Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-10-07


General Harris and Six Thousand Men
Cross the River and are Driven Back by
stursIs-Genernl Price Rvacuates Lex
lBGtOn on Monday-The Rebels FOrtifyina
Bakers Hill-rhey Expect an Attack
from Fremont and sIRel with Forty
Thousand Men - Condition of Colonel
White.
The following is from Saturdays st. Louis
Democrat:
We had an interview yesterday with Cap.
tain Meet, of Company X, Fourteenth Mis-
souri, Volunteers, under Colonel White. The
Captain was one of the prisoners surrendered
by Colonel Mulligan, and was lucky enough
to make his escape from the hsnds of the
rebels on Monday last. He gives us some
highly important information, which we
proceed to detail. Captain Meet is an old
resident of Lafayette County, and knows the
locality Of Lexington perfectly, was one of
the Home Guards when his company Joined
the command of Colonel White, and seems
to be a very intelligent and reliable man.
He says he was relieved from captivity on
Thursday of last week on parole, and had
proceeded across the river on his way to the
Hannibal and st. Joseph Railroad, when he
was seized by order of General Price, taken
back to Lexington and committed to jail.
From his Jail quarters he could observe to
some extent the movements of the rebels,
and what he could not see he gathered from
his guards and from conversations with Ma
ior Sewer, the Provost Marshal under the
rebel reign at Lexington.
He says that all day last Saturday General
Harriss division of about six thousand men
were crossing the river to the north, or
rather north. west, on theltwolferry boats and
the small steamer Clara Belle. The destina-
ton of this expedition he could not in any
way ascertain. On Saturday night about
twelve o'clock, he was awakened from his
sleep by brisk cannouading from the direc-
ton taken by Harris's forces, the sound
coming to his ears very distinctly, and Civ
ing him the impression that the scene of the
firing was not far from the river bank.
This cannonading continued, he thinks,
| about half an hour. About daylight agair
the cannonading was resumed, and seemed
| to be nearer. The rafting of musketry was
also heard, and the whole fight, as it seemed
| to be, was kept up vigorously until about ter
o'clock on Sunday morning. Shortly after
ward it became very apparent that Harris
force was retreating across the river, as hi
saw men running along the streets as wet a
| though they had been swimming the river
| and be heard some Of them saying that Har
| ris's Baggage train had been captured by
| Sturgis with an army of seven Thousand
| men, and that Harriss men were coming
| across the river.
| Captain Meet says he heard Major Sevie
telling the same thing to some of the officers
He could not learn any particulars of tn
fight, only that one Of the ferry boats, tn
Isaac BTihker-formerly used at Brunswick
was sunk. On the same afternoon Sunday
the whole rebel army commenced movin
out of Lexington, taking the direction, q
far as he could learn, of the Missionary RoaC
! leading to the south west. He could see th
columns moving very plainly from his plsc
of confinement. This movement continue
all Sunday night and all day Monday up t
the time he was taken out of Jail, which We
between two and three o'clock in the aftel
noon.
Captain Meet says he was released by th
Provost Marshal, Major Sewer, and take
Immediately before General Price, wher
witnesses were produced against him on
charge of having robbed some of the store
houses of Lexington while on duty asa HON
Guard. The examination was hasty, an
was brought to an abrupt close by GenerI
Price, who said that the proof was not suff
cient to hold him as prisoner in Jail, and s
released him, as before, on parole, directin
him to report himself again to him at fiv
o'clock that afternoon, when other witnesse
would be produced. The limits of his free
dom were all that part of Lexington south q
Main. street.
Between three and FIVE O'Clock Captai
Meet concluded to try an escape, and accord
inely, in the midst of the confusion, stole ou
of town and hid himself in a corn field boz
dering on the Independence road. Abou
FIVE o'clock he saw General Price and stat
and his rear guard, pass along by his hiding
place, and he heard from the loud talk of th
troops that they were going TO Bakers Hill
about eight miles from town, where they il
tended TO fortify themselves to meet the al
tack of Sigel and Fremont, who were CON
ing on them with forty thousand troops.
Bakers Hill, Captain Meet says, is th
highest eminence in that part of the countr,
and is we'll adapted for a plan of defens
He says he can not say positively that tn
was the design of Price. He only heard
talked about among the troops.
On Monday night Captain Meet made h
way to Freedom Township, q Dutch settlt
ment twenty-four miles off. Here he WI
joined by Major Becker, who had also c.
capped; and the next day they both struc
across the country for Sedalia, which plac
they reached in safety.
Major Sewer told Captain Meet on Frida
last, that on that day they had issued fort,
si1 thousand ratiOns. Captain Meet thirl
the rebel army will reach fifty thousan,
They are badly clothed, but the majority
them well armed.
About four o'clock on Monday evening
saw Colonel Whites physician, DR.. CoOle
who told him that the Colonel was better.
The Captain says the Federal army at ar
near Sedalia is a very formidable body
men, and are exceedingly anxious to gi'
the rebels fight, fearing they will scatter al
run before they are reached.
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