Major King attacked and drove this force through Humansville, capturing their last cannon. peace at the polls, and to prevent the persistent-State militia. The force had entered Humansly disloyal from voting, constitutes just cause of ville from the north, in pursuit of Hunter and offence to Maryland. I think she has her own Coffee, four hours after I had passed through it example for it. If I mistake not, it is precisely toward the west. what General Dix did when your Excellency was elected Governor. I revoke the first of the three propositions in General Schenck's General Order No. 53, not that it is wrong in principle, but because the military being, of necessity, exclusive judges as to who shall be arrested, the provision is liable to abuse. For the revoked part I substitute the following: That all provost-marshals and other military officers do prevent all disturbance and violence at or about the polls, whether offered by such persons as above described, or by any other person or persons whatsoever. The other two propositions of the order I allow to stand. General Schenck is fully determined, and has my strict order besides, that all loyal men may vote, and vote for whom they please. Your obedient servant, A. LINCOLN, President of the United States. Doc. 216. THE PURSUIT OF SHELBY. GEN. JOHN MCNEIL'S REPORT. HEADQUARTERS FRONTIER DISTRICT, FORT SMITH, November 1, 1863. GENERAL I have the honor to report the following facts as the result of the expedition, to the command of which I was verbally ordered at St. Louis on the ninth of October : I arrived at Lebanon on the twelfth, and finding that Lieutenant-Colonel Quin Morton had marched to Linn Creek with a detachment of the Twenty-third Missouri infantry volunteers, and another of the Second Wisconsin cavalry, and that he expected to be joined by a detachment of the Sixth and Eighth cavalry, Missouri State militia, I ordered Major Eno, in command, to fall back on Lebanon, and proceeded to Buffalo, where I found Colonel John Edwards, Eighteenth Iowa volunteers, in command, with a few cavalry and some enrolled militia. I at once addressed myself to the work of concentrating force enough for pursuit when the enemy should cross the Osage on his retreat south. With about two hundred and sixty men and a section of Rabb's battery, I marched to Bolivar, where General Holland was in camp with part of two regiments enrolled militia, and a demi-battery under Lieutenant Stover. Leaving the General directions to observe and pursue Coffee and Hunter, if they should cross the Osage at Warsaw, I marched in the direction of Lamar, via Humansville and Stockton, to cut off Shelby, who was reported in full flight south of Sny bar, with General Ewing in pursuit. At Stockton I was joined by Major King, Sixth cavalry, Missouri State militia, with three hundred and seventy-five men of the Sixth and Eighth Missouri Finding that Shelby had passed through Stockton in advance of me, I marched to Greenfield and Sarcoxie, via Bower's Mill, and on the night of the nineteenth camped at Keitsville, when I learned of scouts of Colonel Phelps, commanding at Cassville, that the enemy had crossed the telegraph road at Cross-Timbers that day about noon. I kept up a rapid pursuit, following the trail of our flying foe via Sugar Creek and Early's Ferry, to Huntsville; our advance party, entering Huntsville with a dash, took quite a number of soldiers of Brooks's rebel command, with their horses and arms. I was there joined by Colonel Edwards, Eighteenth Iowa infantry, with three hundred men of his regiment, and Major Hunt, First Arkansas cavalry volunteers, one hundred and seventy-five men and two mountain howitzers. This gave me an effective force of six hundred cavalry and three hundred infantry, with four guns, two of these being twelvepounder mountain howitzers; these last would have been a much greater acquisition to me than they proved had they been properly supplied with ammunition. They were sent from Fayetteville with only sixty-seven rounds for the two howitzers, and of course could not be relied upon for any length of time. We had here information that Shelby and Brooks had united their forces on War Eagle Creek, and that Hunter and Coffee were also there; the combined force amounting to two thousand five hundred men. We marched toward this camp to attack, but found that the enemy had gone. On the twenty-fourth, we marched across a tremendous mountain, called Buffalo Mountain, and found the enemy in camp in a snug little valley on the other side, attacked and drove him, at sundown dropping into his camp. The mountain on the other side was too steep and the passes too narrow for a night pursuit, and we had to content ourselves by waiting for the light of morning. At early dawn we struck again into the mountains; our advance under Major Hunt, First Arkansas cavalry, was skirmishing with the enemy all day, driving them before us. On the twenty-sixth, while engaged in an attack on the enemy's rear-guard, who were posted in a narrow pass, Lieutenant Robinson, of the First Arkansas cavalry, was mortally wounded; he was brought into camp, and died that night at ten o'clock. On the twenty-seventh, we marched into Clarksville, and learned that Shelby had made good his escape, and crossed the river, and that Brooks had gone down into the valley of Big Piney, with about four hundred men, with instructions to pick up stragglers from the rebel army, and to cut off any train that might be country, pushed forward in the advance from coming to me from Fayetteville. My cavalry and artillery horses were too badly used up to admit of pursuit across the river, so I turned my course toward Fort Smith. At a point four miles north of Ozark, I sent Colonel Catherwood, with the men of the Sixth and Eighth regiments Missouri State militia, and Major Hunt, with the men and howitzers of the First cavalry Arkansas volunteers, to Springfield and Fayetteville. I arrived in Fort Smith on the evening of the thirtieth. Although I have been disappointed in my earnest hope to attack and destroy the force under Shelby, I feel confident of having done all man could do under the circumstances. We have driven the enemy so that he had to stick to the road, and thus prevented a widely extended pillage, both in Arkansas and Missouri. We have taken forty-four prisoners, besides discharging as many more, who were conscripts. We have killed and wounded many of his men, and driven numbers to the mountains, where he will not easily get them again. The captures in horses were also large. My officers and men bore the fatigue and exposure of this campaign without tents and on small rations, in a manner to excite my admiration. Colonels Edwards and Catherwood were earnest in their coöperation in duty. Majors King, Eno, and IIunt, were always ready for any duty assigned them. Major King deserves special mention for his gallant attack on the enemy at Humansville, on the fifteenth, in which he captured the last cannon the enemy brought into Missouri with him-a six-pounder brass gun. Major Hunt, with his battalion of Arkansans, were, on account of their knowledge of the Huntsville to Clarksville; this duty was promptly and cheerfully performed by the Major and his gallant command, who drove the enemy from every position, killing and wounding many, and taking prisoners at every charge. To Captain Rabb, Chief of Artillery, and Lieutenant Whicker, Rabb's battery, and Johnson's section of howitzers, I am under obligations for services which mark them as true soldiers. Lieutenant Baubie, Quartermaster of the Eighth Missouri State militia, acted as Chief Quartermaster of the expedition, and gave unqualified satisfaction. Lieutenant Sell, Commissary of the same regiment, acted as Chief Commissary, acquitting himself with great credit. Captain Hopkins, First Arkansas cavalry, joined me at Clarksville with thirty-four men. I had sent him from Buffalo on the thirteenth toward Duroc, to observe the enemy and report his motions. While on this duty, he ran on to the enemy in force, killing six, and losing but two of his own men. The day after he joined me, he attacked a party belonging to Brooks, of one hundred and fifty strong, and drove them back upon a detachment of the Third Wisconsin cavalry, that had been sent from Van Buren in pursuit of this party, taking several horses, and killing and wounding six of the enemy. The Captain is a most active and efficient scout, and a brave soldier. The health of the command has been uniformly good. We had but three sick men in all the troops. I have the honor to be, General, your obedient servant, JOHN MCNEIL, Brigadier-General Volunteers. POETRY AND INCIDENTS. OUR COUNTRY'S CALL. BY JOHN PIERPONT. AIR-Scots wha Hae. Men who plough your granite peaks, Hear your Country's call! For the land that bore you-Arm! Hear, and hold your breath! Hark! the hostile horde is nigh! Sturdy landsmen, hearty tars, Can you see your Stripes and Stars And cold-blooded feel! There the rebel banner floats! Spring, like bloodhounds, at your throats; With no traitor at their head; While he dreams of flight; Pass our sleepy posts; By the Lord of Hosts !" Shall with victory crown This rebellion down! VOL. VII.-POETRY 1 Talk of "Peace" in hours like this! LIBERTY NOT DEAD. Written in reply to a poem, "Liberty-Dead," which_appeared in the Cincinnati Enquirer, by Mrs. Alice Key Pendleton, daughter of the author of The Star-Spangled Banner. What though the daughter of a sire Who gave the noblest song To grace a nation's poetry That echo shall prolong, Whose matchless words and trumpet tones What though she sing in cadenced verse And softly chides the gathered crowd She wrongs the men who, fearless, stood By dark Antietam's side, And those whose patriot-blood, outpoured, And those who braved the iron hail She wrongs the fathers, mothers, who For them great Liberty still lives- What though a moment pallid now, The people's will her mighty breath, Thus living, and to live for aye, On mountain or in hall, In vain will rhythmic verse essay To spread her funeral pall, And tell her children, Liberty, Alas! is dead to all The patriot statesman's stirring song, ONE VOICE. BY MINNIE FRY. One who sat at home in silence Saw the army hurrying by, And her thoughts gave echo faintly To their eager battle-cry. L. A. C. "Ah!" she sang, "some wrong is hidden Till the last red chain we sever, Yet the spirit sword is stronger, Ready, when we doubt no longer, Ready, waiting for our hand; While the war-cloud glooms the land ?” "Rise, O youth, in strength and glory, Women pour the healing balm. From the threshold of our land; Where ambition spreads her lure, Faithful found unto the end." THE OLD SHIP OF STATE. BY DAVID BARKER, OF EXETER, ME. O'er the dark and gloomy horizon that bounds her, Through the storm and the night and the hell that surrounds her, We trusted you as brothers, Until you drew the sword, We come, the sons of Mars. We do not want your cotton, * See page 84, Poetry and Incidents, Vol. IV., REBELLION RECORD. Our pride is fair Columbia, No stain her beauty mars; And when this war is over, CHORUS-Hurrah! hurrah! etc. THE SECOND LOUISIANA. MAY 27TH, 1863. BY GEORGE H. BOKER. Dark as the clouds of even, Down the long dusky line "Now," the flag-sergeant cried, Free in this land; or bound Trampling with bloody heel Down in their awful course; "Freedom!" their battle-cry- Glad to breathe one free breath, Though on the lips of death: That they might fall again, So they could once more see This was what "freedom" lent Hundreds on hundreds fell; BELLE MISSOURI, Arise and join the patriot train, Recall the field of Lexington, Belle Missouri! my Missouri ! How Springfield blushed beneath the sun, Belle Missouri! my Missouri! Belle Missouri! my Missouri! She thrills! her blood begins to burn, A sign to make the traitors mourn, Stretch out thy thousand loyal hands, for w |