The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1895-07-25

and pursued by the guerlh3si ana lTou
whom the particulars OF the disaster
were obtained. had an eAcidng eXperi
ence in making his escape 10 Paris, where
part of his regiment was stationed. Ht
managed TO get into the timber before
being oveltaken, and, night coming on
he was able to elude the squad pursuing
him, and after
WANDERING IN THE WOODS
and over the prairies nearly two day:
and nights, made his way 10 Paris where
he Joined bis comrades IN q nearly
exhausted condition.
When the guerrillas captured Cen
tralia Anderson promised the Federal
soldiers that if they would surrender
without resistance they sould be paroled
without injury They therefore surren-
dered without firing shot; whereas had
they known that they were to be slaugh-
tered in the face Of the promise, they
might have made considerable havoc in
the ranks of the guerrillas.
Cart. Samuel +. Turner and one
or two other soldiers on the train,
who had participated in operations
against Anderson and knew he had
been in the habit Of killing his
prisoners, quickly exchanged their miIi-
tary uniforms Tor citizen suits and thus
escaped death, which would have other
wise befallen them. James = Rollins, a
prominent Union man OF Columbia, Mo-,
who was also on the train, came near he
ing identified, which would probably
have cost him bis life.
Efter completing his bloody work at
Centralia, Anderson turned his face
to Join Gen. Price, who's destination
was then understood TO be IT. Louis.
In fact, Anderson saw from the daily
papers, which be took from the passen-
gers Of the tram, that Price was at that
moment marching through Arkansas, if
be had not already entered Missouri,
with large force, and might be ex-
pected in central Missouri in a few weeks
at farthest.
1t was several days after the Centraiia
massacre before the Union militia in
north Missouri were able to concentrate
In sufficient force to commence
ACTIVE OPERATIONS
against the guerrillas again. And no
sooner were they in condition to move
against the guerrillas than they were or
dered south of the Missouri River to
operate against Prices large force, which
was marching nortl almost without re-
sistance. The loss of the guerrillas in
the affair was insignificant, probably not
exceeding six to eight IL killed and
wounded.
To understand how the Federal de-
tachment was so utterly destroyed with
out inficting more serious loss upon the
enemy is not easy without word of eX-
PLANTATION in regard to the equipment of
the two forces. But moments consid-
Grafton of the situation viii show that
after Maj Johnston got into the fight and
fell there was no other course left for bis
men than to retreat as they did.
In the first place, the men and most
of the officers Of the Federal detach-
ment were from a newly-organlzed regi-
ment, which had seen little service up to
that time. In the next place, the men
were mounted upon horses recently
pressed into service, and intractable, in
"a measure, under fire, and armed with
muskets which were no better than
clubs after firing one round.
On the other, hand the gueTrillas were
armed with earbines, and two, four,
and six revolvers each, SO that the Fed
eral soldiers were entirely at their
mercy after firing single round each.
1t was terrible and fatal mistake
fsr the commanding officer of an inferior
force, having several miles Of open
prairie IN his rear, 10 march up and az
tack, or even to reconnoiter, the position
Of a superior force posted in tie timber,
ms the guerrillas were.
In marching out to the timber Maj.
Johnston's mind appears to have been
SO much absorbed with what be had
Just witnessed that he did not delib-
erately consider the movement he was
making, and the possibility thai he was
marching to his own destruction.