Wichita eagle., 1890-01-04
ON THE BORDER IN ga.
Condensed History of the Stirring War
Days In Missouri and Arkansas.
ISDeriaI Correspondence

| Days In Missouri ana Arkansas.
Especial Correspondence]
CENTRALIA. Mo, Nov. l9-The failure
| of Banks Red river expedition had q dis.
heartening effect on the Union cause in
| Arkansas in 1854 Gen. Frederick Steele's
| force guarded the state, with headquar-
! tiers at Little Rock. After the failure
on Red river in the spring, Gen. Steele aban-
| doned to the COnfederates all of Arkansas
south Of the Arkansas river. The Confed-
crates Immediately took possession of all that
had been abandoned With renewed hopes
| they organized again their state government
| IN September, 1864, and elected A. P. Gar
land Confederate senator from Arkansas to
the Richmond congress Hon. A. P Gar
land was United States attorney general un-
der President Clevelands administration
An armed invasion Of Missouri by Price
was also organized Gen. Rosecrans was at
this time commander of the Union depart
ment of Missouri. headquarters at ST. Louis
The peculiar detective talent for which this
general was noted enabled him to ferret out
a powerful Confederate conspiracy in Mis-
souri,.
The state was filed with members Of a
league vsriously known as knights of the
Golden Circle" American Knights" and
''Scns of Liberty" The grand commander
of the order in the south was Gsn. Sterling
Price, of Missouri, known among the soldiers
as Pap" Price The same secret organica-
ton had also many members and lodges in
the north, notably in the lake states. The
grand commander Of the order in the north
was Clement L. Vallandighan, of Ohio.
The programme OF the Knights Sons
etc, included the invasion Of Missouri by
Price in the autumn of 1864 Gathering what
force he was able, he was to cross the border
from northwestern Arkansas and suddenly
appear in Missouri Then. from all over ths
state, members of the secret orders named
and other Confederate sympathizers would
nock to his standard. thus forming with the
force be already had large army.
Gen. Joseph Shelby had been making
demonstrations in Arkansas as early as June,
and captured one post after another. until no
moro than half dozen important stations
yet remained in Union hands in the fall
of 1884. Among these stations were Little
Rock, Helena, Van Buren, and Duvalls
Bluff
Shelby had 1000 men; northwestern Ar
kansas and southwestern Missouri swarmed
with guerillas and "bushwhackers These
and Snelbys force were both ready to Join
Price when he should appear
Roseorans' secret agents discovered and re-
ported that q strong Confederate force was
ready to join Price Rosecrans laid his dis
coveries before the government at Washing
ton. His representations were disbelieved
Rosecrans' information was, however, cor.
rect. He found, indeed, that the Belgian con
sui was the state commander in Missouri o!
the disloyal BODY and arrested hin The ar
rest caused great stir. but it was fully JUS
tilted by facts
Sept. 8, 1864, Cen Washburne at Mem
phis, gave Rosecrans Information that Price
was reeIly L. invade Missouri. A j. Smith,
with his 5000 troops, was then on his WAY to
join Sherman in Georgia, Halleck halted
him at Cairo and sent him and his men hastily
to St Louis to reinforce Rosecrans. Smith
arrived none too soon, for Price was already
on the border with his army.