The capture of Sedalia occurred during the American Civil War when a Confederate force attacked the Union garrison of Sedalia, Missouri, on October 15, 1864. In late 1864, with the war having turned against the Confederacy, Major General Sterling Price launched an invasion into the state of Missouri with hopes of distracting the Union from more important areas and causing a popular uprising against Union control of the state. Price had to abandon his goal of capturing St. Louis after a bloody repulse at the Battle of Fort Davidson, and moved into the pro-Confederate region of Little Dixie.