The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-11-13
THE MISSOURI CAMPAIGN.
The Part Taken by Bris....s;;sr Gsns-
raj Tbsmas Ewing ana
His Command.
GENERAL EwIkG'S OFFICIAL REPORT,
INTERESTING DETAILS,
&c.. &c.. g.
aRApouARTsRs, 81. LOUIS DIssxIcT, I
81. LOUIS, No, Oct. 20 1884.


ST. LOUIS, NO., Oct. 20, 1854. !
Cscrel J, " DO Bos Chief OF STAFF, Headq0arters De-
pastraeUs Of the Missouri
SIN r bsve the report that tho night Of
she s&ve September the MAJOR General command ng hay
zisarned thai Prices army had entered the depart
cas Uy way Poplar Bluffs and Bloomfield, ordered me
No brigade division OF the sixteenth
army CORPS which was then Jefferson barracks, and
patrol garrison the Iron Mountain Railroad, reporting
80 Gslor General A. J. Smith, who was TO follow next
SHy with The other or.f ade OF the division.
a, ne soto leaving rest OF the brigade to await
rr.ser orders from General Smith, went on with the
s;scDb infantry, strengthening the sarrisons at
tos bridges, and making temporary headquarters at
f;rsra Point. From each station where there was Ca
refy scouting parties east and west, which re
by Monday morning reporting no enemy north Of
gredercktown They brought however, apparently ere
able ruTnors that Price at Frederickown with all
his army.
A, ten Monday morning took Companies B, c, D,
and h Fourteenth Iowa infantry, under Captain Camp
be and went 10 PHO, Knob Major James Wilson, Third
n S. NJ cavalry, then commanded tie third esbderiot
II this district with headquarers II that pos he bad
znder orders Withdrawn his ontPosts from Patterson,
Oentreye Frederckowr ard Fsrningion, and col scted
~ Plot Knob all the available force o. hs sub district,
except bridge guards rte force present consisted
.. Companies Il, g, aud !, Forty seveah :. ssolri
aaptry; Captain L!ndsRys company fiiiieth Missouri
mfsliTy, which r&w aoons, win 81 aggregate OF
hrndeG ana eighty sios officers aud men ioT dsty,
a'ry: C1mpany y second u : N cavalry Company 6.
s.-'tM : u. iaau;ry, and Captain Montgomery s bat
ra made an aesyegets q cd troops Tor Guty OF ave
h..ared aud Sky Two. The eutire ccnnand was one
.ssnd and aiy.oas volunteers ana oEe bundred and
IL eiiizensen4ugh 70 lhe fort My instructions
e. Major Gencra! RosecIsus were TO have Major Wilson
= N he'd Pilot Knob against any mere detach.
nsent Of the enemy, bat 70 eyacuae II Frees main
The VILLAGE or Plot Knob which is the terminus Of tho
and Inc ses, Tor supply o. the lower ogtp SITS,
fr.t ed nv M m on tLa
-. b, Piot Knob 90 the east and Shepherd mountain
NH from five souas TO '' hssaed s. IN
s-s3t, and rises abruptly rom the valley Win he sides
s.n The southern and Western slopes o. saeacTd
mountain ACCESSIBLE and several roads lead over
flows along the base d Shepherd mountain and through
gap between and Pilot Knob into larger valley OF
several acres, encrcled by chain OF hills in
the northern end Of which, and about mile from the
town OF Pilot Knob, is the village OF ronton. Through
p,ssng out Of the larger valley by athe shu.-n" gap
rsar miles southeast of Pilot Knob The Two valleys
81. ed Arcadia
Fort davidson heKagonal work, mounting four
rhiriytwo FOUNDER siege guns and three twenty four
dred yards in circumference OF parapet. It lies the
plain south OF the village o. Pilot Knob. three
hundred yards from the base OF Shepherd Mountain Blk
hundred from the base Pilot Knob thousand
to The gap From the fort to the renotesi summit Il
these hills visible from 1t IS not over twelve hundred
yards, while all o. the hlsides the FORT
except the west cad shepherd mountain in usset
The 70 was axa conceded to be indefensbie
against any large army having serviceao.e artillery
EEry last summer competent engineers select
another ste but such are the difficulties Of tue position
practicable place could be found dc.epsibe
therefore had roads leading up the hills obsructed
cleared the est hisdes OF TIMBER aud put the fort
"a thorough state % deence by deepening the bitches,
Ing nortn aud south command ing the bes, approaches
On reaching Pilot Knob at OF Monday, Sept 20,
found scouting parties had been sent the night he ere
the main roads. but that The party sen towards
Fredsricktowo had returned alter gong but six eight
-.pso reconnaissance toward Frederckiown and small
,ou'ins party under Captain Powers = crons the roads
Sys people them much possible 70 the force
e sne enemy. Both commands met Prices advance 10
rsss into The town OF iropton where, with Captain
-sDesr's company, Forty seventh Missouri Volunteers,
ne duly there, they made a stand reinforced
iIem With The detachment Of the Fourteenth Iowa,
under Captain Campbell, a section q Monsgomery's
available cavalry; placing the whole under command OF
MAJOR Wilson, with orders 70 drive The enemy u
possible through shut In Gap lie drove them 10 the
gap, but unable 10 hold them there and was being
Forced back gradually, when night aud rain storm sus
BY midnight 1t evident the enemy were Ia strong
force as Their column could be heard. coming ibe
valley steady procession and their encanpnent grew
extensive We st! did not know positively that Prices
decidedly 10 that elect But the advantages o. delaying
the enemy two three days 10 his march nortnward,
and OF making stubborn fight before retreaipg we're
10 great even though The defence should be
and much o. the garrison be lost that resolved to stand
fast aud take the chances Immediately for warded %
she railroad all the qusrermaser aud c0mmssary stores
zo needed In the fort, and all the rolling stock, and
se, al work constructing the fort six patformed
bettes Tor the Geld artillery, four pieces OF which were
taken into H. Lieuter ant David Murphy Forty seventh
Missouri Volunteers, most gallant officer and expe.
RIOT cod arlers was assigned 10 duty 90 my s,an as
AID decamp and given general control Of tho artillery
Major General smith, whose immediate command was at
De Soto and IMMORAL Poet, was kept fully advised BY
until cevsn O'Clock Tuesday forenoon, when the line
down
at daylight Tuesday, the enemy pushed Wilson back
shrosgh Arcadia valley 10 the gap between Shepherd
mountain aud Pilot Knob. while they were trying 20
Force the ordered the detachment OF the
IOWA TO take position the east end of Shepherd
t.in and ordered Wilson TO fall back With his cavalry
along The side Of pilot Knob, thus commanding the gap
eo, both Sides and opening clear range from the fort
Wilson sen, me word thst the enemy display.
mg Tag OF truce knew ~ trick TO eject o safe
passage Of the while psreying about surrender and
therefore ordered him 70 the esht at long
and obstinate struggle ensued which enemy lusl
considerably 10 unsuccessful EFFORT pass the deno
Daring an hour o. comparative quiet, which followed,
preached from the west, but that approach was too
gr.aiy exposed and they were driven from u BY our
hour moro, and my troops were summarily elected
from ss points cS%mand h u, a SAP me enemy
ssrcc. When they bad well advanced, we opeped
am Win sn al our snS SSv ss then back
again forced from u, and again with artillery
' ON Se s n py so ssG 20
nsndius part o. the side Of Pilot Knob which, being
IN Sd wh y os a ssu o
soortsn, except pext the gap and the side Of Pilot
After an hour o. ln the liucs Of the enemy seen
exposed points on he submits q The two hills, moving
sSwn, 40 almost before we could nrc on them
snoteet Nte nag was raised rock summit
.nspnefe mountain whsre group OF officers had been
fo1ing observations shelter Witb the opeuiny Of
oannoneae % The group the flag was hauled down
!. - lalnY y suspend the nrnF, that their
kefces hkht approach 70 The 10 safety now or
osrded toto Vie tort the section of arterv operatnr
outside ou the horses s,ompcded aud could ro bs go
h. The section remained uuGer cover !, onr 0ra -
sver, and vas brought 10 before DARK ue-s Tho ane1v
spened 90 ~ With two gus from tie snm, n shepssrs
Mountain Of about seven hundred yords ana ,uo o.,
he tide, al less distance. The gnue yero wei ro-ora
and we could silence only OF them Tho - ,as.ai
getting and Keeping our range exactly o''
Tho division on shepherd Mountain was Narmaanko,,
which, 90 tho Withdrawal OF the white flag ana ,he
spenng OF their artillery, moved rapidly a. - Ia t6s
assault bis Tines greatly broken by the rugged aud steeo
de-cett, and ev our 1re which told with marked sges
spon sbsn. On resching the plain, the most q The