University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1913-02-16
FIGHTING WITH GENERAL PRICE
The Recollections of Colonel Eli Hodge,
Southern Veteran, Who Is in Active
Business at "a Years of Age.

quarters at Springfield. Here dri
and camp duties were about the onl
pastimes for several months. Finall
the time came for breaking up cam
when a large Federal force moved o.
Springfield and Price began a retreat
ing fight into Arkansas. During tn
retreat young Hodge, who with hi
entire company had been dismounte,
at Lexington, became so footsore from
constant and forced marches that i
was impossible for him to keep vi
with his company. He Jagged unit
he was entirely in the rear of tn,
army. One day as he was limpine
painfully along, the late Rev. ]. w
Robinson came galloping up from the
Federal advance, having just had a
single-handed saber encounter with a
Federal officer. Recognizing Hodge
he called to him: Jump up behind
me quick or the Feds will get you in
five minutes" Hodge waited for no
second invitation and soon reached
his company in safety.
Following the retreat from Spring
field, came the battle of Pea Ridge,
in which Hodge received his only
wound during the war, a flesh wound
in the thigh. His blanket which he
carried with him at the time had nine
bullet holes in it.
Hodge was in all the succeeding bat
ties of the Trans-Mississippi depart
ment. Among the chief of these en-
gagements were the battles of Spring.
field and Cape Girardeau, Mo-, Helena,
Little Rock and Jenkins Ferry, Ark,
and the capture of the gunboat
Queen City on the White River in
Arkansas.
On Recruiting Duty.
During the fall of 1864, when Cen
sral Price made his daring raid to the
River, Colonel Hodge was
ietailed with sixty-four men from
General 10 Shelby's brigade to go ten
lays in advance of General Prices
lrmy to Northern Missouri for the
purpose of recruiting, with orders to
DIN the main army when it reached
he Missouri River. But so rapid
we're the movements of General Price |
hat it was impossible to collect the
ecruits and meet him at any point
long the river.
Finally Colonel Hodge crossed the
lissouri River at Brunswick with his
ecruits and encamped at Waverly.
fter a hasty organization of the 4S5
len there, with Colonel Hodge chosen
command, he moved this force up
lie river in an endeavor to overtake
eneral Price. When he reached the
cinity of Lone Jack he learned that
lie main army was in full retreat
'uth with a large Federal force in
lrsuit. Realizing the impossibility
making connection with the main {;
my, Colonel Hodge, after consulting
ith the officers of his command, de-
ded to move south alone, a hazard
is undertaking with unarmed re-
uits, since the country was full of
,deral detachments from the pursu-
G army. I
After forced marches for six days I
d nights until the men were so COM c
etely exhausted that they could be
'ved no further, encampment was G
dered about midnight. The result
Is that they ran squarely into a
deral regiment the following morn
:. Colonel Hodge was able to move Ii
command to the rear of the Union p
ny, but they soon gave pursuit, and b
Irning from the citizens along the d
I'd that the Southerners were al a
'st entirely unarmed, they made a
III and completely stampeded them. N
lionel Hodge reached the Arkansas a
e with 225 men out of the 4S5. t.