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with a strong brigade of Germans, to attack the town.
Salomon advanced slowly and cautiously, driving the pickets in before him. On the morning of September 30th, having got within easy artillery range, his two six-gun batteries opened fire.
Bledsoe's two guns replied, and the Federal fire was at once concentrated on him. For an hour the unequal artillery fire continued.
Then Bledsoe's guns ceased firing from lack of ammunition.
Salomon then deployed his infantry and advanced, and the Confederates were forced back to the outskirts of the town.
Colonel Cooper had taken command on the field at the beginning of the action, leaving Shelby in command of the two camps.
He now sent to Shelby for a regiment, and Shelby sent him Gordon's. Gordon came at a gallop, and struck the enemy in flank, and drove the flank in on the center.
Gordon was forced back and into the town, but the Confederates regained what they had lost.
Cooper's whole command was then ordered up, with his battery and another regiment of Shelby's. Thus strengthened, the fight was renewed and in a short time the Federal line gave way and was driven twelve miles, the fleeing soldiers abandoning their guns, wagons, blankets and provisions.
The Confederate loss was considerable, but not nearly as large as that of the Federals, which was estimated at 1,000 in killed, wounded, captured and missing.
To avenge this defeat Schofield advanced the next day with his whole force, but Colonel Cooper declined to accept the proffer of battle and retired from the town, fighting as he went.
The result of these operations was that every organized Confederate force was driven out of Missouri. Gen. T. H. Holmes had relieved General Hindman in command of the department, and one of his first acts was to order Hindman to fall back into Arkansas and assume the defensive.
Hindman protested against the order, and it was repeated in a more peremptory form.
He
Atlanta, Ga. 1899.
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