LYON'S MARCH TO SPRINGFIELD.-CONFEDERATE FORCE. 45

Osage, and soon striking a dense forest, sometimes pathless and dark, they were compelled to make their way among steep hills, deep gorges, swiftly running streams, miry morasses, ugly gullies washed by the rains, jagged rocks, and fallen timbers. At three o'clock in the afternoon, when the army halted for dinner, they were twenty-seven miles from their starting-place in the morning. The march was resumed at sunset, and was continued until three o'clock on the morning of the 11th, when the commander ordered a halt. For forty-eight hours, most of the men had not closed their eyes in sleep. Within ten minutes after the order to halt was given, nine-tenths of the wearied soldiers were slumbering. They did not stop to unroll their blankets, or select a good spot for resting; but officers and privates dropped upon the ground in deep sleep. They had marched over a horrible road, during twenty-four hours, almost fifty miles. Early the next morning a courier brought intelligence of Sigel's safety in Springfield, and the remainder of the march of thirty miles was made leisurely during the space of the next two days.'

a July 13 1861.

Lyon encamped near Springfield, and then prepared to contend with the overwhelming and continually increasing number of his enemies. Within the period of a few weeks, the Confederates had been driven into the southwestern corner of Missouri, on the border of Kansas and Arkansas. Now they were making vigorous preparations to regain the territory they had lost. They had been largely re-enforced, and were especially strong in cavalry. At Cassville, the capital of Barry County, near the Arkansas line, on the great overland mail route, they established a general rendezvous; and there, on the 29th of July, four Southern armies, under the respective commands of Generals Price, McCulloch, Pearce, and McBride, effected a junction.

At that time General Lyon, with his little force daily diminishing by the expiration of the terms of enlistment, was confined in a defensive attitude to the immediate vicinity of Springfield. He had called repeatedly for re-enforcements, to which no response was given. He waited for them long, but they did not come. Every day his position had become more perilous, and now the Confederates were weaving around him a strong web of real danger; yet he resolved to hold the position at all hazards."

At the close of July, Lyon was informed that the Confederates were marching upon Springfield in two columns (in the aggregate, more than twenty thousand strong); one from Cassville, on the south, and the other from Sarcoxie, on the west, for the purpose of investing the National camp and the town. He determined to go out and meet them; and, late in the afternoon of the 1st of August, his entire army (5,500 foot, 400 horse, and 18 guns), led by himself, moved toward Cassville, with the exception of a small force left behind to guard the city. They bivouacked that night on Cave

1 Life of General Nathaniel Lyon. By Ashbel Woodward, M. D.

On the 31st of July, Lyon wrote, saying: "I fear the enemy may become emboldened by our want of activity. I have constant rumors of a very large force below, and of threats to attack us with overwhelming numbers. I should have a much larger force than I have, and be much better supplied.”

Lyon's force at this time consisted of five companies of the First and Second Regulars, under Major Sturgis; five companies of the First Missouri Volunteers, Lieutenant-Colonel Andrews; two companies of the Second Missouri, Major Osterhaus; three companies of the Third Missouri, Colonel Sigel; Fifth Missouri, Colonel Salomon; First Iowa, Colonel Bates; First Kansas, Colonel Deitzler; Second Kansas, Colonel Mitchell; two com

46

THE BATTLE OF DUG SPRINGS.

Creek, ten miles south of Springfield, and moved forward at an early hour in the morning, excessively annoyed by heat and dust, and intense thirst, for most of the wells and streams were dry. At Dug Springs, nineteen miles southwest of Springfield, they halted. They were in an oblong valley, five miles in length, and broken by projecting spurs of the hills, which formed wooded ridges. Soon after halting, they discovered, by clouds of dust at the other extremity of the valley, that a large body of men were there and in motion. These were Confederates, under General Rains. A battle-line was formed by the Nationals, and in that order the little army moved forward toward the enemy, led by a company of Regular Infantry, under Captain Steele, supported by another of the Fourth Regular Cavalry, under Captain Stanley, which held the advanced position on the left. Owing to the ridges in the valley, the real force of each party was easily concealed from the other, and afforded opportunities for surprises. And so it happened. While the vanguard of the Nationals was moving cautiously forward, followed by the main body, and skirmishers were exchanging shots briskly, a large force of Confederates suddenly emerged from the woods, to cut off Steele's infantry from Stanley's cavalry. The latter (about a hundred and fifty strong) immediately drew up his men in proper order, and when the foe was within the range of their Sharp's carbines, they opened a deadly fire upon them. The latter numbered nearly five hundred. They returned the fire, and a regular battle seemed about to open, when a subordinate officer in Stanley's command shouted "Charge!" and twenty-five horsemen dashed in among the Confederate infantry, hewing them down with their sabers with fearful slaughter. Stanley could do nothing better than sustain the irregular order; but before he could reach the heroic little band with re-enforcements, the Confederates had broken and fled in the wildest confusion. "Are these men or devils-they fight so?" asked some of the wounded of the vanquished, when the conflict was over.

When this body of Confederate infantry fled, a large force of their cavalry appeared emerging from the woods. Captain Totten brought two of his guns to bear upon them from a commanding eminence with such precision, that his shells fell among and scattered them in great disorder, for their frightened horses became unmanageable. The whole column of the Confederates now withdrew, leaving the valley in possession of the National troops. Thus ended THE BATTLE OF DUG SPRINGS. Lyon's loss was eight men killed and thirty wounded, and that of the Confederates was about forty killed and as many wounded. The Nationals moved forward the next morning in search of foes, but were disappointed. They encamped at Curran, in Stone County, twenty-six miles from Springfield, and remained in that vicinity until the next day, when General Lyon called a council of officers,' and it was determined a August 4, to return to Springfield. The army moved in that direction on the following morning," and reached Springfield on the 6th."

1561.

panies First Regular Cavalry, Captains Stanley and Carr; three companies First Regular Cavalry (recruits). Lieutenant Lathrop; Captain Totten's Battery, Regular Artillery, six guns, 6 and 12-pounders; Lieutenant Du Bois' Battery, Regular Artillery, four guns, 6 and 12-pounders; Captain Schaeffer's Battery, Missouri Volunteer Artillery, six guns, 6 and 12-pounders. General Lyon gave the most important secondary commands to Brigadier-General Sweeney, Colonel Sigel, and Major Sturgis.

1 The officers called into the council were Brigadier-General Sweeney, Colonel Sigel, Majors Schofield, Shepherd, Conant, and Sturgis, and Captains Totten and Schaeffer.

2 Correspondence of the New York World and Herald; Life of General Lyon, by Dr. Woodward, pages 297 to 301, inclusive.

MARCH OF THE CONFEDERATES ON SPRINGFIELD.

47

The events of the past few days had given great encouragement to both officers and men.

The affair at Dug Springs impressed General McCulloch (a part of whose column it was that had been so smitten there) with the importance of great circumspection, and, after consultation with some of his officers, he fell back, and moving westward, formed a junction with the weaker force under Price, then advancing from Sarcoxie. Information reached them at Cane Creek that Lyon's force was immensely superior, and McCulloch counseled a retrograde movement. Price entertained a different opinion, and favored an immediate advance. His officers agreed with him, and he asked McCulloch to loan him arms, that his destitute Missouri soldiers, who were willing to fight, might be allowed to do so. McCulloch refused. So the matter stood, when, on the same evening," an order was received by McCulloch, from Major-General Polk,' ordering an advance upon Lyon. He called a council of his officers, exhibited the order to Price, and offered to march immediately on Springfield, upon condition that he should have the chief command of the army. Price, anxious to drive the Nationals out of Missouri, yielded to the Texan, saying he was "not fighting for distinction but for the defense of the liberties of his country. He was willing to surrender his command and his life, if necessary, as a sacrifice to the cause."

a August 4, 1861.

August 7.

On taking chief command, General McCulloch issued an order,' directing all unarmed men to remain in camp, and all others to put their arms in order, provide themselves with fifty rounds of ammunition each, and be in readiness for marching at midnight. He divided the army into three columns; the first commanded by himself, the second by General Pearce, of Arkansas, and the third by General Price; and at the appointed hour the whole force, full twenty thousand strong, in fine spirits, moved toward Springfield, expecting to meet Lyon eight miles distant from their camp, where there were strong natural defenses. They approached the position cautiously, at sunrise, but were disappointed. They pushed forward, unmindful of the intense heat, the stifling dust, and the lack of water; and on the night of the 10th the wearied army encamped at Big Spring, a mile and a half from Wilson's Creek, and about ten and a half miles south of Springfield. They were in a sad plight. Their baggage-train was far behind, and so were their beef cattle. The troops had not eaten any thing for twenty-four hours, and for ten days previously they had received only half rations. They satisfied the cravings of hunger by eating green corn on the way, but without a particle of salt or a mouthful of meat. They had no blankets, nor tents, nor clothes, excepting what they had on their backs, and four-fifths of them were barefooted. "Billy Barlow's dress at a circus," wrote one of their number, "would be decent in comparison with that of almost any one, from the major-general down to the humblest private."

On the 9th, the whole Confederate army moved to Wilson's Creek, at a point southwest of Springfield, where that stream flows through a narrow valley, inclosed on each side by gentle sloping hills covered with patches of

1 See page 540, volume I.

2 Pollard's First Year of the War, page 135.

48

LYON PREPARES FOR BATTLE.

low trees and fields of corn and wheat. They encamped on both sides of the creek, and for nearly two days subsisted wholly upon green corn. Their effective force, according to the best estimates, was about fifteen thousand men, of whom six thousand were horsemen. The latter were indifferently armed with flint-lock muskets, rifles, and shot-guns; and there were many mounted men not armed at all. They had fifteen pieces of artillery.' General Price reported the number of Missouri State troops at five thousand two hundred and twenty-one. The entire number of Confederates encamped on Wilson's Creek appears to have been about twenty-three thousand.

General Lyon had now only a little more than five thousand effective men, and prudence seemed to dictate a retreat northward rather than risk a battle under such disadvantages. But he knew that a retreat at that time would ruin the Union cause in Missouri, and he was willing to risk every thing for that cause. He was conscious of the extreme peril by which his little army was surrounded, but he had reason to hope for success, for he was in command of good officers, and brave and well-armed men. Yet, in a council of war, which he called on the 9th, these officers, with great unanimity, favored the evacuation of Springfield, in order to save the troops; but General T. W. Sweeney vehemently opposed it, and urged making a stand where they were, and withdrawing from Springfield only on compulsion. On the same day" each party in the contest prepared to advance upon the other within twenty-four hours.

a August 9, 1861.

Necessity compelled Lyon to go out and meet his foe, for Springfield, situated on an open plain, could not be made defensible by means at his command. Every avenue leading from it would soon be closed by the overwhelming numbers of the Confederates, and the loss of his whole command might be the consequence. Every thing now depended upon secrecy and skill of movement, and he resolved to march out at night, surprise his enemy, and by a bold stroke scatter his forces. Twice already he had appointed the hour for such a movement to begin, but each time prudence compelled him to postpone it. Finally, on Friday, the 9th of August, he prepared to exccute his plan that night. He divided his little army into two columns, and made dispositions to strike the Confederate camp at two points simultaneously.3

At the same time, as we have observed, the Confederates were preparing for a similar movement. They were divided into four columns, and ordered to march at nine o'clock on the night of the 9th, so as to surround Springfield and attack the National Army at dawn the next morning. On account of a gathering storm and the intense darkness, McCul

& August.

1 Pollard's First Year of the War, page 136.

2 Woodruff's Life of Lyon, page 303. General Sweeney had been in Springfield some time, from which place he had issued a proclamation, on the 4th of July, commanding all disloyalists to cease their opposition to the Government and to take an oath of allegiance.

3 Lyon's column consisted of three brigades, commanded respectively by Major S. D. Sturgis, LieutenantColonel Andrews, and Colonel Deitzler. Major Sturgis's brigade was composed of a battalion of Regular Infantry, under Captain Plummer, Captain Totten's light battery of six pieces, a battalion of Missouri Volunteers, under Major Osterhaus, Captain Wood's company of mounted Kansas Volunteers, and a company of Regular Cavalry, under Lieutenant Canfield. Lieutenant-Colonel Andrews's brigade consisted of Captain Steele's battalion of Regulars, Lieutenant Du Bois' light battery of four pieces, and the First Missouri Volunteers. Deitzler's brigade was composed of the First and Second Kansas and First Iowa Volunteers, and two hundred mounted Missouri Home Guards. Sigel's column consisted of the Third and Fifth Missouri Volunteers, one company of cavalry, under Captain Carr, another of dragoons, under Lieutenant Farrand, of the First Infantry, and a company of recruits, with a light battery of six guns, under Lieutenant Lothrop.

OPENING OF THE BATTLE OF WILSON'S CREEK

49

+

loch countermanded the order, and his army, wearied with waiting and watching, was still in camp on Wilson's Creek on the morning of the 10th.' This was a fortunate circumstance for Lyon. He had moved at the appointed hour; and as McCulloch, in anticipation of his march upon Springfield, had withdrawn his advanced pickets, and, feeling no apprehensions of an attack by Lyon with his small force, had not thrown them out again, the Nationals were afforded an opportunity for a complete surprise of their foe.

a August, 1861.

The two columns of the National Army were led respectively by Lyon and Sigel. The former, with Major Sturgis as his second in command, marched from Springfield with the main body, at five o'clock in the afternoon of the 9th," to fall upon the Confederates in front, leaving Sigel, with twelve hundred men and six guns, to gain their rear by their right. Lyon's force arrived within sight of the Confederate guard-fires at one o'clock in the morning, where they lay on their arms until dawn. Sigel in the mean time had left his position a little south of Springfield, and was in the Confederate rear at the appointed time, ready to strike the meditated blow.

6 Aug. 10.

Lyon formed a line of battle at five o'clock," and moved forward to attack the extreme northern point of the Confederate camp, occupied by General Rains, closely followed by Totten's Battery, which was supported by a strong reserve. The Confederate pickets were driven in by Lyon's skirmishers, and the Nationals were within musketrange of the hostile camp in front of Rains before the latter was aware of their approach. Rains immediately communicated the astounding fact to General Price. He told him truly, that the main body of the National Army was close upon him, and he called earnestly for re-enforcements. McCulloch was at Price's quarters when the alarming news arrived, and he hastened at once to his own, to make dispositions for battle.

General Lyon pushed on with vigor when the Confederate camp pickets were driven in. The mounted Home Guards and Captain Plummer's battalion were thrown across Wilson's Creek, near a sharp bend, and moved on a line with the advance of the main body, for the purpose of preventing the left flank of the Nationals being turned. Steadily onward the main column marched along a ravine, when, on ascending a ridge, it confronted a large force of Confederate foot-soldiers, composed of the infantry and artillery of Price's command, under Generals W. Y. Slack, J. H. McBride, J. B. Clark, and M. M. Parsons. These were all Missouri State Guards. Dispositions for a contest were at once made by both parties. The battalions of Major Osterhaus, and two companies of the First Missouri Volunteers, under Captains Yates and Cavender, of the Nationals, deployed as skirmishers. At the same time the left section of Captain Totten's Battery, under Lieutenant Sokalski, fired upon their foe. A few moments afterward, the remainder of the battery, planted on an eminence more to the right and front, opened with such destructive effect, that the Confederates broke, and were driven by Lyon's infantry to the hills overlooking their camp.

To seize and occupy the crest of the hills from which the Confederates

1 Report of General Price to Governor Jackson, August 12th, 1861. Pollard, in his First Year of the War, page 187, says, that after receiving orders to march, on the evening of the 9th, the troops made preparation, and got up a dance before their camp-fires. This dance was kept up until a late hour.

VOL. II.-1