Liberty MO003

disputedunresolved Scott says his scouts could gain no definite information and that his messengers to Colonel Smith got no response; he struck the enemy about 3 p.m. (read 'p. in.' in OCR). NPS gives the contact as 3:00 am. Atchison says news came in the night that the enemy would be in Liberty early and that, after the morning picket fight, the enemy's approach was announced at 3 or 4 o'clock (no a.m. or p.m. stated), which agrees with Scott's afternoon time.

Attributed knowledge and a clock time that the summary and the report state differently; no message log inspected.

supportedunresolved Atchison says the State Guard was crossing the river all night in three small flats with a train of some hundred wagons. Scott says rain and bad roads slowed his march, his one gun was left without enough men to serve it, and his ammunition wagon was abandoned.

Movement and equipment conditions from the two opposing reports; not returns.

supportedunresolved Atchison says he carried Price's orders for the northern State Guard to hasten to Lexington. Scott marched on the firing toward the landing.

Stated aims from the two reports.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen and live results read Confederate victory. Scott says he fell back slowly after an hour, returning fire and checking pursuit; Atchison says the Federals almost immediately fled with his men pursuing.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit.

disputedpost_outcome The frozen casualty text reads 126 (US 56; CS 70); the live field reads 62 (US 62; CS 0). Scott says Company I's 4 killed and 20 wounded were a quarter of his total loss (his list is not printed) and the enemy lost not less than 160. Atchison claims about 60 Federals killed and about 70 wounded, and 4 killed and 1 wounded at the morning picket fight without loss; Scott says a body of his scouts fell in with the enemy's pickets and lost 4 killed and 1 wounded, the same figures; a compiler's footnote cites a Fourth Division return of 2 killed and 3 wounded.

Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap.

supportedunresolved The frozen commanders are D. R. Atchison as General and Lieutenant Colonel John Scott; a compiler's footnote to Atchison's report says there is no record of his official status. Atchison says Colonel Jeff. Patton led the advance; Scott reports that it was deemed advisable to fall back.

Command roles from the two reports; no automatic sole credit, and Atchison's frozen rank is not adopted.

unknownunresolved

No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. Imported numerical estimates remain unchanged; this pass does not validate them as simultaneous opening forces.

disputedunresolved The frozen force field gives the Union detachments about 600 and names the State Guard 4th Division with no figure; the live field reads US 600 and CS 0. Scott reports 500 of the Third Iowa, a squad of artillerists and about 70 Home Guards, says about 4,000 of the enemy passed through Liberty, and puts their total force at about 4,400. Atchison names five infantry regiments under Saunders with Wilfley's cavalry regiment and five under Patton with Childs's cavalry battalion, without numbers, and says the Federals were supposed to be about 900 with one gun.

Each side's estimate of the other and Scott's own count; no return. None is adopted as a matched opening strength. The live CS zero is not measured absence.

supportedunresolved Scott says the enemy lay concealed on both sides of the road in the dry bed of a slough, left on the river, and that his route lay through dense growth.

Ground described by an interested report; no map verification.