The Army of the Border was a Union army during the American Civil War. It was created from units in the Department of Kansas to oppose Sterling Price's Raid in 1864. Samuel R. Curtis was in command of the army throughout its duration.
10-23 October Major General James G. Blunt, who commanded the District of South Kansas, was placed in command of the army's 1st Division, which was broken up into three brigade of volunteer cavalry regiments and a fourth of Kansas state militia units. Major General George Dietzler commanded the rest of the Kansas state militia units and organized them into the 2nd Division of the army.
Jennison's and Moonlight's brigades from Blunt's division fought at the battles of Lexington and Little Blue River. At the battle of Big Blue River Blunt's brigades of Jennison, Moonlight, and Ford were joined by the Olathe District Brigade of the Kansas State Militia brigade led by Melvin S. Grant.p.202
At the Battle of Westport, Blunt's division was deployed east–west with the Kansas State Militia generally supporting the right hand of the line. Curtis's divisions were joined by Alfred Pleasonton's cavalry division from the Department of the Missouri, bringing the Union army to about 22,000, including Pleasonton's cavalry.
24 October-7 November Immediately following the Battle of Westport on October 23, the militia units were returned to their respective counties and Curtis reorganized the remaining field units. General William Rosecrans had taken part in the pursuit of Price thus far but remained at his headquarters in Independence and relinquished Pleasonton's division to Curtis' command. Therefore, the Army of the Border was now organized into two cavalry divisionss; Maj. Gen. Blunt commanded the 1st Division and Maj. Gen. Pleasonton commanded the 2d Division.p.119
Two days later Pleasonton's division fought three separate battles: Battle of Marais des Cygnes, Battle of Mine Creek, and Battle of Marmiton River. Blunt's division fought Price in the last major battle of the campaign at Newtonia.
Commander Major General Samuel R. Curtis (October 14 – November 8, 1864)
Major battles and campaigns Price's Missouri Expedition Second Battle of Lexington (only Blunt's 1st Division was involved) Battle of Little Blue River Battle of Byram's Ford Battle of Westport Battle of Mine Creek (only Pleasonton's 2nd Division was involved) Second Battle of Newtonia (only Blunt's 1st Division was involved)
Abbreviations used
Military rank MG = Major General BG = Brigadier General Col = Colonel Ltc = Lieutenant Colonel Maj = Major Cpt = Captain Lt = 1st Lieutenant 2Lt = 2nd Lieutenant
Army of the Border MG Samuel Ryan Curtis
Escort: 2nd Kansas Cavalry (battalion): Maj Henry Hopkins Company G, 11th Kansas Cavalry: Cpt C. L. Gove Company H, 15th Kansas Cavalry Mountain howitzer battery: Lt Edward Gill
Division Brigade Regiments and OthersFirst Provisional Cavalry Division
MG James G. Blunt Escort: Company E, 14th Kansas Cavalry: 2Lt William B. Clark 1st Brigade
Col Charles R. Jennison 15th Kansas Cavalry: Ltc George H. Hoyt 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry (5 companies): Lt James B. Pond Foster's Battalion, Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia: Cpt George S. Grover Mountain howitzer battery (5 12-pdr): 2Lt Henry L. Barker 2nd Brigade
Col Thomas Moonlight 11th Kansas Militia Infantry: Col A. J. Mitchell Companies L & M, 5th Kansas Cavalry 11th Kansas Cavalry (9 companies): Ltc Preston B. Plumb Companies A & D, 16th Kansas Cavalry Mountain howitzer battery (4 12-pdr) [manned by Company E, 11th Kansas Cavalry] 3rd Brigade [Kansas State Militia Division]
Col Charles W. Blair BG William H. M. Fishbeck 6th Kansas Militia Infantry: Col James Montgomery Eves' Battalion Kansas Militia Cavalry: Ltc George Eves 2nd Kansas Light Artillery, Right Section: Lt Daniel C. Knowles 9th Wisconsin Battery: Cpt James H. Dodge 4th Brigade
Col James Hobart Ford 2nd Colorado Cavalry: Maj J. H. Pritchard 16th Kansas Cavalry (detachment) McLain's Independent Colorado Battery (6 guns): Cpt W. D. McLain
Division Brigade Regiments and OthersSecond Division
MG Alfred Pleasonton Escort: Company A, 11th Kansas Cavalry: Cpt Henry E. Palmer 1st Brigade
Col John Finis Philips 1st Missouri State Militia Cavalry: Ltc Bazel F. Lazear 4th Missouri State Militia Cavalry: Maj George W. Kelly 7th Missouri State Militia Cavalry: Ltc Thomas Theodore Crittenden 2nd Brigade
BG John McNeil 17th Illinois Cavalry: Col John Lourie Beveridge 7th Kansas Cavalry: Maj Francis M. Malone 2nd Missouri Cavalry: Cpt George M. Houston 13th Missouri Cavalry: Col Edwin C. Catherwood 3rd Missouri State Militia Cavalry: Ltc Henry M. Matthews 5th Missouri State Militia Cavalry: Ltc Joseph A. Eppstein 9th Missouri State Militia Cavalry: Ltc Daniel M. Draper Battery B, 2nd Missouri Light Artillery Mountain howitzer battery (4 12-pdr) 3rd Brigade
BG John Benjamin Sanborn 2nd Arkansas Cavalry: Col John Elisha Phelps 6th Missouri State Militia Cavalry: Maj William Plumb 8th Missouri State Militia Cavalry: Col Joseph J. Gravely 6th Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia: Col John F. McMahan 7th Provisional Enrolled Missouri Militia: Maj W. B. Mitchell Battery H, 2nd Missouri Light Artillery: Cpt William C. F. Montgomery Battery L, 2nd Missouri Light Artillery: Cpt Charles H. Thurber 4th Brigade
Ltc Frederick William Benteen 7th Indiana Cavalry: Maj S. W. Simonson 3rd Iowa Cavalry: Maj Benjamin S. Jones 4th Iowa Cavalry: Maj Abial R. Pierce 4th Missouri Cavalry (detachment): Cpt Charles D. Knispel [command combined with the 7th Indiana Cavalry] 10th Missouri Cavalry: Maj William H. Lusk
See also Westport Union order of battle Mine Creek Union order of battle
Notes The list shown is the entire Army of the Border. Brigades from this army fought in battles during Price's Raid.
References
Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., Civil War High Commands, Stanford University Press, 2001, .