Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1881-10-15
PRICES RAID.
shelby Replies to Pleasanton-
an Inside View of the ExPedt.
tAOn of 1S64-Some Interest
ing Facts that have
not yet been made
Pnhlic.

G pursuit oil Gen. Price in 1864. Pleasan
ton, while clarifying himself, attempt
to make a very unkind thrust at Gen
Grant, one of the greatest soldiers th'
+; world has produced. In his letter tt
o the Philadelphia Press, which you copied
: Gen. Pleasanton says: "Gen. Price
crossed the Arkansas river with 25,O0(
men and thirty pieces of artillery
n The truth of the matter is that Gen
!, Price, on the evening OF September 22d
= 1864, crossed the said river with lest
Il than six thousand cavalry and eigh
t pieces OF artillery, his cavalry consisting
q OF Fagan's aud Narmaduke's divisions
Z. than three thousand each. Or
Black river he was joined by Shelby'i
. division, about $500 strong, and one
battery (CollinsD of four rltled guns
captured from Gen. Steele, at Marks
l Mill, Arkansas. Therefore Gen. Price
I moved north into the state of Missouri
n with three divisions, as mentioned and
with less than 5000 fighting men and
only twelve pieces of artillery.
Ihe first point We felt the enemy
was in the neighborhood of Doniphan,
Rlpley county, Missouri. His force was
light and in his retreat he applied the
, torch to the town and as we passed il
was only heap OF ashes. This was the
work OF Maj. Wilson and his command,
OF whom much has been said OF recent
years.
No fighting of importance occurred
, until Eliot Knob was reached. Marina
dukes and Fagan's divisions were there
E and did all the fighting, Shelby's divis-
ION being sent to the right some twenty
i've miles to intercept any force the
enemy might try to throw forward and
reinforce the troops at Pilot Knob. 1t
was never Gen. Price's intention to en-
ter St. Louis, as Pleasauton states. His
object was to reach the Missouri river
and give the. southern element an op-
portunity to enlist. Could he haye es-
tabllshed himself no doubt he would
have carried out fifty thousand men.
Ihey would have followed him in pref
erence to all others, for no man could
nave kindled the same enthusiasm that
Gen. Price would have aroused.
Pleasanton admits he had $500 men
before Gen. Smith joined him with a..
800. He afterwards alludes to Col.
Benteen's brigade of 700, but he forgets
to tell that he as reinforced at Lexing.
ton ~ Gen. Blunt with 5000. He also
omlts to say that Gen. Curtis force OF
5,5OO, including some Colorado troops,
fell in with Gen. Blunt at the Little
Blue. He fOrgets also to state that the
Kansas troops were rushing in from
every quarter. OF Kansas to his assist
ance, and that the Kansas troops from
1896 to the close of the war had always
prove themselves equal to the best, and
that as general thing their officers had
always led their men with conspicuous
bravery.
tind, therefore, that Gen, Pleasau.
ton, by the time he reached the Little
Blue, had nearly %, 900 men under his
command. The number of pieces OF
artillery 1 am unable to state. Gen.
Price, with about 5000 men, had this
force to resist. Besides, hundreds OF
wagons, with women and children.
we're f1ocking to HIM daily, anticipating
another order similar to order No. iii
Recruits were rapidly gathering, all OF
Wnom' however. were unarmed, and
these only served to cucumber and en-
barrass his movements. They sought
MIN for protection and he gave it to
them. Gen. Prices men had no diff.
Guilty IN driving the enemy until he was
IN the vicinity of Westport, and then
was the flrst and only time that he ever
during the entire expedition, brought
MS three divisions into line of battle,
ana then merely for the purpose of
giving his immense train time to move
IN sacn manner as to enable him to pro-
agntlng the enemy gave ground and
anaily retreated, Gen. Price also with.
drawing his command and movino
slowly southwark.
1t Was at this point that they charged
zen. John Mcneil with neglect. IF mt
wanton inefficiency. As have said he.
fore, had Gen. Men ell ventured charge
zen. Marmaduke would have DESTROYED
MN. Shelby's division being to the
right and rear of the point McNeiI
wonid have been compelled to strike.
would nave at once closed in on HIM and
not one OF his command could have 40.
capped. ~ nave U.s.
Gen: Price never laid seige to Jeffer.
son City as Gen. Pleasanton asserts
sheiby's division, having driven the
enemy over the Usage river. pushed
them into Jefferson City. Prices com.
mand passed in view of Jefferson Citv. |,
Collins battery was ordered to Oman m
The city, but Gen. Price hearinr Tho
guns. rode Immediately forward and
ordered the firing to cease. saving em-
mot brick in the canital
shall be injured" Gen. Fagan after. 1t
wards fought and held the enemy in
check about Boonvllle-the three divis- o
ons alternately fighting the enemy nm.
Ter Pleasanton until we reacbe2 tho b
leighborhood of Westport. The readar
nust 1'. pear IN mind that Curtis and
o.;nl, lorces were directly in Cen.
'rlce's front, that the Missouri river
'overed frice's right flank, and that the -
'ntlre country on the north side of the
lver was open to PIeasant0n to COM q,
nunlcate with Blunt and Curtis. With 90
n able general like Smith. having
,5oo picked veterans to close upon j,
'rlce's rear, and with prairie country s.
n Gen. Prices left flank, the reader
I'll also wonder Gas all OF us then dId) 10
my Price could march at leisure from III
ne Usage river to the Kansas line with
Ut the slightest annoyance, except in Ise
ne rear. of
Pleasanton tells of the sluggish Little
'lse and about its ten Or twelve feet of la
'ater: When General Price struck he
40 Little Blue all the Kansas troops sc
nder Curtis and Blunt were there in
ne on the opposite bank. We crossed go
column under fire, and in two hours' cl'
me the enemy were dislodged, driven ne
ON thelr streng position, and the
arch continued towards Westport. III III
asslng through Independence. W. W.
near what he says of the fight at rss e
-arais de Cygne: " lie,
'At day break on the morn,no of tho L..
'th, found Price camped on the ms m
sage river, and bringing into action tn,
70 only battery that was able to keep CO..
p ne was shelled out of his camp. and
treated some five or six miles to the A.
arias de Cygne river. where he took las
strong position, covered by twelve WI
eces OF artillery and 10000 men" P.
zen. Marmaduke and Gen. Pagan, dle
itn parts OF their commands, fought Ma
M at the point mentioned. Their com be
ands, had been active and fighting for
lrty days, their stock was jaded, their Cd
hmunition was nearly exhausted, and SUI
ey yielded finally to overwhelmino sci
lmoers Four hours later Pleasanton {
acned Gen. Price, who had formed 60, M
"a was awaiting his coming, still nn' n
lsning his immense wagon train with NV ~"
[hiiles OF women and children and un. aas'
ineu men to the south, moving them for
iour parallel columns at intervals of sa
70 hundred yards between each div1s-
y. frlce awaited the attack. Pleas
tou made it, was defeated and driven CT