The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-09-06
CHAPTER VIII.
FRoI JEFFERSON TO BooNEvILLE-FIRsT BAT
TIE IL missouri.


TIE IL MISSOURI.
Let rs noY return to Gen. Lyon, whom we
left at Jefferson City, which be had occupied
without opposition. The Union men gave him
q hearty welcome while the Secessionists re-
ccived him with many frown.
Maj. Conant, of Gen. Lyons staff, visited the
penitentiary, which was full of conyicts who
cheered heartily as lie entered. They had
hoped to be liberated when the rebels left town
and no doubt would have been willing to enter
the service as a condition of getting outside the
stone walls that surrounded them. They had
been Secession in sentiment, but finding the
rebels had gone without them they suddenly
changed their politics and shouted Justify for
the Union when tho officer representing the
authority of the United States came among
them. A few only held out and eheered for
JEFF Davis and Gov. Jackson, probably for the
reason that they believed in Secession, and es-
Pecially in secession from where they were
There was gloom all around when they found
that Gen. Lyon had no intention of setting
them free, and that the sole object of the visit
Of Maj. Conant was to see that the prison was
properly guarded, aud ascertain that no work
on behalf of the rebels was being carried on
there.
The editor Of the Examiner, a newspaper
which had been advocating Secession in the
most violent manner. called upon Gen. Lyon.
and said he had been Union man always. aud
was in favor of keeping the State in the Union,
though he had thought differently only q short
time before. There were several cases OF
equally sudden conversion but the General
did not consider these professions of patriotism
anything more than skin deep. Missouri was
full OF men of this sort-men who were in
favor Of the rebellion at heart, but in presence
of the Union flag were the most profound
Unionists that the country ever saw. And this
reminds US Of a little story.
There was in north iscnuri n ,nfrr- Geoau-
sionist named NJ. JEFF Thompson. He took the
field soon after the war broke out, and kept up
a sort of guerrilla warfare In the southeastern
part of the State and along the Arkansas border
for year or more. Then he joined the army
of Gen. Polk, and after an absence of several
months returned to his former fighting ground
and one day was captured.
lie was brought to st. Louis, and while there
was visited by an old friend. They're a tough
lot Of people down there on the border between
Missouri and Arkansas" said Gen. Thompson;
"and | don't exactly like the way they act.
When I was there last year they were all solid
for the South, and I thought I'd find 'em so
yet. When L was being brought along as q
prisoner they'd come out to talk to me when
they had a chance. When | asked 'em how
they stood, and if they were solid as ever, hang
'em, but they had to look at their notebooks
to see which oath of allegiance they took last"
Another good story is told about JEFF Thomp-
son and q proclamation which he issued to the
people when he came back to renew his old
style of warfare. After speaking very hope
fully Of the prospects of the Southern cause. he
declared that his army was like the sands Of
the sea; that it was well armed and equipped
for making war upon the enemy, and as to pro-
visions, it had cattle on a thousand hills
When the proclamation was read to an old
woman in whose locality some of Thompson's
forces had been stationed. she remarked:
T,1l x.Ia L. -
q thousand hills. He won't want to steal my
swamp cattle as he used to-"
But to return to Jefferson City. AS soon as
it was positively known that the fleeing rebels
had decided to make q stand at Bonneville
which was about 40 miles from Jefferson City
Gen. Lyon started in pursuit Of them. Load
ing his troops on three steamboats,, with the
exception of three comp panies of infantry, which
were left to hold possession of Jefferson City,
he started up the Missouri early on the after
noon Of Sunday, June 16, and by sunset reached
a point 10 or II miles below Bonneville where
it was decided to tie up for the night. Bright
and early the next morning the steamers
moved on, and were brought to the bank of the
river six or seven miles below Bonneville.
The rebels had formed camp, known as
Camp Vest about halfway between this land
ing place and the town. and as they had sew
eral cannon there, it was not deemed advisable
to move the steamboats, within their range
until the infantry or artillery Of the land forces
had made demonstration.
In the gray of the morning the troops were
landed, and the bank of the river presented
scene to which it was quite unaccustomed.
Officers were hurrying about here and there J;
companies were endeavOring to assemble, as
they had become good deal scattered in the
hurry of getting on shore; the artillery was
dragged up the steep slope of the bank with a
vast deal of shouting on the part OF the drivers
including a liberal amount of language that is
not usually found in theological works; the
saddle-haksss of the officers danced around in
endeavoring to show their satisfaction at get
ting on land again, and some Of them escaped
from the Orderlies who were holding them and
were rebaken with difficulty. Altogether it
was picture long to be remembered by those
who saw it.
There was no cavalry in the expedition, with
the exception of Gen. Lyons body-guard of
eight or ten Germans who had been specially
enlisted for this purpose. These men, previous
to their enlistment, had been employed in 4
butchering establishment in ST. Louis The
story got abroad that German butchers had
been enlisted for the Union army, aud, as usual
it was magnifed with each repetition until it
seemed that every man who wore the National
uniform was a professional spiller of blood
Out of this circumstance grew the most ter
rifle predictions as to what the butchers would
do when they got possession of place or
marched through any part of the State and it
was for this reason among others, that so many
people fed in terror when they heard that the
Union army was coming. Gen. Lyons butch
ers were as we'll behaved as the most fastidious
commander could DESIRE they were good sol
diers, obedient to their commander, and would
not harm a fly except in the performance of
their legitimate duty
Before o'clock in the morning the column
was in motion, the cavalry squad in advance
and skirmishers thrown out for half a mile or
so ON either side. Very soon after leaving the
landing-place the road aseended series of un-
dalating hills or ridges. and the advance had
not gone far on this road before the piciets of
the enemy were driven in. Then one of the
cavalrymen rode hastily back and said that
the whole force of the State troops were drawn
up on one of the ridges only a few hundred
yards away. The battle was about to begini
The Regular soldiers and the 1st Mo. were
ordered forward, the rest of the volunteer reei-
mentS were held in raSeFve and tba ha+Farr