the most fierce fighting that the 44th was engaged in during the raid occurred on october 23 at the battle of westport. union general blunt's position at the wornall house was formidable. his three brigades occupied positions behind a stone wall, some three hundred yards in front of the confederate line. a wide road, bordered on either side by stone walls, led to a farm house on top of a hill. in the road just over the hill there was a gun section of mclain's colorado battery in position and firing into the confederate troops at the bottom of the hill. as the confederate lines were reforming and being placed in position by brigadier general jo shelby, major general fagan rode up at the head of his escort. fagan looked at the battery a moment through his field glasses and said: "shelby, i propose to take that battery. have a regiment of cavalry to form in platoons and charge up the line and support the charge on foot." colonel mcgehee, commanding the 44th arkansas, about three hundred strong, formed by platoons, which filled the lane with a living mass of cavalry. as the 44th arkansas charged up the lane, lieutenant colonel samuel walker led the 16th kansas cavalry and 2nd colorado cavalry against colonel mcgehee. two squadrons of the 2nd colorado under green also struck the column's left. the 16th kansas met them in the road, meanwhile company e of the 15th kansas cavalry, struck across the field and reached the lower end of the lane, thus hemming in mcgehee's troopers and intercepting any retreat.