Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-08-24
A Confederate Story Of Gen. Lyon.
N. Y. Cor. Cincinnati Enquirer

| ~. L CCI. I1IliuHtf-
The day of the Tilden and Hcndrick
reception, met among others, Col IT, l..
Snead, Chief Staff Of Sterling Price,
who was in every pitched battle fought
by the armies of Kansas and Missouri
He is St. Louis man, and was an
editor, negociout, and an amateur politi-
clan, and has an engaging address
and superior powers of narration.
Col. Snead is now citizen of New
York. | wrote Immediately after his
statement, in the busy scenes of the
day, his generous tribute to Cen Lyon:
Lyon" said Col Snead, was the
greatest man [ ever saw. That has been
my statement everywhere felt it and
said it the very day we held that men,
orable interview Of six hours. with him
at the Planters House, St. Louis. He
was Jeff. Davis over again. but not as
narrow and prejudiced as Davis. He
was Davis, however, in intensity and
ness Of Davis.
I'VE were to hold that interview in
order to see if war could be prevented.
| am the only survivor of it. Claib,
jackson and Sterling Price were the
ablest politicians in Missouri; Price at
the head, after the death Of Col. Ben
ton. | was the Governors (Jackson's)
Secretary. Lyon came there with Frank
Blair, Jr., and Gen Conant The latter
was afterwards killed. Price was a suc
cessful military officer, and Major-Gen-
3ral in the war with Mexico. Lyon was
nothing but little Captain of artillery.
But such was his clearness, force and
real genius that he met those old poll
| ticians at every point, conceding moth
ing, but never discourteous, his reason
and his will equal The whole party felt
him to be the master mind and the Fed
eral historians do not err when they put
him down as the greatest man they pro-
duced greater than any produced on
both sides west of the Mississippi
River.
Lyon advanced into that room a lit
tie red-bearded, red-haired, precise, pos
tive, plain man. He sat down and cross
ed one lee over the other stiffiy, and his
face was serious and stern He spoke
each word separate from the other, pro-
nouncing little words like my and to,
with as much emphasis as the larger
words. He raised his right arm auto
matically as the conversation proceeded,
and brought it down with jerk, the
| fore-finger extended yet never speaking
higher or lower than at first. We felt
the sense of war and government in all
his bearing
- | shall take a small part in this con
ference, said Lyon. Mr. Blair is famil-
lar with this question, and knows the
| cf I'D b,e f,,11
confidence What be has to say will
have my full support.
Yet in half an hour he took the case
out of Blairs mouth, and advanced to
the front, and Frank Blair was as dumb
as he had been The United States new
er could have been typiied by more
inyincible mind and presence. 1t was
three o clock when the meeting broke
up. The last attempt jackson made was
to have both sides agree not to recruit
troops in Missouri. Lyon arose:
Rather than agree that my govern
ment shall concede to your government
one iota Of authority, as to the men to
be recruited, one inch of soil Of this
State to be divided in allegiance or neu-
traliZed between my government and
your government, | will see you, sir
(pointing to PRICE, and you, sir (point
ing to Jackson), and myself and all the
rest Of US, under the sod. Then taking
out his watch, stifiy said: You shall
have safe conduct out of my lines for
one hour. Meantime, you can get your
dinners. 1t is now three clock
We took our dinner in haste and left
St. Louis by an express train, and if we
had not burned the bridges behind us,
by GEORGE he would have caught us, sir,
before could reach Jefferson City, for he
marched at once Price had soldierly
respect for him, and delivered UP his
body from the battlefield. It was found
deserted a second time in the streets of
Springfield. | gave it to Mrs. Phelps,
wife of the present Governor of Missou
II, and sent men to bury it at the grave
yard in Springfield. Lyon followed us
with determination unparalleled IN
that war, and he went under the sod in
fulfillment Of his VOW.