News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-09-18

[GTSS1s.I@ of being over
whelmed by
the enemy unless help was sent him
from st. Louis. His troops were badly
clothed and ill fed, and some were close
upon the expiration of their three
months term of enlistment. His force
numbered about 5000 men and was en-
camped near Springfield, in southwest
Missouri.
Although not in a condition to make
good fight, when it became plain
about the LIST of August that the Con-
federates We're looking for battle, Lyon
decided to take his chances with the
force he then had. Perhaps the original
plan to attack the enemy on the Sth of
August would have been successful
but some clothing and shoes arrived in
camp that day, and the troops were
tired from long marches accommodating
the Confederate camps, and by the adj
vice of his officers Lyon postponed bat
tie till the 10th to allow his men to be
newly clothed and shod. Like most of
the early battles of the civil war, Will
sons Creek turned out a "miXed up
affair" The main Federal force, led
by Lyon in person, attacked the Con-
federates under Generals Sterling Price
and Benjamin McCulloch, upon their
own ground. Lyon was not sanguine Of
victory, but he felt that it would be
dastardly to retreat in the face of the
enemy and leave the friendly citizens
of southwest Missouri without defend
ers.
On the 9th of August Lyon detached
General Franz Sigel, with a brigade of
mixed troops, to move around the enc
my's flank and attack his camp on VIII
sons creek from the south, while Ly
ons main column attacked from the
north. This division of force in the face
Of the enemy was certainly fatal. The
battle would have been lost anyway,
probably, but all hope of success was
thrown away when Lyon, become anX
ious for the fate of Sigel, suspended &C
ton on his own field, where all was GO
ing well, in order to succor SigePs line.
He had already been wounded three
times and also dismounted by the death
of his battle horse.
Before Lyon could get through the
mass of the enemy to. reach Sigel the
latter had been whipped and was in
full retreat. The Confederates turned
swiftly upon Lyon, attacking from two
directions. In the emergency Lyon
ordered Colonel Schofield to lead his
regiment of Iowans in on charge and
hold the enemy off until help came.
Riding forward, the chief saw another
line of Confederates moving up at an
angle with the one Schofeld was look
ing after. In front of this last named
line rode Sterling Price, and Lyon i'm
petuously told his aids to draw pistols
and attack. But an aid pointed out a
line of rifemen concealed by a thick
growth Of underbrush, and Lyon con-
cluded to wait for help to come up.
The Second Kansas regiment was the
first to reach the field where Lyon
waited and was Immediately ordered to
charge. The line deplOyed on the run
and made such a magnificent spectacle
that Lyon swung his hat to cheer the
KanSans as they took the calling fire
from the foe in the underbrush. In the
first volley was the bullet engraved,
Nathaniel Lyon, his with speed" 1t
entered the left breast, and the hero
lived but few minutes. Lyons death
was not followed by disaster, for his
officers knew his plans by heart. Major
Sturgis took command and the battle
as begun by Lyon ragged for an hour
Price and McCulloch forced the fight
but were held in check for some time
by the Federals, whose batteries Gre
ated awful slaughter. One Of the in
defatigable fighters of the day was
Captain Gordon Granger of the COM
manders staff. In his report Sturgis
said of Granger that he was NOW
sighting gun of Dubois battery and
before the smoke had cleared away
was sighting one of Totten's; at one
moment accommodating the enemy and
the next either bringing up reinforce
ments or rallying some broken line.
To whatever part of the line / would
direct attention there / would find
Granger hard at work. Captain Gran
ger of 1861 was the general hailed by
Thomas on the field of Chickamauga,
Granger, great in BATTLE"
Lyon was 43 years old at the time of
his death. He had won a brevet in
Mexico and had been promoted from
captain to brigadier general because OF
conspicuous services in holding Mis-.
souri, to the government. His body fell
into the hands of the enemy when the
battle ended and was buried near the
field by citizen. His remains were
afterward delivered to friends and
were buried in Connecticut.
One of the Confederates who fought
in General Pearce's Arkansas brigade
described the affair as mighty mean
fowt. fight" Pearce's men decided the
dag out they were green troops, like
moot ofsthose In the battle, and 1t tool
them q long time to find out what hat
happened While the Federals under
Lyon were battling with Pap" Prices