Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-08-26
The Battle Of Wilson Greek.
THE NOTED MISSOURI ENGAGE.
MENT AS COLONEL JIM ED
WARDS SAW 1T.
General Daniel 81. Mcintyre, of This
City, Part and Parcel of the
Fight-He Was Wounded in
That Battle.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo-, Aug. 1S.-One of
the noted ex-C x-Confederates now in the
city is Colonel J. F. Edwards, of For
Istell, ST. Charles county, this state.
Mr.. Edwards was on the staff of
General Parsons at Wilson Greek. He
and DR.. Poe Young, of Jefferson City,
are the only surviving staff officers of
that regiment.
In the ranks were many Missouri
men who since have become noted in
the affairs of the state. Secretary
of State Alex Lesueur was a private
under Captain Kelley. Attorney
General Daniel Mcintyre, of Fulton,
belonged to a company which was
raised at Fulton, at the Westminster
College. Mcintyre was shot in the
mouth at Wilson Creek. Mr.. Ed
wards was Lieutenant Colonel and
was active in the fight. He says:
General Parsons was prominent
politician before the war. He had
held a seat in the State Senate, and z
think was on the State ticket at one
time for Lieutenant Governor. His
men were mostly from the Missouri
militia, called out by Governor jack
son. After an engagement at Boom
vile, we went south to Sowskin Prai-
rie, where we remained until orders
from Richmond were received telling
us to advance into Missouri under
Colonel McCulloch.. We started
toward Springfield through the towns
of Newtonia, CRANKY, along the route
of what was then called the sWire
Road 1t was telegraph line, origi-
nally established by the Government.
"The first skirmish we had with
the Federals was at Dugs Springs.
The skirmish lines of the two armies
came together with loss of life. From
there, Colonel McCulloch advanced
US to Wilson Greek, where we were
in camp four days before the battle.
Our forces were in sorry condition.
At least 1900 men had no weapons of
any sort. The balance had any kind
of gun they could pick up at home.
Yeager's, or Mississippi rifles, which
were in vogue during the Mexican
war, and squirrel guns were then the
principal arms. Kelley's command had
Springfield rifles, but you could count
the companies that had them on one
hand. I believe Gratiot's Arkansas
regiment and the Texas rangers pos
sessed few.
"The night before the battle orders
were issued for the command to march
to the attack of Springfield at eight
O'Clock the next morning. That even
ing about dark misty rain came up.
l don't know why, but the order was
counterrnanded and the men ordered
to lie ON their arms, and we were in
that condition when Sigel opened fire
on us early the next morning. A shell
burst near me and shattered a COM
rade's arm. After that we started for
the front, where Lyon, with his men,
were facing US. The conflict was
fearful. 1t seemed to me it lasted
four or five days, but think it was all
over about IL O'Clock that morning.
After two hours fighting, Sigel was
forced to retreat from our rear. I had
two horses killed under me. Totten's
battery threw shells into us which
played fearful havoc. / saw General
Lyon leading the charge with the Iowa
troops. The Federals on each side of
the line were falling back, but Lyon
kept on. He'was killed by a member
of McBride's command. After the
battle we took off the name and tail
of his horse. The animal had four
bullets buried in him. One thing
noticed was the execution done by
our squirrel rifles in the ranks of the
enemy. I noticed 43 Union men dead
on the field, shot through the head by
these guns"