In the
1864 United States presidential election,
President Lincoln supported continuing the war, while former Union general
George B. McClellan promoted ending it. By the beginning of September 1864, events in the eastern United States, especially the Confederate defeat in the Atlanta campaign, gave Lincoln an edge in the election over McClellan. At this point, the Confederacy had very little chance of victory. Meanwhile, in the
Trans-Mississippi Theater, the Confederates had defeated Union attackers in the
Red River campaign in
Louisiana in March through May. As events east of the
Mississippi River turned against the Confederates,
General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Confederate
Trans-Mississippi Department, was ordered to transfer the
infantry under his command to the fighting in the
Eastern and
Western Theaters. This proved to be impossible, as the
Union Navy controlled the Mississippi River, preventing a large-scale crossing. Despite having limited resources for an offensive, Smith decided that an attack designed to divert Union troops from the principal theaters of combat would have the same effect as the proposed transfer of troops. Price and the new
Confederate governor of Missouri Thomas Caute Reynolds suggested that an invasion into Missouri would be an effective operation; Smith approved the plan and appointed Price to command it. Price expected that the offensive would create a popular uprising against Union control of Missouri, divert Union troops away from principal theaters of combat (many of the Union troops defending Missouri had been transferred out of the state, leaving the
Missouri State Militia as the state's primary defensive force), and aid McClellan's chance of defeating Lincoln; on September 19, Price's column entered the state. On September 27, 1864, Slayback's unit made a minor assault against the defenses of
Fort Davidson during the
Battle of Pilot Knob; it suffered light casualties. After the fighting ended for the day, Slayback sent a note to the Union
garrison commander Brigadier General
Thomas Ewing Jr. suggesting that
African Americans within the fort would be massacred in events similar to the
Fort Pillow Massacre if the fort fell, as Price might not be able to restrain his soldiers. Slayback's unit was then positioned north of the fort to detect any potential Union movement. That night, the Union garrison retreated without being detected by Slayback's force and blew up the fort's
magazine. Other elements of Price's army had suffered bloody repulses at Pilot Knob; the defeat led Price to abandon a planned movement against St. Louis and instead aim for Jefferson City. On October 2, while stationed at
Union, Slayback's unit, now known as Slayback's Missouri Cavalry Battalion, was assigned to Brigadier General
M. Jeff Thompson's brigade of Shelby's division. The Confederate column reached Jefferson City on October 7, but the sight of strong defenses and faulty intelligence that inflated the number of Union defenders in the city led Price to cancel his attempt on the city and head west. While the Confederates were moving through Missouri, a Union force was reported to have left Jefferson City; Slayback's battalion was detached on October 13 to scout for the approach of this force. By the next day, Slayback's battalion had reached
Longwood, where it was joined by other Confederate units. Needing supplies, Price ordered two side raids, one of which targeted the town of
Glasgow; the other was a thrust by Thompson towards
Sedalia. On October 15, Slayback's battalion, along with Collins' Missouri Battery, the 5th Missouri Cavalry Regiment, and Elliott's Missouri Cavalry Regiment,
attacked Sedalia. A Union garrison defended improvised fortifications, but a cavalry charge quickly overran the positions. After Collins' artillery opened fire, the remaining defenders were completely dispersed; the town was then
looted. Slayback's unit performed guard duty after the fighting, as it was in a better state of organization than the other regiments that had participated in the skirmish. Meanwhile, the main Confederate body was moving steadily westwards towards
Kansas City; Thompson's men rejoined Price's main column near
Marshall. At the
Second Battle of Lexington on October 19, in which the unit was engaged as Shelby's division brushed aside a small Union force. Two days later, the battalion was part of a Confederate force that
forced a crossing of the
Little Blue River. On October 22, during the
Battle of the Big Blue River, Shelby ordered the 5th Missouri Cavalry and Slayback's battalion to search for a secondary crossing of the river, as Byram's Ford, the primary crossing, was strongly defended. Slayback's battalion quickly found an alternate
ford, and crossed the river, attacking Colonel
Charles R. Jennison's brigade in the
flank. Jennison's brigade scattered, but the Union line was able to reform. Later that day, the Confederates again moved against the Union position, with Slayback himself in the lead. The Union forces withdrew before any action occurred. At the
Battle of Westport on October 23, Slayback's battalion, which was part of Thompson's brigade, along with another battalion commanded by Major Rector Johnson, was initially aligned to the rear of the center of Shelby's line. After being pressed by a Union attack, Shelby then ordered Thompson to charge, and the cavalrymen, including Slayback's battalion, were soon engaged in a
melee. The Confederate forces were forced to fall back in a state that Shelby described as "weak and staggering". Slayback's battalion retreated to a stone fence, where it rallied. The defense held, and Union forces fell back, allowing Shelby to retreat from the field. Price's entire army was decisively defeated at Westport, and began retreating through
Kansas, hoping to escape. After a Confederate disaster at the
Battle of Mine Creek on October 25, Shelby's division, including Slayback's battalion, were recalled from detached duty to serve as a
rear guard for Price. Slayback's unit was initially posted on the Confederate left, with the intention of threatening the Union flank, but Price ordered the rear guard to fall back to behind the line of the
Little Osage River. Shelby's division fought by forming a series of weak lines, each briefly holding up the Union pursuit, and then falling back some distance in turn; these tactics gave Price some space to continue his retreat. Slayback's battalion saw some action during the rear guard efforts. At the
Battle of Marmiton River late on the 25th, the Confederate position at Marmiton River initially consisted of two ranks. The rear contained disorganized elements of the divisions of Marmaduke and Major General
James F. Fagan and the brigade of
Sidney D. Jackman, as well as Collins' Battery. The front rank, from right to left, was held by elements of Marmaduke's division, then Fagan's, then Thompson's brigade; Slayback's battalion was on the far left, with its flank anchored on a small stream. An initial Confederate stand was successful, but another Union charge was made. After 15 minutes of fighting, the Confederate line, including Slayback's unit, withdrew in a fashion Shelby described as "melting away". The fighting ended as Jackman's brigade, along with Slayback's rallied battalion and Elliott's regiment, counterattacked to repulse a charge by the
4th Iowa Cavalry Regiment. Despite repulsing the Iowans, the Confederate assailants came under Union artillery fire and broke off the attack, bringing the Battle of Marmiton River to an end. Shelby reported that fatigue was an element in the defeat. At the
Second Battle of Newtonia on October 28, Slayback's battalion fought dismounted to the left of Thompson's brigade. Thompson then attacked and gained some ground, but was halted by fire from Union
mountain howitzers. After a repositioning of the Union line, the Confederates pressed the attack farther, gaining more ground. Union reinforcements commanded by Brigadier General
John B. Sanborn stabilized the line and then charged. Shelby withdrew due to the arrival of the fresh Union troops. After the defeat at Newtonia, Price's
Army of Missouri retreated to Arkansas, where Slayback's unit was
furloughed on October 30. The unit, by then 300 men strong, rejoined Price in
Texas in December. Probably around February 1865, Slayback's command was combined with a group of recruits commanded by Dorsey, creating a full regiment of ten companies.
The last battle of the war was fought in mid-May and, on June 2, Smith surrendered the Trans-Mississippi Department. On June 23, Confederate Brigadier General
Stand Watie surrendered, becoming the last Confederate general officer to surrender his command. When the men of the regiment were
paroled on June 14, 1865, part of the unit was located at
Shreveport, Louisiana, while another part was at
Wittsburg, Arkansas. Historian James McGhee interpreted this arrangement as suggesting that the regiment was disbanded before the surrender. Specific casualties suffered by the unit are unknown, as Slayback did not issue casualty reports. Edwards later claimed that the regiment was issued flag-decorated
lances instead of
firearms, although McGhee considers that to be improbable. Historian Stephen Z. Starr repeats the lances claim as factual and attributes the idea for it to
John B. Magruder. ==Notes==