The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-08

during the State Guard service.
| Gen. Prices first move was on TO Boon
| vile. which Is on the Missouri river.
| garrisonei by about 1000 regulars and
| Home Guards. There our boys got their
| first taste OF war While 1t lasted only
about two hours. we began to realize
what battles meant. our army was in
creasing rapidly In numbers. and Gen.
! Price, hearing that Gen. McCulloch with
two brigades Of Arkansians. was coming
up 20 our support. began moving TO the
south TO form a junction with him, or
] ganizing the men into conIarics regi-
! mcnts, and brigades, as we marched
along. On the "a Of July We formed
/ junction with Gen. McCuiloch. Gen.
Prices army now numbered between
fifteen and twenty thousand men( one
half Of them not having weapons Of any
kind. He took up the defensive at once.
and on the 9Th OF July drove Gen. Sigel.
| with six thousand Home Guards, out OF
Carthage and kept up three days run
! ming night with him. capturing about
| thousand stands Of arms and one entire
| battery.
Now comes our first big battle. Gen.
| Sigel having been driven back to Gen.
| Lyons headquarters. which were at
! Springfield where he had 9oc00 we'll
armed regulars and Home Guards. gave
us about three weeks time for rest and
organizing. which time was made good
use Of. and Gen. Price again took up the
offensive. on the 10th OF August Gen
| Lyons army was put In motion 10 meet
| as. and early I'm the morning the two
armies came together at Wilson's Creek
! That is one place where the Yankees GER
tainly got filled fun OF shot. from mus
| tard seed up to buckshot. and we added
! another laurel TO our crown. our men
behaved robly. We had learned that our
guns were only effective at close range,
and we kept close 10 them. Cen Lyons
was killed at the head of his regulars,
trying 20 turn our right He saw that
| his men were unable 10 advance against
the sheets Of fire before them. He had
already been wounded in the leg. ard
| a bullet had cut the scalp Of his head
| He turned TO one of his officers and said:
| IL fear the day is lost | viii lead the
| charge" Riding rapidly TO the front he
said Forward, men. / will lead you
| He had advanced but . short distance
when two small rife balls. or buckshot
pierced his breast. and BE fell dead from
his horse. Shortly after his death their
entire line gave way in a general stam-
pede. His surgeon came in for his body
under a flag Of truce after the close Of
! The battle and Gen. Price sent ST in his
Ov-s wagon but the enemy, in his night,
left the body unshtouded IN Springfield.
We were now beginning 10 feel our i'm
| portance. The Federals had lost in Kill
ed and wounded over 1000 men, while our
| loss was less than 100. 1 VIII state mat
| our shot guns were not as deadly as the
! Yankees Enfield rifle. but they did tickle
| them I'm a good many places at once.
! hence so many of the Yankees were
wounded They used TO accuse us OF
J nnlng I'D our gun barrels with shot,
and when we pulled the trigger we would
give the gun "a swipe.
Our next episode was the seigc Of
Lexington on September 18th which con-
| tinued only two days, when they ran up
! the white flag Only a portion OF our
army probably I'VE thousand men, were
sent on this trip, my brigade being one
of item
General Mullgan. with his famous bri-
! gade Of three thousand five hundred
! men, had been quaItered in Lexington
some time and on hearing that we were
| coming up to make his acquaintance had
| made every arrangement 10 give as
| warm reception They were safely en-
| sconsed behind right formidable breast
works for those times. and successfully
! repulsed our first charge. And now, com
| rades. l am going 10 relate something
| that you never heard Of before.
We have all heard Of flying artillery.
and seen its execution but did you ever
hear Of flying redonbts. which WINE
| giving shelter 20 an advancing line, can
| successfully withstand heavy cannon
ade That is what we showed General
| Nulligan. The country around Lexins-
ton being Of very rich soil, its princi-
pal product up 10 that time had been
/ hemp The CITY is situated on the bank
of the Missouri river and there was
always thousands of bales of hemp lay
ing there awaiting transportation 70 81.
| Louis. l don't know whom the idea
| originated with, but ! do know that IN
| "A very short time we were slowly wend-
| ing our way again towards General Mul-
! ligan's brcastworks with one man de-
| tailed 10 roll the bale of hemp, while
| 10 covered TWO other men with either
! rifle or shot gun. No valor could With
! stand this marching basuon. 1T WAS inn
| pregnablc 10 hayonet- charges and mae
| cessable TO cavalry, and the force behind
! IL was determined About . o'clock IN
| the afternoon OF the Goth. after two
! DAYS Of continuous fighting the Held
was ours again. The visible fruits OF the
| victory 70 the Missourans were great.
! Thirty-hve hundred prisoners. FIVE pieces
| of artillery, and two mOrtars, over three
| thousand stands Of infantry arms (Which
| we were glad to gcD. About one thous-
| and hCnd of horses a large amount of
! commssary stores. and about nine hun
dred thousand dollars. of which the banks
| of Lexington had been robbed in accord
| ancc with General FreemOnts instruc-
! lions General Price caused the money TO
! be returned at once to the banks. The
| capture of Lexington had crowned our
| Army with a brilliant victory. and $50
far. the Missouri campaign had proceeded
step by step from one success to another.
Soon after this General McCulloch was
| called back into his own state of Arlsan-
sas The Federal Army had grown 10
| about seventy-fvc thousand strong: the
/ term of enlistment OF a good many Of
our boys was drawing nigh. General
| Price. determined on making a retro
! Grade movement. did not stop until be
reached Neosho IN the southern part Of
! the State. The Legislature had conven-
ed there and passed an ordinance of
! secession. Thus far our history was
chapter Of wonders. our army Of men
| had marched over thousand miles, ii
| was tied down 10 no particular line Of
| operations. but fought the enemy wher-
| ever he could be found. and ii had
| provided Itself with ordinance and equip
/ mcnts almost entirely from the prOdigal
stores OF the Fedcrals. The hero of
| Missouri started on his campaign With
out a dollar without wagon or team,
| without a cartridge. without q bayonet
| gun. when he commenced his retreat. he
! had about eight thousand bayonet guns
! and fifty pieces of artillery.
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