St. Landry democrat., 1888-05-19
A BORDER RAID.
Fighting i'm Missouri Twenty
five Years Ago.
DEFENSE OF SPRINGFIELD.
Both Heroes and Desperadoes
Unknown and Unsung.

Marmaduke's Men in Missouri in January,
1sa3-How They Were Driven Back by
Gen. Egbert b. Brown and His "0ui-
nine Brigade" at Springfield - Col.
George Il. Warning at Batesville, Ark.
Wild Scenes of Southwestern Border
Warfare.
The full history Of the terrible border
fights i'll Missouri during the civil war has
never been written; never will be. In those
fights heroes whose names are unsung held
themselves ready at any moment to take
life or lose their own. Any day the inhabi-
tants of village knew not what the dark
ness of that night would bring. One day
found them at peace, with only the worlds
ordinary joys and sorrows in their thoughts;
the next day might find their village smok
ing ruin. their husbands and fathers dead or
prisoners, the women and babes homeless,
hungry wanderers, fleeing for their lives
Many of the most desperate and bloody
deeds of the civil war were done in the Dor
der fight in Missouri. That they are not
known to history is because those who
wrought them were literally men of deeds in
stead of words. They were, on both sides,
men who handled the bowie knife and the
revolver better than the pen. History knows
them very little, and only tradition keeps
record of them and their work.
From the beginning of the war there was
desperate struggle between the Union and
Confederate governments which should hold
the state of Missouri
1t was saved to the Union by the heroism
of one man, Nathaniel Lyon. Early in 1861
he saw what was coming Governor Clai-
borne Jackson, of Missouri, was secession
sympathizer and desired to prevent the re-
cruitng of United States soldiers in the state
Lyon, appointed brigadier general of United
States volunteers in May. had charge of the
Union forces in Missouri. In June, 1861,
there was final conference between Gen.
Lyon on the one side and Governor jackson
and Gen. Sterling Price on the other, at the
Planters hotel, st. Louis
jackson insisted that Missouri should
remain neutral until a convention decided
The conference lasted five hours, and this
was Jackson's ultimatum.
Nathaniel Lyon was a deliberate man. He
answered Governor Jackson slowly and en-
phatically, in these notable words:
Ie<tsucl tudll COICeuS W tl0 etdUo VI ulS-
souri, the right to demand that my govern
ment shall not enlist troops within her
limits, or bring troops into the state when
ever it pleases, or move its troops at it's own
will into or out of or through the state;
rather than concede to the state Of Missouri
for one single instant the right to dictate to
my government in any matter, however I'M
important, I would see every man, woman
and child in the state dead and buried.
This means war. In an hour one of my
officers will call for you and conduct you
out Of my lines"
And war it was, from that on. Aug. 10,
1861. the battle of Wilson's Greek, Mo-, was
fought by Gen. Lyon, with small force,
against the Confederate Gems Price and Nc
Culloch, with four times as many troops.
Lyon was killed, and his little army re-
treated, but the battle of Wilson's Greek
saved Missouri to the Union. 1t checked the
advance of Sterling Price and reused up the
Union men of Missouri to form new gov
eminent and keep the state loyal Toward
the close of 1861 Fremont drove out Prices
army. From that time the Confederate oc-
cupation of Missouri was limited chiefly to
series of daring raids, made first by one gen
eral, then by another