The Missouri in the Civil War Message Board

Fagan's Division

I have never liked seeing Price's Raid simply described as a single action, as in "__ unit participated in Price's Raid" I think technically the operation used raid tactics, but it should probably be given the designation of a military campaign. Accepting T.N., Dupuy's definition of a Campaign in "Understanding war: History and Theory of Combat, Leo Cooper, London, 1992"...

A campaign is a phase of a war involving a series of operations related in time and space and aimed towards a single, specific, strategic objective or result in the war. A campaign may include a single battle, but more often it comprises a number of battles over a protracted period of time or a considerable distance, but within a single theatre of operations or delimited area. A campaign may last only a few weeks, but usually lasts several months or even a year.

That being true I think that references to Price's Raid should include lists of the specific battles and engagements that the unit participated in. An apt comparison would be to the Atlanta Campain which usually includes a list of battles including Resace, Pickett's Mill, Kennesaw Moutain, etc.

When discussing the participation of Fagan's Division of Arkansas Troops in Price's 1864 Missouri Campaign (Price's Raid) I am somewhat unconfortable simply listing all the major engagements of that campaign becaue I don't think Fagan's division participated in or was even present for all the engagements. The campaign usually lists teh following engagements:

Battle of Fort Davidson
Fourth Battle of Boonville
Battle of Glasgow
Battle of Sedalia
Second Battle of Lexington
Battle of Little Blue River
Second Battle of Independence
Battle of Byram's Ford
Battle of Westport
Battle of Marais des Cygnes
Battle of Mine Creek
Battle of Marmiton River
Second Battle of Newtonia

I am unsure about the participation of Fagan's Division in the following engagements:

Fourth Battle of Boonville
Battle of Glasgow
Battle of Sedalia
Battle of Marmiton River
Second Battle of Newtonia

Does anyone have any input on the participation of Fagan's division in these engagements?