Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-11-23
Col. Murphy Replies to Mr.. Polk.

liOIu GllO pE0lolEh VI eilO lGoii lhSo', {,
which purports to be letter from
G. X. Polk, an ex-Confederate
soldier, treating of the Price raid
and the battle of Pilot Knob, and
as some of the assertions con-
tanned in Mr.. Polk's letter are so
wide from established facts as to
arouse a sense of surprise, beg a
little of your space wherein to re-
ply. Mr.. Polk says: 81 do not
think Gen. Price entered the State
of Missouri with more than ten
thousand or fifteen thousand men,
cavalry and artillery"
Gen. Prices official report of his
raid shows that he entered Mis-
souri, with three divisions made up
of nine brigades. In this army
we're thirty three regiments, ten
battalions, four batteries and one
section of another battery, besides
independent companies. The regi-
mental reports which have sur
vived, and are still extant, show
that their average strength was
more than five hundred men to the
regiment. The battalion strength
is shown to have been nearly three
hundred men to each organization
and the batteries and independent
companies probably contained in
the aggregate five hundred men.
This would make $1,000 men in
Prices army the lowest, conser-
vative estimate, which more prob
ably contained 10000 men, for Mr..
Polk says: "When he price,
went out of the State into Kansas
they issued rations for 35, 900 men" "
and Gen. Prices report shows that
he gathered 5000 recruits in. Mis-
souri,. Prices strength may have
been as high as $4,000 men when
he entered the State, for desertions
were numerous all the way across
the State, and it was estimated al
the time of the raid that fully 1000
deserted Immediately after the
Battle of Pilot Knob.
Mr.. Polk further says: ''If Gen
Price had any serious intention o1
going to st. Louis he could not
have changed his plans by the
weakening of his forces at Pilot
Knob" Let us appeal to the
official records of the war of the
rebellion and see just what was
Prices objective point. On Aug.
ust 4, 1864, Gen. E. Kirby Smith
commanding the Confederate
Trans-Mississippi Department
with headquarters at Shreveport
La, gave the order to Gen. Price
to invade Missouri and used this
language; "Mske st. Louis th'
objective point of your movement
which, if rapidly made, will pu
you in possession of that place, it,
supplies, and military stores
which will do more toward rally
ing Missouri to your standard thai
the possession of any other point.
This should be sufficient to settl'
the point of Prices intended desti
nation when he entered the State
but by way of corroboration w
may quote Gen. Jos. 0. Shelby
who was in position at that tim
to know what was going on. In
letter written to Major G. G. Rain
water as late as January 5, 1885
Gen. Shelby was discussing tn
failure of Prices movement int
= Missouri and described the counci
of war held at Fredericktown o.
September 25, 1864. The questio,
before the council was whether tn
army should move directly on 81
Louis or go by way of Pilot Kno
: and capture the small garriso
there so as to leave no enemy i
the rear. Shelby voted to NOV
on St. Louis and Fagan and Mar
maduke voted to 60 by way c
Pilot Knob and reduce that place
and this vote practically decide
the fate of the Price raid, and al
most the fate of Prices army. De
scribing this conference, Shelb
says: 81 favored moving rapid
into st. Louis and seizing it.
then and there stated what the re
suit would be if we attacked Pile
Knob. l knew too we'll that goo
infantry we'll entrenched woul
give us hi, and hi we did get!
Mr.. Polk, continuing, speaks {
Prices losses at Pilot Knob an
says: ellis losses were not owe
, four hundred killed, wounded an
, missing, and portion of the1
were conscripts who took advant
age of the moment and skipped fo
Arkansas. The morning after tn
battle was left with my compan
in the rear to visit the fort and Sc
if the dead had been collected
The men gathering the dead tol
me they had found about all tn
dead bodies, of which | counte
I forty-seven men, very near, if nc
, all, of Cabell's brigade of Arkan
sas troops" This is a mos
astounding assertion, and I sha
quote some Confederate authori
ties on the subject. A Confedel
ate from the ranks who partici
pated in the battle of Pilot Knoll
has written his recollections of th
engagement, and in describing tn
scene as he rode over the battle
field the next morning, says: "W
passed many poor fellows lyin
= cold and stark in death, to-day
: who in the prime of life were th
choice of the van yesterday. l d
not know how many were kille