Battle of Fredricksburg

A skirmish, later referred to as the Battle of Fredricksburg, was fought between the Blue and the Gray, on the O’Dell family homestead, now the City of Excelsior Springs Golf Course. Research by local historian, Harry A. Soltysiak, points to two different skirmishes in this same location. He believes the first skirmish, the Battle of Fredricksburg, was fought on Sunday, July 17, 1864. The second skirmish was fought on August 12, 1864, but over time, they were confused and a commemorative two-ton boulder with bronze plate is inscribed with: “In memory of the soldiers of the Civil War who gave their lives at the Battle of Fredericksburg – August 12, 1864.”