The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1861-08-15
Letter from Springfield.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo-, Aug.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo-, Aug. ..
EDITORS DEMOCRAT: will give you q
briei account Of some of tue news at this
place. The town has about 1000 inhab
iiants; it is snugly nestled down on the
edge of large prairie, in the groves, on
q small stream, as if seeking protection
there at once from the scorching summer
sun and the bleak winds of winter, that
rule supreme upon the open prairie, and
also from the remOrselese Secessionists.-
They have Just completed new Court
House here, which is very fine building
and is occupied at present by the army
as hospital, and it is under the skilfuI
and scientific management of DR.. (. @,
Franklin Of your city, to whom too much
praise cannot be accorded for his untiring
care and indomtable energy in the getting
up and managing hospital which has
some 80 patients, and accommodations
for / so, in a country where it is almost
impossible to get anything that you need
IAgreeably to the words Of the poet,
Hang your banner on tho outer walls,
DR.. Franklin yesterday flung to the
breeze, on top Of the hospital, q large
yellow fag-yellow. no doubt, indicative
of the green and yellow melancholy that
is apt 10 afflict the inmates of the hospitals
and also. as slight hint to the Seces
sionists not to throw any of those un
comfortable missiles at the sick, should
they happen to come this way.
The troops here. most of them, have
been kept on half rations for some two
weeks. owing to tina difficulty of procur'
ing provisions. 1t is said, "man wants
but little here below but if you could
sec the quantities of provisions coming in
by the wagon load, and then were told the
men were hardly half fed, you would
doubt the truth of the aphorism. Nature
says the philosopher, abbors a vacuum,
and in no place more than in the stom'
ach of a soldier. and oh! how this vacuum
takes off "the pOmp and circumstance o
glorious war"
Geu. Lyon aud his brigade arrived with
in ten miles Of here on the 18th Of July
since which we have heard little Of the
Secessiorists, except that they were in the
extreme southwest corner Of the State
recruiting and robbing, deserving and des
ecrating
The commands of Gen. Sweeny, Col
Sigel and Col. Solomon have been camp
ed in this town. The command that Gen
Lyon brought from Bonneville. togethe
with Major Sturges' Iorce from Kansas
have been encamped ten miles from herr
at Little Fork, called Camp Nc cClellan, ii
honor of our brave and skilllul younl
General, who has Just been sppOin tee
over the forces in Virginia.
On Thursday the news came that tn
enemy were advancing on us in thre
, columns, with an overwhelming force o
twenty thousand men,
{ Our troops set out in the afternoon t.
meet them. The Second and Third Mis-
souri, Regiments fiom here, and tn
Fourth and Second Kansas, and Firs
t Iowa Regiments, with two or three com
r panies of regular infantry, and two q
. three companies of regular cavalry iror
Q Camp Mcclellan. They effected a june
ton near Marionville, as did also tie Sc
| cessionists. To-day we hear from a
J. eyewitness, that twenty-five miles sout
r from here the advanced guard Of our al
: my met the advanced guard ofthe Sece'
4. sionists under Ben. Mccullough o.
e men Immediately "cried havoc, and Il
loose the dogs Of war;" The result WI
o the defeat of the Secessionists. The
e had thirty killed, and forty wounded wei
Y found in one house. We had three xii
ed, eight wounded, and three died fro
!. heat.
r. The Sccessionists retreatod to the
If main body, and the two armies encampt
d within sight Of each other last night, al
y we expect to hear of battle to-day, Il
d result of which we are looking for wi
much interest, and full confidence of vi
Iy tory, An incident occurred in the ba
y lie of yesterday, which indicates the cha
ly acter of the fee we have to contend wit
Of One of Col. Sigel's lieutenants had pro
es trsted a Secessionist, who then begged
ne quarter, which the chivalrous lieutena
70 granted him, but as soon as the bla,
Ii hearted rebel regained his feet he sGiz
bis gun and shot his generous foe; b
the lieutenant killed him and two 9th
ug lSccessonists, and rode back, when he T
from his horse and died in two hours,
The SeOsssionists they say are determin
to take this town on actount Of its det'
mined Union sentiments. II is said the
er is a body of some 5000 men thirty mi
81, west of US, who are coming in to alta
is the town in General Lyons absen
We have here two companies of Tn
m. Regiments Missouri Volunteers aud
his bout 700 or 800 Home Guards from