Hampden Sydney College - Kaleidoscope Yearbook (Hampden Sydney, VA)

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soldiers, one who would expose them to no useless danger nor to any danger which he would not share himself. Nobody knew until the battle was over that General Price had been wounded. General Lyon was killed in action. Springfield, or Wilson's Creek, was one of the bloodiest conflicts of modern times. At Bloody Hill almost twenty-tive per cent. of the troops engaged were killed or wounded. General McCulloh refused to follow up the demoralized Union army, in whose train were money and stores enough to arm, equip and supply 10,000 Confederates. In entering Missouri at all, McCullol1 said he had violated orders. His government, with its fatal shibboleth, as ifwar was to be waged with a senatorial courtesy, objected to the invasion of any state which had not seceded and joined the Confederacy. McCnlloh retired to the Indian Territory. General Price, on August 25, set out from Springfield with his Missourians for an expedition to the river. After chastising Lane's freebooters in the West, he began the seige of Lexington on September 13. The garrison, under the command of Colonel Mulligan, 'fone of the heroes of the war fto datej, was cut oft' from its water supply and sur- rendered onthe 20th. The fruits of this almost bloodless victory consisted of 3,500 prisoners, 5 pieces of artillery, over 3,000 stand of arms, 750 horses, about 8100,000 worth of commissary stores, and a large amount of other property. Also S5900,000 in money was recovered, and the great seal of the State, and the public records were restored to the Southern party. General Price was more than two weeks at Lexington. He then made a leisurely retreat, to the south- west, going into camp at Springfield. Here he was in easy communication with McCulloh and could protect the General Assembly which had been summoned to meet at Neosho, October 21. In this camp the troops had good quarters and plenty of food. They were disturbed for a time in November by the approach of Fremont with 30,000 men. February 13, 1862, the force retreated toward Arkansas before General Curtis, who had 12,000 men and fifty pieces of artillery. By March 2 they had reached a point in the Boston mountains, beyond Fayette- ville, where General Van Dorn took the command. Under him, against Curtis, was fought the losing battle of Pea Ridge, March 6-7 -8. Here General McCulloh was killed. Price's Missourians bore the brunt of the battle. They continu- ally pushed on, never yielded an inch they had won, and when at last they received the order to fall back, they retired steadily and' with cheers, thinking it only a change of position. April 8, 1862, General Price was transferred, with equal rank, from the command of the Missouri State Guard to the first division, Van Dorn's Army of the West. About ive thousand of the Missouri troops, the best material in the State, followed him into the Confederate service. Missouri had been lost. If Blair and Lyon had failed it would have fared ill with the Union cause in Kentucky. But Missouri out of danger, Kentucky was freed of lateral pressure on the west. McClellan and Rosecrans in West Virginia relieved the pressure on the east and made Fort Donelson possible. 21

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The battle of Manassas was fought July 21, 1861. At that time LyO11 was at Springfield in the Ozarks. Quick action would have crushed him, for he had his difficulties as well as Price, and could get no reinforcements. General Scott was doddery and Fremont Qin connnand of the new VVestern departmentj was weak. July 25 General Price advanced form Cowskin Prairie. By the 31st, having been joined by McCulloh and Pearce, he was within fifty-two miles of Springfield. The combined forces thus brought against Lyon-Conti-derates, Missourians, and Ax-kansans-amounted to 13,000 men, including 2,000 unarmed Missourians. Lyon's force was between 7,000 and S,000. Between August lst and August 8th General Price's patience was sorely tried. McCulloh had no confidence in the Missouri troops. He would not eo-operate, he said, unless Price yielded to him the command ofthe combined armies. General Price was exasperated, but willing. He said to McCulloh: 4' I ani an older man than you, General MeCulloh, and I am not only your senior in rank now but I was a briga- dier general in the Mexican war with an independent command when you were only a captain, I have fought and won more battles than you ever witnessed, my force is twice as great as yours and some of my officers rank and have seen more service than you, and we are also upon the soil of our own state. But,General MeCulloh, if you will consent to help us whip Lyon and to repossess Missouri, I will put myself and all my forces under your command, and we will obey you as faithfully as the humblest of your own men ...... All that we want is to regain our homes and to establish the independence of the South. If you refuse to accept this offer I will move with the Missourians against Lyon. . . . . I must have your answer before dark, for I intend to attack Lyon before tomorrow. McCulloh accepted the offer, after some hesitation. General Price published an order to the effect that he had resigned the command of his forces, to be resumed at his own pleasure. This was August 4. On the 8th McCulloh was still hesitating to attack. General Price rode up, his patience no longer controllable, and insisted with great vehemenee that MeCulloh should keep the promise he had made. McCulloh called a council. H General Price declared emphatically that if orders were not forthwith issued for a forward movement, he would assume command of the Missouri troops and himself give battle to Lyon, be the consequences what they might. Lyon forced the issue. He had but one line of retreat, and he felt that his best chance of success lay in an aggressive movement. On August 9th he moved out in two columns, Sigel being ordered to make a flank attack. The battle was fought among thick woods, Missourians against Missourians. Sigel coming up at the concerted time was routed at the Sharp House. Lyon at Bloody Hill Cwhere the battle was essentially foughtj to the north of the Sharp House, knew that his only hope was to charge upon Price. General Price won the battle. He was every- where, with an eye keen for advantage. H Long before the fight was over the men had all learned that their commander was one of the best and truest of 20

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By that blow Grant carried the Illll0l1 forces into the interior of the Confederacy. 4' From the seizure of Camp Jackson, in lS61, down t.o the appearance of Sher- Illl2l,ll,S army in the rear of Virginia, in 1865, there may be traced an unbroken chain of causation. General Price hoped to the last, if not to regain Missouri, at least to render it feasible for the State to contribute recruits and supplies to the Confederacy. And we must not forget that General Price's home was in Chariton county. ' On being transferred to the regular service, Gene1'al Price was ordered east. of the Mississippi. During the summer of 1862 he was in northern Mississippi and Alabama. In September he fought, against odds, the battle of Iuka, which could hardly be called a victory tor the Federals. The battle ot' Corinth, dis- astrous for the Confederacy since Grant was thus left free to move upon Vicks- burg, took place Oct. 3-4, 1862. General Pricels command was engaged. Van Dorn was unreasonably held responsible for the reverse, simply ill fortune, and was at once superseded. In February, 1863, his men being dissatisfied east' ofthe river, General Price was granted a transfer to the Trans-llfississippi de- partment, under Kirby Smith. Thereafter, until his Missouri Expedition, his operations were confined to Arkansas. For two months he was in com- mand of the district, vice Lieut. General Holmes, QJuly 23-September 25, 18631. Pricels Missourians served without pay. Many ot' them had been driven into the Contedcrate ranks through out-rages perpetrated by the military authori- ties in their State. These 111011 were ready at any time ter an incursion into Mis- souri. As early as March, 1865, General Price wrote to Kirby Smith at Shreve- port proposing an advance into Missouri. 4' VVe would be able, he said, not only to sustain ourselves there, but to attract to our army thousands of recruits. I need not point out to you the immense relief the presence of an army in Mis- souri would give our overtzasked armies beyond the Mississippi. It appears that the expedition was carefully planned. Reynolds, Jacksonls lieutenant- governor, wrote from Texas in June that one purpose was to influence the elections in November. There is evidence that the O. A. K. lodges were moving in July in sympathetic preparation for Price. In his report after the event, General Curtis says, 4' But for the presence of our troops the people of South- west Missouri were overpowered, and Price had everything, including the approaching elections, his own way. Adjutant General Eno l:Department of the Missourij thought that the plan was to revolutionize the State, destroy Kansas, and operate 011 the Presidential elections. General Price, HO111llS famed white horse, entered Missouri through Ri pley county, almost due south of St. Louis, 011 September 19, 1864. His three numbered about 12,000 men. By October 7, he was within sight of Jefferson City, having passed within forty miles of St. Louis. The governor of Kansas issued a proclamation: 4' The State is in peril, Price and his rebel forces threaten it with invasion, Kansas must be ready to hurl them back at any cost. Ad- 22