Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-05-10

The Retreat of General Steele from
Camden-The Rebels capture his
Subsistence Train and 1000 OF
his Men-DepIOrable Condition
Of his Cavalry.
ST. LOUIS, May 9.-The Democrat of this
morning publishes the following: The ex-
| pedition of Gen. Steele towards Shreveport
has ended with his return, under rather eX-
citing circumstances, to Little Rock. A
] gentleman, conversant with the facts, ar
rived here. communicates 4 statement to
the following purport: Steele left Little
Rock with some twelve thousand infantry.
| and three thousand cavalry, under General
Carr. Arkadclphia was occupied without
| difficulty, and the force moved forward to
Camden; between Arkadelphia and Cam
den subsistence train of one hundred and
eighty wagons was cut of and captured by
the enemy, together with al escort of four
hundred and eighty men, who suddenly
found themselves in the hands of q superior
force, and made little resistance.
At Camden. Steele found the rebels to be
about 5000 strong cavalry in his rear; fifty
wagons, dispatched toward Pine Bluff for
stores, with an escort of sixteen hundred
men, were captured by the enemy; the
steamer Alamo, with twenty tons of am
! munitiOn for Steeles army, was sunk forty
miles below Little Rock, by coming in col
lision with another steamer. The pilot who
had charge of the boat was put under ar
rest on suspicion of treachery, but subse-
quently released. Steele found no stores to
subsist his troops, and had to reduce their
allowance toquarter rations.
AS his movement was to be cooperative
with the main one of Banks, which had
failed, there remained no course but to re-
turn to Little Rock.
Price undertook to retain Steele at Cam
| den, while Marmadnke, with u strong
force, set off for Little Rock.
Steele, to act for the safety of the Arkan-
sas capital, with its Union population and
its millions of dollars worth of Federal
stores, and for the rescue of his army, broke
through Prices lines, and set out to get to
Little Rock in time to save it from Marina
duke, who was making every exertion to
reach and bag the proposed game.
AT Sabine Fork it became necessary to
give Price battle, which was handsomely
done the rebels were well mounted, in fine
condition and the fight was protracted and
bloody, lasting three or four hours; it re-
suited in the complete repulse of the enc
my, leaving Steele to resume the exciting
race with Marmaduke. The latter ap-
preached Little Rock, throwing shells into
the city on the afternoon of the lst; shortly
atterwarI Carr's cavalry came up, joining
the troops at the post, and compelled Mar
maduke to relinquish his undertaking. He
made little resistance, as the main body of
Steele's army was rapidly arriving.
The legislature was in session, and prob
ably not one of its members, if caught,
would have been spared by the exasperated
foe.
During the entire march from Camden,
the. troops were constantly skirmishing
with the enemy, who hung upon their rear
and tlanks, strenuOuSly endeavoring to I'M
pede their progress. There were no ambu-
lances for the wounded and they had to be
lett in the houses of residents on the road
The enemy captured an escort of sixteen
hundred men, composed of the Seth Iowa
42d Indiana and 18th Ohio, only as of
whom succeeded in escaping.
Our informant represents Steele's cavalry
as deplorably deficient in horses, our men
being compelled to use unbroke mules in
many instances, or try to use them for cav
airy horses. Prices forces, still linger-
ing in the vicinity, were stripping the often
deSOlated country over.