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

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[330] provisions, he was obliged to send for the supply-trains of Kansas to come to him with an escort. The movements of the enemy, however, determined him to take the offensive in order to forestall them if possible; he was in hopes of surprising the several Confederate bands who were preparing to operate against him, before they could have time to unite. These corps, composed of Price's Missourians, McCulloch's Confederate division, and some Arkansas brigades under Pearce and McBride, had selected Cassville as their rendezvous. Price, leaving the south-western angle of the State, where he had taken refuge, reached that town on the 28th of July, where on the following day all the Confederate forces were assembled, to the number of more than twelve thousand men, half of whom were mounted, with about fifteen pieces of cannon. On the 1st and 2d of August the whole army moved in the direction of Springfield, following the post-road. Four hundred mounted Missourians under Rains cleared the road. McCulloch followed with great precaution, fearing to venture beyond the reach of the other corps of the army.

Lyon had left Springfield exactly on the 1st of August with all the forces at his disposal, amounting to about five thousand men. After two days march, which the extreme heat made very fatiguing, he met in the valley of Dug Springs, thirty miles from Springfield, Rains's Missourians, accompanied by a few reinforcements which the latter had procured in haste. A company of regular infantry, one hundred and fifty mounted men belonging to the 4th Cavalry, and two pieces of a regular battery formed the advance of the small Federal army, and alone took part in the engagement. The conflict was short. While the infantry were firing upon the troops that confronted them, the cavalry perceived a detachment preparing to make a flank movement. The men immediately seized their carbines and opened fire upon it. But a subaltern officer, tired of remaining inactive, ordered a charge. A portion of the mounted men dashed forward at once; the rest followed, and the enemy were thrown into confusion. In the mean time, the shells of the two Federal field-pieces routed the Confederate cavalry, which was thinking to repeat the flank movement it had executed during the fight at Carthage.

The Federals remained masters of the field. This skirmish