The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-02-05

J. II. Schofeld 1st No. Art, was sent along
with this battery. The force previously under
my command consisted Of the 2lst Ill, Col j.
W. c. Alexander: SD H. Col. c. L. Hovey !;
the 3Sth III. and the 1stdnd. Cav, Col. Conrad
Baker.
THOMPSON SLIPS AWAY, BUT CONES BACK.
As soon as arrangements for the march to
| Fredericktown could be made my command
started. 1t was my intention to approach so
near Thompsons position on the night of Oct.
I %, 1861, as TO be able to attack him early on
! the 2lSt; but when j arrived at Fredercktown
| it was ascertained that column of Federal
! troops under Col. J. b. Plummer, had entered
! the place few minutes before mine, having
| come from Cape Girardeau, and that Thomp-
! son, who had intercepted dispatch from Plum
! mer 10 myself, and thereby learned the plan Of
! the campaign against him, had withdrawn on
! the Greenvile road; Plummer having entered
| on the Cape Girardeau road and my column
| on the 1ronton road. 1t was learned from Con-
! fedcrate sources after the fight that Col. Lowe
| and other officers of Thompsons force had
urged him to return to Fredericktown and
! fight the combined force of Plummer and my
! self. Whatever were the influences and mo-
tives that governed him, he did return to a
| point nearly mile from the town and gave
| battle there. The enemy was first discovered
! by cavalry troop under Capt Stewart OF
| Plummer's command. They were well con-
beginning of the fight
THE QUESTION OF RANK
arose between Plummer and myself.s He as
summed to command though was his senior by
| commission in the volunteer service. The rebel
cannon were booming away at us while he and
| / were discussing this question. / closed the
| discussion, by saying:
| "Col. Plummer will not quarrel with you
| about the right to command here during a
r,rit h,fv atf 10 fta, ion oft
will command my troops and you can command
yours" These may not be the exact words,
| but are substantially those used on the occas-
! sion. Plummer had no just claim whatever to
| the command as his commission was junior to
mine, and it was from Gen. Fremont, according
| to my information, who had no legal right to
| issue eommissions,-which,h however, he did on
a large scale. But either Plummer or l had
ample force to defeat Thompson, and he was
| thoroughly beaten and routed in short time !;
| and / suppose during the whole war no force
was more thoroughly demoralized by defeat than
that of Thompson at Fredericktown. After the
! fight Plumnler told me that if | should assume
command over him, Col l.. F. Ross of the 18th
H., would assume command over me. And it
was really true that Ross, who was voluntarily
serving under Plummer, his junior in volun-
| teer rank, was senior to me. Plummer started
out in pursuit of Thompson the next day, but
| ThompSon's men, or those who remainedswith
him, retreated so rapidly that any pursuit by
| infantry would have been useless. However,
Plummer went but a short distance on the
| Greenevile road, and returned to Frederick
| town. My force, after taking care of the dead
and wounded, returned to Pilot Knob. Hear
| ing that Thompson was hanging about Indian
! Ford, St. Francis Co., No. below Greeneville,
on the st. Francis River, | made march to
that point, but found no trace of the enemy.
He had gone into the swampy region west of
New Madrid. His command was virtually de-
stroyed; but few men remained with him. The
great majority returned to their homes, and
many surrendered and took the oath of alle-
glance to the United States. This little fight
at Fredericktown, Mo-, on the 21st day of Oct,
1861, was really one of the first victories gained
by Union troops in the war. 1t was not much
of battle when viewed in the light of the
great conflicts of arms at later day, but to
many of US 1t was the first experience under
fire. 1t was very prolific in the item of Briga-
der Generals No less than three officers re-
ceiVed their commissions as Brigadier Generals
as a reward for their services on that occasion,
| viz, Coils. J. B. Plummer, L. +. Ross and Mai.
j. NJ. Schofield, the latter then being Major of
the 1st Mo. Art. and Chief of Artillery on my
staff. At least, their promotion followed the
| fight SO closely that it was generally under
stood that they owed it to the Fredericktown
| fight. There are some facts connected with
| this affair that will pass over at this time
The troops of my command retsrned TO Ironton
| and Pilot Knob for the Winter, and Plummer's
column to Cape Girardeau. There no longer
remained any organized force of rebels in
Southeast Missouri, except small number
with jeff Thompson near the Arkansas line
| southwark from Bloomfield.
AN AMBUsCADE
The killed and wounded in the fight occurred
chiefly in the 1st Ind. Cav, Col. Conrad Baker
commanding and in the 18th Ill. Inf. After
the death of Col. Alden Lowe, of a Confederate
Missouri regiment, Thompsons force began to
retreat leaving rear-guard concealed in the
bushes on the west side of the Greenvile
road. Col. Plummer, without consulting me,
! ordered Col. Baker TO have a squadron OF cav
airy charge down the road after the retreating
rebels. Following the road in column of fours
| till within 80 or 40 yards of the rebel rear
| guard in ambuscade, the latter rose and opened
a volley into the head of the column. Maj. J.
| Smith Gavitt, very gallant and ambitious
| officer, who was leading the charge, was killed,
| and about 80 of the men were killed or
wounded. i believe the rear guard of Thomp-
! sons force had no other arms than hunting
| rifles and shot-guns. at short range none more
| destructive could have been used. This loss
OF men was one Of the unfortunate results of a
! disputed command On the battlefield. Col.
| Baker and his regiment belonged to my COM
mand, and Col. Plummer had no authority to
J
soldier and most estimable gentleman in every
way, felt bound to obey the order. No good
! result followed. the charge. | remember dis
tinctly seeing those uncouth Confederates in
homespun rise up from the ground, and with
all the deliberatiOn that would characterize a
hunter aiming at deer fire their only volley
/ into Gavitts squadron. They did not stop to
reload, but broke to the rear instantly after
! firing their guns
| THE FIRST FIGHT
This was the first engagement Of the war in
which i ct any regiment of my command had
| participated. 1t gave me good opportunity
to form an opinion of the character OF the
troops under my command. Having marched
al night before the fight began, and knowing
| that Thompson had retreated toward Green
Vile, but not knowing that he had returned
| TO give battle, had lain down to sleep for a
short time and give the troops an opportunity
TO get breakfast. j was awakened by the sound
of Thompson's artillery. Mounting my horse.
| i galIOped down the road towards the sound of
the cannon, giving orders TO my regiments to
follow. Every regiment seemed delighted at
the prospect of an engagement They eheered
and showed great eagerness to take part in
their first conflict. During the entire affair l
did not see or hear Of one officer man that
shirked his duty. From that time onward my
confidence and pride in these regiments was
unlimited Poor fellows! they conld not know
how many were yet to give up their lives for
the cause in which they had enlisted.
To be continuedl
Consumption Cured.
An old physician, retired from practice, hav-
| ing had placed in his hands nv an East India