Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-10-08
TIE RATTLE OF LEXINGTON.

To the Hon. CLAIR4ORN j. OhehSoH, .
Governor Of the State IF Missouri:
I have the honor to submit to your Excel
}encv the following report Of the action which
terminated ON The Goth inst, with the slrren'
der Of the United States forces and properly,
at this place, to the army under my
After clIsstising tie malauding armies OF
Lane and Montgomery and driving them out OF
! the State, and after compelling them II a'atII,
| Ion Fort Scott, rs detailed in my last report !
continued nv march towards this point WIN
an army increasing hourly i'll numbers aiIa en-
thuSiaSm. .,
On the 10th inst, just as we were ABOUT u,
rncamp for the day, q mile or two west VI
Rose Hill. | learned that a detachment Oh fcue-
raj tronps and Home Guards were marching
from Lexington TO WarrenSburg to rob the
bank ia that place and plumber and arrest tue
citizens Of Johnson county, in accordance w'th
Gen. fremont'S proclamation ana Instructions.
Although my men were greatly fatigue" ~
several days continuous anu rapid marching !
determined 10 press forward so us 10 SURPRISE
the enemy lfpossible at Warrelisourg. mere
fore, after resting 4 few hours, We resanieu 'he
march a. sunset, and marched without inter
mission until 3 o'clock in the morning, "heh v
became evident that the infantry, very It" u
whom had eaten u mOuthlul III twenty-five
/ hours, could march no further. ! then haltcu
Them, and went foI ward with the larger part
Of nv mounted men ill We came, about day
br,ak within view Of WarIenburg, where
ascrrlaiur,l tia the enemy had hastily He'd
abdhut midnight, burning the bridges behind
them. The rain began To fall about the Same
lime.
This circumstance, coupled with the fact
tina. nv men had ber;l fasting for more than
,wcnty.Iour hours, constrained me 10 aband'I'
,l,. idea VI pursuing the c;lemy that day 'nf
inlantry aud artillery having come up, We eli
c,.i,prd at WarrcasburS. whose cltlzeiiS wed
with each other in feeding my almost .ainI>l''i
soldiers. An unusually violent storm delayed
our march the next morning till about ~
O'clock; we ihcn pushed forward rapidly, Sill
hoping to overtakc the ene,ny. Finding II iui'
possible To d., this with my infantry, again
ordered 4 detachment TO move iGrWard, ana
plncing MySrlfa at their lead continued the pur-
suit to within two and a half miles OF Lexington,
when, having learned that the enemy were
already within town, and it being late, and
my NELL iatIgued Ivy a'forced march, anu Ut
terly without provisions, halted for the nlSht.
About daybrcak the next morning I sharp
skirInish took place hrtwcen our picketS anu
the rncrny's outpnsts. This threatened To BE-
come general. Bang unwilling, however, t"
risk Il double engagement when a short delay
would make SUCCESS certain, ! fell back two or
three miles ard awaited the arrival Of my IL
fantry and artillery. These having come up,
We. advanced upon the town, driving III the
encmy's picke;s until we came within 4 short
\. H-,, "A 3D. attn ;tr.1G lInrn tho InpTnV
attempted To make i stand, but they were
speedily driven from every position, AMI forced
to take shelter within their entrenchmentS.-
We then took our position within easy rarge
Of the College, which building they had strong
" fortified, aud opened upon them a brisk hire
from Ble'suc'S battery, (Which, in the abScncs
Of Capt. BIedSoc, who bad been wounded at
Big Dry-Wu:d, was ~gallantly commanded by
Captain Emmett Mcdowell and by Parsons
battery, under the skillful command Of Capt.
Gnibor.
Finding after sunset that our ammunition,
the NEST Of which had been left behind on the
march from Springfield, was nearly exhausted,
and that my men, thousands Of whom hal not
eaten 4 particle in 80 honrS, required rest aud
food, Withdrew To the Fair Ground aud en-
canpcd there. Ny ammunition wagons having
been At last brought ur, and large &c %cn(nrcc.
mcnts having been received, | again moved in
TO town on wednesday, the 18th inst, and be-
gan the final attack upon the encny's works.
Brig. Gen. Rains division occupied a strong
position on the east and north east Of the for
i,lications, from which nm effective cannonad-
ing was kept up on The enemy by Elcdsoe's
Battery, under command except on the last day,
IF Capt. E,nmct Mcdonald, and another bat-
terry commanded by Capt. Churchill Clark, Of
ST. Lmiis. Both ii these gentlemen. and thu
men and officers under their command, are dc
~scrvc1lv commended in the accompanying re.
port Of Brig. Gen Rains.
Gen. Parsons took n position south west e
the works. whence his battery, under command
of Capt. Guihnr, poured a steady fire into the
enemy.
Skirunishcrs and slarpShO0terS we're also
sent forward from both Of these divisions to
harass anil fatigue the enemy, and TO cut them
off FROM, the water on the north, east, ami
south Of The college, and did ineStimable ser.
vice in the accomplishment Of these purposes.
Colonel Congreve JlckSon's diviSion and n
part Of General Stems were posted near Gen.
craI Rains and General Parson rs Z reserve,
In, no occasion occurred to call them into nc
ton. They were. however, mt all times vlgI.
LAM, and ready to rush upon the enemy.
Shortly after entering the city on the 18th,
Col. Hives, who commanded the Fourth Divi-
sion in the absence of Gen. Slack, led his regi.
mcnt aud Col. Hughes's along the river bank,
to q point Immediately beneath, and west Of
the tortilir atoms, Gen. McBridc's command and
n portion Of Gen. %IIa,ris's having been ordered
TO RI. inforcc him. UyI. Eive:, in order to cut
| off the enemy's means Of escape. proceeded
down the bank Of the river to capture n stcain-
boat which was lying just under their guns
Just at this moment q heavy fire was opened
upon him from Col. Andcrson's large dwelling
house, on the summit OF the bluff, which the
enemy we're occupying as Il hospital, ard upon
which n white nag was flying. Several co'n.
panies Of Gen. ~lIarris's command and the gal
liant soldiers of the Fourth Division, who have
won upon so many battlefield the proud dis
tinc,iOn Of always being among The bravcst of
the brave, immediately rnshol upon and took
the place.
The important position thus secured vas
within 125 yards Of the eucmy's imt:crch.
mcnts. 4. company from Col. Hughes r:Ei
nent then took possession Of the boats, one III
which was richly f~rcighted with valuable
stores. Gen. MrBridc's and Gen. Harris di.
VlSll1'S Itleil" tiiC Shiifbty SNoh e'N 1871
pied The blnnS immediately north ofAnder-
sous house. The I,sSs, sSiun Of these heights
enabled nni men tn harass the enemy so
greatly That, resolving /" regain them, !hey
nade upon the house Il sicrr>>inl assault, and
one which would have ircn honorable 10 them
had it mt been accompanied by an act Of say
age barbarity the cold.blooded and cowardly
murder uf three tlrfenceltss men, who had laid
down their arms and surrendered themselves
as prisoners. The position thus rctakcn by
the enemy was soon r~csained by the brave
men who had been driven from it, and was
thcnceforward held by them 10 the very end
Of the contest.
The heights to the left Of Anlerson'S h"nse
which had been taken, rs before stated, by
Generals Mcbride and Harris, and by part oil
Gen. Stems command, under Col. Boyd and
Minor Winston, were rudely fortified by OIL
soIdi,rs who threw up breaStwOrks MS well as