Horace Greeley, The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States of America, 1860-65: its Causes, Incidents, and Results: Intended to exhibit especially its moral and political phases with the drift and progress of American opinion respecting human slavery from 1776 to the close of the War for the Union. Volume I.

[587] giving vigilant attention to Price's movements. That same day brought, by telegraph, pressing demands for more troops from Gen. Grant, commanding at Cairo; and the next — the 14th--brought peremptory orders from Gen. Scott to “send 5,000 well-armed infantry to Washington without a moment's delay.” Gen. Robert Anderson, commanding in Kentucky, was also calling urgently on Gen. Fremont, his immediate superior, for reenforcements to save Louisville, then threatened by the Rebels, who were rapidly “annexing” Kentucky. Gen. Fremont had at that time scattered over his entire department, and confronted at nearly every point by formidable and often superior numbers of Rebels, a total of 55,693 men; whereof over 11,000 occupied Fort Holt and Paducah, Ky., warding off the menaced advance of the Rebels in force on Cairo and St. Louis; some 10,000 more held Cairo and important points in its vicinity; while Gen. Pope, in North Missouri, had 5,500; Gen. Davis, at Jefferson City, 9,600, and there were 4,700 at Rolla, and 3,000 at Ironton; leaving less than 7,000 at St. Louis. Gen. Lane, on the frontier of Kansas, had 2,200; and these, with a good part of Pope's command under Gen. Sturgis, and a large proportion of Davis's at Jefferson City, were disposable for the relief of Lexington, toward which point they were directed and expected to move so rapidly as possible. On the 13th, two regiments were ordered from St. Louis to Jefferson City, and two others from that point to Lexington. Fremont, pressed on every side, thus responded by telegraph, on the 15th, to the requisition upon him for five regiments for Washington City:

Reliable information from the vicinity of Price's column shows his present force to be 11,000 at Warrensburg and 4,000 at Georgetown, with pickets extending toward Syracuse. Green is making for Booneville, with a probable force of 3,000. Withdrawal of force from this part of Missouri risks the State; from Paducah, loses Western Kentucky. As the best, have ordered two regiments from this city, two front Kentucky, and will make up the remainder from the new force being raised by the Governor of Illinois.

The Rebels of north-eastern Missouri--reported at 4,500--led by Cols. Boyd and Patton, marched from St. Joseph, on the 12th, toward Lexington, where they doubtless had been advised that they would find Price on their arrival. Two parties of Unionists started in pursuit from different points on the North Missouri Railroad, directed to form a junction at Liberty, Clay county. Lieut. Col. Scott, of the Iowa 3d, reached that point at 7 A. M., on the 17th, and, not meeting there the expected cooperating force front Cameron, under Col. Smith, pushed on to Blue Mills Landing, on the Missouri, where lie attacked the Rebels--now commanded by Gen. David R. Atchison--and was promptly and thoroughly routed. Col. Smith, who had been delayed by rains and bad roads, reached Liberty by dark, and there met Scott's beaten and demoralized regiment. They now moved together to the Landing (on the 18th); but found that the Rebels had all crossed the river and pushed on to Lexington, thirty miles distant. Smith thereupon returned to St. Joseph; and Gen. Sturgis, who was advancing by another route to the relief of Lexington, being confronted by a superior Rebel force under Gen. Parsons, likewise retreated northward, with the loss (Pollard says) of all his tents and camp equipage.