finding himself embarrassed with 700 more sick; whom, along with his train, he was obliged to leave True's brigade and Ritter's cavalry to guard, while he pushed up the Arkansas and fought his way into Little Rock; Davidson, supported by two divisions and two batteries, crossing directly, and approaching that city on the south side of the river. Davidson, having completed his reconnoissances and fixed on his point of crossing, threw over his pontoons during the night," and was all over by 11 A. M.; the fire of his batteries having speedily silenced the enemy's opposition. Advancing directly on Little Rock, he was more stubbornly resisted at Bayou Fourche, five miles out, by Marmaduke's cavalry and Tappan's brigade of infantry, supporting two batteries, strongly posted; but Steele, advancing simultaneously on the north bank of the river, his batteries fired across at the enemy obstructing Davidson; which enabled the latter slowly to gain ground, until at length, ordering a charge by Ritter's brigade and Strange's howitzers, supported by part of the 1st Iowa cavalry, his men went into the city, saber in hand, on the heels of the flying enemy; and, at 7 P. M., the capital of Arkansas was formally surrendered by its civil authorities: the United States arsenal being uninjured, and whatever Rebel stores were there falling into our hands; but six steamboats were completely burned by Price, who had been in chief command here, with several railroad cars; while their three pontoon-bridges and two locomotives, though also fired by them, were partially saved. Steele, moving parallel with Davidson, was opposite the city, when it was evacuated and given up, and entered it late that evening: the enemy making for Arkadelphia too rapidly to be overtaken by our jaded horses, to say nothing of our men. Steele says his entire loss to or by the enemy during this campaign did not exceed 100; yet he had but 7,000 of his 12,000 when he started that morning to enter Little Rock. True, he had left many guarding hospitals and trains; but he had been rëenforced by two brigades: so that his losses by disease must have been fearful. oners. He had taken 1,000 pris Ere this, Gen. Blunt, pursuing the motley Rebel horde under Standwatie and Cabell, had very nearly brought them to a stand at Perryville," Choctaw Nation; but they were too nimble to receive much damage, and he chased them by Fort Smith, whereof he took " bloodless possession. Col. J. M. Johnson, 1st [Union] Arkansas, was made post commander. Cabell, it was said, fell back to participate in the defense of Little Rock; but he failed to arrive in season; joining Price's fugitive force somewhere on its retreat to the Washita. Price ultimately fell back to Red river. Gen. Blunt, having been on business to Kansas, was returning with a small cavalry escort to Fort Smith, when he was struck," near Baxter's springs, Cherokee Nation, by Quantrell, with 600 guerrillas, and most of his small escort killed or disabled: among the 80 killed-nearly all after they had been captured—were Maj. H. Z. Curtis, son of Maj.-Gen. S. R. DEFENSE OF PINE BLUFF-SHELBY'S RAID. 453 battering most of the residue; but they could not take the town; and, at 2 P. M., drew off, having lost 150 killed and wounded, beside 33 prisoners. Our loss was but 17 killed and 40 wounded-5 of the former and 12 of the latter among the negro volunteers. Curtis, and several civilians. Gen. | court-house and several dwellings, Blunt, rallying some 15 of his guard, escaped capture and death by great coolness and courage: their persistency in boldly fighting creating a belief that they were the van of a heavy force. A considerable train that accompanied them was sacked and burned. The attack was made very near the little post known as Fort Blair, which was next assailed; but its defenders, though few, were brave and well led by Lt. Pond, 3d Wisconsin cavalry, who beat the enemy off, inflicting a loss of 11 killed and many more wounded. Gen. Blunt and his remnant of escort kept the prairie till night, then made their way to the post. They had not ventured thither before, apprehending that it had been taken. PINE BLUFF, on the south bank of the Arkansas, 50 miles below Little Rock, was occupied, early in October, by Col. Powell Clayton, 5th Kansas cavalry, with 350 men and 4 guns. Marmaduke, at Princeton, 45 miles south, resolved to retake it. By the time he advanced to do so," Clayton had been rëenforced by the 1st Indiana cavalry: so that he had now 600 men and 9 light guns. Marmaduke, with 12 guns and a force estimated at 2,500, advanced in three columns, and poured in shell and canister for five hours, setting fire to the place; but Powell had organized 200 negroes to barricade the streets with cotton-bales, by whose services the fire was stopped without subtracting from his slender fighting force. The Rebel shells burned the Part of Cabell's command, which (as we have seen) had been worsted, in the Indian Territory, by Blunt and Phillips, undertook, under Shelby, a Fall raid into Missouri-probably in quest of subsistence. Emerging from the Choctaw region of the Indian Territory, the raiders passed rapidly through the north-west corner of Arkansas, crossing the river eastward of Fort Smith, and evading any collision with our forces near that post as well as with those holding Little Rock, and entering south-western Missouri; being joined" at Crooked Prairie by a similar force under Coffey, whereby their number was said to be swelled to 2,500. These advanced rapidly through Western Missouri to the river at Booneville, but forthwith commenced a retreat-disappointed, probably, in their hopes of rëenforcement from the now passive Rebels of that disloyal section. They were pursued by a hastily gathered body of Missouri militia, under Gen. E. B. Brown, who struck them near Arrow Rock at nightfall; fighting them till dark; renewing the attack at 8 next morning, and putting them to flight, with a loss of some 300 killed, wounded, and prisoners. 38 fight was obstinate and lasted five hours. The Rebels were finally completely routed and scattered in all directions, with loss of all their artillery and baggage and a large number of small arms and prisoners. The enemy's loss in killed 40 Gen. McNeil was at St. Louis when first apprised of this raid, and at once set out for his post, Lebanon: whence, gathering up what force he could, he advanced on Bolivar, moving by Humansville and Stockton on Lamar, where he hoped to intercept their flight. But Shelby had already passed through Humansville, hotly pursued, losing there his last gun, when McNeil reached that point; so the latter joined the hunt through Greenfield and Sarcoxie into Arkansas, and on through Huntsville over Buffalo mountain, taking prisoners by the way; continuing the chase to Clarksville, unable to come fairly up with the nimble fugitives, who had now crossed the Arkansas and vanished among the wilds beyond. MeNeil here gave over the pursuit, moving deliberately up the river to Fort Smith. During this chase, he had been designated" to command of the Army of the Frontier, vice Gen. Blunt, relieved. Standwatie and Quantrell made another attack" on Col. Phillips's outposts near Fort Gibson, Indian Territory; but, after a fight of four or five hours, the assailants were routed and driven across the Arkansas. This terminated the fighting in this quarter for the year 1863. A general Indian war on our Western frontier had been gravely apprehended in 1862; and that apprehension was partially realized. Under the administrations of Pierce and Buchanan, the Indian agents and other Government employés among the aboriginal tribes of the great plains were of course Democrats; and wounded is very great. Ours is also large. Our troops are still pursuing the flying Rebels. "J. M. SCHOFIELD, Major-General." many of them Southrons, and all intensely pro-Slavery. These were generally superseded, under Mr. Lincoln, in the course of 1861; and were suspected of having been stimulated, by wrath at finding themselves displaced and by political and sectional sympathies, to use their necessarily great influence among the several tribes to attach them to the fortunes and involve them in the struggles of the Confederacy. Of some of them, this is probably true; but it is not known to be proved, save with those formerly accredited to the tribes residing within the boundaries of the Indian Territory. But, however caused, the general feeling of the western Indians toward us became more and more hostile during 1861-2; until at length certain bands of the Sioux of Minnesota, with some other tribes, plunged into open war. Little Crow's band bore a conspicuous part in these butcheries; striking in rapid succession the north-western frontier settlements at Yellow Medicine," New Ulm," Cedar City," Minn., and a few other feeble outposts; besieging for nine days Fort Ridgeley;" beleaguering and twice assaulting Fort Abercrombie, whence they were driven with heavy loss; and butchering in all some 500 persons, mainly defenseless women and children. Militia were promptly called out and sent against them, under Gen. H. H. Sibley; and the main savage band was finally struck" at Wood lake; where Little Crow was utterly routed, fleeing thence into Dakota. Some 500 of the savages were captured; of whom 498 were tried by court-martial, and about 300 convicted and 40 Oct. 9. 41 Oct. 20. 42 Dec. 18. 43 Aug. 18, '62. SIBLEY'S AND CONNOR'S INDIAN CAMPAIGNS. 455 sentenced to be hanged; but Presi- | expeditions suffered terribly for water dent Lincoln deferred their execution, a great drouth then prevailing on and most of them were ultimately set the plains. at liberty. Far West, Brig.-Gen. P. E. Connor, 1st California volunteers, commanding in Utah, on hearing" of Indian depredations by the Shoshonees on Bear river, western Idaho, marched thither.(140 miles) through deep Winter snows, wherein 75 of his men were disabled by frozen feet, and, with the residue, attacked 300 savages in their stronghold, killing 224; his own loss being 12 killed and 49 wounded. Four months later, Gen. Connor, with most of his force, traversed the region westward of the Rocky mountains so far north as old Fort Hall on Snake river, but found no enemy to combat. Next summer-Gen. Pope being in command of this departmentthe irregular frontier line of settlements in the north-west was picketed by about 2,000 men; while Gen. Sibley moved westward from Fort Snelling in June, with some 2,500 infantry; Gen. Sully, with a body of cavalry being sent up the Missouri on boats to cooperate. The two commands did not unite; but Sibley found and fought some of the hostile savages at Missouri Couteau, Big mound, Dead Buffalo lake, and Stony lake; killing or wounding some 130 of them; while Sully encountered" a band at Whitestone hill, routing them with heavy loss, and takinglorious and most unprofitable, ing 156 prisoners. The remnant subtracted considerably from our fled across the Missouri and evaded military strength, and added largely pursuit. This was the virtual close to our exhausting outlays during the of the Sioux war. Our men on these trying year 1863. 48 These Indian hostilities, though XX. THE CAROLINAS, GEORGIA, FLORIDA-1862–63. THE Savannah river having, with its largest affluent, the Tugaloo, formed the boundary between South Carolina and Georgia from their northern verge, after a generally south-east course of some 300 miles, passing, at the head of ship navigation, near its mouth, its namesake city, which is the commercial emporium of Georgia, winds its sluggish way to the Atlantic through a clus19 Sept. 3. ** July 25-29, 1863. 49 ter of mud-formed, often sand-fringed sea islands, matted over with a thin crust of grass-roots, covering a jellylike mud several feet deep, resting uneasily on a bed of light, semi-liquid clay. FORT PULASKI, On Cockspur island (a mile long by half as wide), was a carefully constructed brick National fortress 25 feet above ground by 71⁄2 thick, completely commanding not only the main channel of the 50 January, 1863, 51 Jan. 29. Savannah, but all other inlets practicable for sea-going vessels to the city and the firm land above. Having early fallen an easy prey to the devotees of Secession, it was held by a garrison of 385 men, Col. C. H. Olmstead, 1st Georgia; its 40 heavy guns barring access to the river by our vessels, and affording shelter and protection to blockade-runners and Rebel corsairs. 3 to place a battery, barring all daylight access to the beleaguered fort from above. To this point, mortars, weighing 8 tuns each, were brought through New and Wright rivers (each of them a sluggish tide-course between rush-covered islets of semiliquid mud); being patiently tugged across Jones island on a movable causeway of planks laid on poles— those behind the moving gun being taken up and placed in its front;' and thus the guns were toilsomely drag 8 strong timber platforms, constructed by night behind an artfully contrived screen of bushes and reeds to receive them. Just as the batteries were completed, the Rebel steamboat Ida passed down from Savannah to Pulaski, and the recoil of our guns fired at her sent all but one of them off the platforms; which had thereupon to be enlarged and improved. Soon, another battery was established on Bird island, a little nearer Cockspur: and next, vessels having arrived in Tybee roads with heavy guns and munitions, the 7th Conn., 46th New York, and some detached companies, were employed in landing these on Big Tybee, constructing batteries and magazines, making roads of poles and plank, &c., &c. Nearly all this work had to be done by night, within range of Pulaski's guns-the outline presented to the enemy by the low bushes skirting the river being skillfully and gradually altered, night after night, so as to afford to the garrison no indication of the menacing work going on behind its friendly shelter. Very soon after our recovery' of Port Royal and the adjacent seaislands, Gen. T. W. Sherman direct-ged across and placed in battery on ed' Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore to reconnoiter this ugly impediment, and report on the feasibility of overcoming it. Gillmore obeyed; and reported that the fort might be reduced by batteries of mortars and rifled guns planted on Big Tybee island, south-east of it, across the narrower southern channel of the Savannah, as also from Venus point, on Jones island, over two miles from Cockspur, in the opposite direction: and submitted his plan; which was sent to Washington, returned approved, and the requisite ordnance and other enginery ultimately forwarded or collected. Meantime, the 46th New York, Col. R. Rosa, was sent to occupy Big Tybee, and a detachment directed quietly to clear out the Rebel obstructions in " Wall's cut," an artificial channel connecting New and Wright rivers, north of Cockspur, and completing an inland water passage from Savannah to Charleston. After some sharp fighting and four nights' hard work, this was achieved; and, after some farther delay, Venus point, on Jones island, north-west of the coveted fortress, was selected as a point whereon 'See Vol. I., p. 605. 2Nov. 29, '61. Dec. 1. In Dec. 5 Jan. 14, '62. Jan. 28. Feb. 10-11. Feb. 21. 4 The moving of each gun over the quaking, treacherous bog, from its |