Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 1.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[344] to the other bank, where he would have been in safety, but he was without instructions, and he deemed it his duty to defend Lexington, General J. Davis being at Jefferson City with ten thousand men, whence he could easily send him sufficient reinforcements by water. Price neglected nothing that could contribute to the success of his enterprise and at the same time divert the attention of his adversary. He sent a detachment westward to Blue Mills Landing, near the Kansas frontier, with orders to cross to the left bank of the Missouri and to intercept any reinforcements which might come to the assistance of the Federals from that side. From another quarter he summoned Green, the principal leader of the bands from Northern Missouri, to cross the river with more than three thousand men, who were immediately directed against Booneville. On the 13th Green made a vigorous attack upon the small garrison of that town; and although he did not succeed in capturing it, the chief object of his demonstration was accomplished, for it deceived the Federals and made them believe that Price's intentions were to attack Booneville and Jefferson City. During this time the Confederate general was quietly waiting in front of Lexington for the opportune moment to strike a decisive blow. His position and his purposes were known throughout Missouri; Fremont alone continued obstinately blind. On every side old men as well as young, mounting their horses and throwing their guns over their shoulders, rushed to the rendezvous at Lexington to take part in the victory to which Price invited them. He thus saw his army swelled to the number of twenty-two thousand or twenty-three thousand men in a few days. Mulligan had written to his chief stating that he should defend himself to the last extremity; he had the right to expect succor; he had incessantly asked for it, and was expecting it from day to day. Not a man was sent to him, nor any instructions, although he remained in his positions until the 17th without being molested by the enemy, and although his dangerous situation was the theme of common conversation in St. Louis and throughout the Union. After many days of hesitancy, Fremont became at last convinced that something must be done to extricate Mulligan, but the measures adopted by him could not prevent the disaster, which he still persisted in not foreseeing.