nd Colorado formed two lines and charged the fleeing supply train. The skirmishers that the Confederate sent out were in no condition at this point of the war to put up much of a resistance, and were soon push back. General Joseph Shelby brought in his “Iron Brigade”, he road to the front, dismounted and lead the attack that flanked the smaller number of Union troops, pushing them back into a cornfield on the Matthew H Ritchey property. The fighting continued here until Federal reinforcements and cannon under General John B Sanborn showed up, causing the Rebels to retreat at nightfall. By the next morning Price and his men had retreated across the prairie and into Indian Territory.
Although this was a ruff fight the casualties were light. The Union side lost about 400 soldier and the Confederates 250.