Resume of military operations in Missouri and Arkansas, 1864-65.
The capture of
Fort Smith by
General Blunt, and of
Little Rock by
General Steele, early in September, 1863 [see “The conquest of
Arkansas,” Vol.
III., p. 441], put the
Arkansas River, from its mouth to its junction with the
Grand and
Verdigris rivers, into the possession of the
Federal forces.
This general advance of the
Federal line forced
General Price to fall back with his army from his fortified positions around
Little Rock to
Camden and
Arkadelphia, in the southern part of the
State.
Having now no threatened positions of importance to hold, the
Confederate generals in
Arkansas were free to use their mounted troops and light artillery in attacking and threatening with attack the small posts and lines of communication in the rear of the
Federal army.
On his retreat from
Little Rock [see map, p. 348],
Price detached
General Joseph O. Shelby with a brigade from
Marmaduke's cavalry division and a battery of light artillery to make a raid into
Missouri, hoping by this diversion to cause the withdrawal of at least part of the
Federal troops from the
Arkansas valley.
Shelby, with his brigade of upward of two thousand men
1 and with two pieces of artillery, crossed the
Arkansas River on the 27th of September, moved north rapidly, entered
south-west Missouri near
Cassville about the 1st of October, and captured the post of
Neosho with a detachment of the Missouri State militia stationed there, and paroled them.
From
Neosho he moved north, and, with scarcely any opposition, reached the vicinity of
Marshall in
central Missouri, where he encountered
General E. B. Brown with a force of the
State militia.
On
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375]
the 13th of October, after a sharp fight of several hours,
Shelby was defeated, his artillery captured, and his command dispersed.
General Thomas Ewing, Jr., commanding the District of the Border, on hearing of the advance of the
Confederate raiding force into
central Missouri, marched with a force of about two thousand men from
Kansas City to join
General Brown, and picked up some of
Shelby's demoralized command in their retreat toward the
Kansas border.
Having suffered this reverse,
Shelby's next object was to get out of the
State in as good shape as possible, and at once he commenced a hasty retreat south.
He was pursued day and night by
Ewing and
Brown, in an exciting chase of upward of two hundred miles, and until his command lost all cohesion in the mountainous regions of
Arkansas.
Thus
western Missouri was not only relieved for the remainder of the year 1863 of
Shelby's raiding force, but also of
Quantrill's murderous band of guerrillas, who, on the 20th of August, had burned the city of
Lawrence, Kansas, and murdered 150 of her citizens in cold blood; and on the 6th of October had killed some 80 of
Blunt's escort at
Baxter Springs, Kansas, most of whom were first wounded and fell into his hands.
During the winter of 1863-64 the forces of
Generals Steele and
Blunt held the
Arkansas River as a Federal line of advance.
The winter was so cold that no important aggressive operations were attempted.
During this period of inactivity, however,
Steele was making preparations for a vigorous spring campaign.
It was decided that the column under
General Banks and the columns under
General Steele from
Little Rock and
Fort Smith should converge toward
Shreveport, Louisiana.
The Federal columns under
Steele left
Little Rock and
Fort Smith the latter part of March, moved toward the southern part of the
State, and after some fighting and manoeuvring drove
General Price's forces from
Camden,
Arkadelphia, and
Washington.
In the midst of these successful operations,
Steele received information that
Banks's army had been defeated and was retreating
2 [see p. 354], and that
Price had received reenforcements from
Kirby Smith of 8000 infantry and. a complement of artillery, and would at once assume the offensive.
Not feeling strong enough to fight the combined Confederate forces,
Steele determined to fall back upon
Little Rock.
He had scarcely commenced his retrograde movement when
Smith and
Price began to press him vigorously.
A retreating fight was kept up for several days, until the
Federal army reached Jenkins's Ferry on the
Saline River.
Here the swollen condition of the stream and the almost impassable swamp on the opposite side held
Steele's forces until his trains were crossed over on the pontoons.
While he was thus detained, on the 30th of April,
Smith and
Price came up and attacked him with great energy.
The battle raged furiously nearly half a day, when the Confederate army was repulsed with heavy loss and withdrew from the field.
Steele crossed the river without further opposition and retired leisurely to
Little Rock, with all his army except the division under
General John M. Thayer, which was sent back to
Fort Smith.
Price was so badly beaten that he made no effort to pursue the
Federal forces north of
Saline River.
After the battle of Jenkins's Ferry, instead of making preparations to attack the
Federal forces at
Little Rock and
Fort Smith,
Price commenced organizing his forces for an expedition into
Missouri, to be led by him in person.
The Confederate troops under
Cooper,
Maxey, and
Gano, in the
Indian Territory and
western Arkansas, were to make demonstrations against
Fort Smith and
Fort Gibson, and the line of communication between those points and
Kansas, while another part of the Confederate army was to threaten
Little Rock.
Price's army for the invasion of
Missouri numbered some 15,000
3 men and 20 pieces of artillery before crossing the
Arkansas River, and consisted of three divisions, commanded by
Generals Fagan,
Marmaduke, and
Shelby.
These troops were mostly veterans, having been in active service since the first year of the war. About the 1st of September, while strong demonstrations were being made against
Fort Smith and
Little Rock,
Price, with his army, crossed the
Arkansas River about half-way between those points at
Dardanelle, and marched to the northern part of the
State without opposition, and, in fact, without his movements being definitely known to
General Rosecrans, who then commanded the Department of the Missouri at
St. Louis.
4 When the Confederate forces entered
Missouri they were met by detachments of the
State militia, who captured several Confederate prisoners, from whom it was ascertained that the invading force was much larger than had been supposed, and that
Price was marching direct for
St. Louis.
Rosecrans at once commenced collecting his forces to meet and check the enemy.
General Thomas Ewing, Jr., was in command of the
District of
South-east Missouri.
Pilot Knob, near
Iron Mountain [see map, Vol I., p. 263], was a post of importance, with fortifications of considerable strength, and was on
Price's direct line of march to
St. Louis, which was only eighty-six miles distant.
Finding that
General Price was certainly advancing toward
St. Louis,
Ewing, in order to defend
Pilot Knob, drew in the detachments of his command stationed at different points in
south-east Missouri.
As the
Federal forces around and in the vicinity of
St. Louis were considered inadequate to defend the city against the reported strength of
Price's veteran army, on the request of
Rosecrans General A. J. Smith's veteran division of the Army
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376]
of the
Tennessee, 4500 strong, passing up the
Mississippi River to join
Sherman's army, was detained at
Cairo to assist in checking the advance of the Confederate army.
Price arrived before
Pilot Knob in the afternoon of September 26th, and skirmished until night with detachments of Federal cavalry, which had been thrown out to meet his advance.
Ewing had 1051 men at that post, which were only enough to man the works.
Having got his troops and artillery all up,
Price opened the attack on the fort at daylight on the 27th, and kept it up all day with great resolution.
But
Ewing's well-served artillery of eleven pieces and his thousand small-arms repulsed every assault made by the
Confederates.
When night came, however,
Ewing was satisfied that he could not hold out another day against the superior attacking force, and he determined to evacuate the fort.
Shortly after midnight his troops marched out, and a few moments later his magazine was blown up, and the ammunition which could not be taken along was destroyed.
Ewing then marched with his force and joined the troops engaged in the defense of
St. Louis and of
Jefferson City.
On hearing the explosion of the magazine,
Price suspected the retreat of the garrison, and immediately ordered his generals to start in pursuit.
Continuing his march north with his army he came up and attacked the defenses of
St. Louis some miles south of the city, but was repulsed by
General A. J. Smith's veterans and other troops, and then changed his line of march and moved westward toward
Jefferson City, the
State capital.
While
Price's plans were not definitely known, his movements indicated that he would endeavor to take
Jefferson City.
But
Rosecrans determined not to allow the
State capital to fall into the hands of the invader, and not only called out the enrolled militia of
central Missouri for its defense, but also ordered
General John B. Sanborn, commanding the
District of
South-west Missouri at
Springfield, and
General John McNeil, commanding the District of Rolla, to march to its defense with their available forces, with the least possible delay.
General E. B. Brown and
General Clinton B. Fisk, commanding districts in
central and
north Missouri, were also directed to bring forward to
Jefferson City all the
State militia that could be spared from their respective districts.
General Price moved forward and attacked the capital, but as he was closely pursued by the
Federal forces from
St. Louis he was soon driven off, and continued his march westward up the south side of the
Missouri River.
His next objects were understood to be the capture of
Kansas City, and
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and more particularly the invasion and desolation of
Kansas.
He conscripted and pressed into service every man and youth found at home able to bear arms.
5 Major-General S. R. Curtis, commanding the Department of Kansas and the
Indian Territory, the moment he was advised of the approaching storm, began collecting all his forces along the eastern border of the
State south of
Kansas City, and urged
Governor Carney, of
Kansas, to call out the militia to cooperate with the volunteers in resisting the threatened invasion.
In response to the governor's call, twenty-four regiments of militia were hastily organized, and took position along the eastern line of the
State.
Early in these preparatory operations for the defense of the border,
Major-General George Sykes,
6 commanding the District of South Kansas, was, at his own request, relieved, and
Major-General James G. Blunt was placed in command.
As soon as information was received that
Price had been driven from
Jefferson City and was moving westward,
Curtis and
Blunt took the field in person to direct the operations of their forces in defense of the border.
Blunt took the available force of the volunteers and several sections of artillery, and moved down to
Lexington, some forty miles, to meet and hold the enemy as long as possible, so that
Rosecrans's forces in pursuit from
St. Louis and
Jefferson City, under
Generals Alfred Pleasonton7 and
A. J. Smith, could come up and attack
Price in the rear.
On the afternoon of October 20th
Price's advance under
Shelby came within sight of
Lexington on the south side of the city.
Sharp fighting at once commenced between the opposing forces, and lasted until night, when
Blunt, having ascertained the strength of the enemy, fell back to
Little Blue River, a few miles east of Independence, to form a new line of battle.
As this stream was fordable at different points above and below where the
Independence and
Lexington road crossed it,
Blunt's forces, under
Colonel Thomas Moonlight, were obliged, on the 21st, to abandon the position taken up behind it after an engagement with
Shelby's division, lasting several hours, and fall back behind the
Big Blue River, a few miles west of Independence.
Here a new line of battle was formed with all
Curtis's available troops, including most of the Kansas State militia, who had consented to cross the
State line into
Missouri.
Curtis and
Blunt determined to hold
Price's army
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east of the Big Blue as long as practicable in the hope of receiving assistance from
Rosecrans, who, it was thought, was following close upon the rear of the Confederate army.
While
Curtis's forces were thus fighting and skirmishing with the enemy over nearly every foot of the ground from
Lexington to Big Blue,
Pleasonton's provisional cavalry division of
Rosecrans's army was marching day and night from
Jefferson City to overtake the invading force.
On the 22d, just as
Curtis's troops were being driven from the line of the Big Blue back upon the
State line and
Kansas City,
Pleasonton's cavalry came up and attacked the rear of
Price's army, east of Independence, and routed it and drove it in great disorder through the town.
Pleasonton at once sent a messenger to
Curtis, announcing his presence upon the field.
The night of the 22d
Price's army encamped on the west side of the Big Blue, just south of
Westport.
Pleasonton's cavalry encamped that night around and in the neighborhood of Independence, east of the Big Blue.
Curtis's forces were encamped from
Kansas City to
Westport and along the
State line west of
Westport.
At daylight on the 23d the columns of
Pleasonton began to move west, and those of
Curtis to move south, and in a short time afterward they became warmly engaged with the
Confederates, who were drawn up in the line of battle two and a half miles south of
Westport.
The opposing armies fought over an area of five or six square miles, and at some points the fighting was furious.
At times there were as many as forty or fifty guns throwing shot and shell and grape and canister.
About the middle of the afternoon
Price's lines began to give way, and by sundown the entire Confederate army was in full retreat southward along the
State line, closely pursued by the victorious Federal forces.
In the meanwhile
General A. J. Smith was bringing forward his division of veteran infantry on forced marches from
Lexington, but, receiving information that the Confederate army was retreating down the border, changed his line of march to move via
Pleasant Hill and
Harrisonville, to head off
Price and bring him to a stand.
When, however,
General Smith's division reached a point some four miles south-west of
Harrisonville, he ascertained that
Price had already passed on southward down the line road.
After the battle near
Westport the cavalry of
Curtis and
Pleasonton kept up the pursuit and was constantly engaged in skirmishing with the
Confederate rear column until the
Southern forces arrived at the Marais des Cygnes River.
Here
Price was obliged to make a stand to get his artillery and trains across the river.
After being driven from this position he formed a line of battle on the 25th., a few miles south of the Marais des Cygnes, near
Mine Creek,
in Linn County, Kansas, placing his artillery, supported by a large force, on a high mound in the prairie.
The Federal cavalry coming up charged his position with great gallantry, broke his line, captured nearly all his artillery, ten pieces, and a large number of prisoners, among them
Generals Marmaduke and
Cabell and many other officers of lower rank.
In his retreat from this position
Price was closely pursued by the
Federal cavalry, his rear-guard being almost constantly under fire.
His army encamped that night on the
Marmiton River, about eight miles nearly east of
Fort Scott, which place he had intended to capture with the large depot of Government supplies.
Having lost most of his artillery, about midnight he blew up such of his artillery ammunition as was unsuitable for the guns which he still had. The troops of
Curtis and
Pleasonton, who reached
Fort Scott that night and replenished their haversacks and cartridge-boxes, heard the loud explosion.
From
Fort Scott the pursuit was. continued by
Curtis's forces under
Blunt, and by
Rosecrans's cavalry under
Sanborn and
McNeil.
At
Newtonia in
south-west Missouri, on the 28th of October,
Price made another stand, and was attacked by the pursuing forces named, and finally driven from the field with heavy loss.
This was next to the severest battle of the campaign.
Blunt, and some of the
Missouri troops, continued the pursuit to the
Arkansas River, but
Price did not again attempt to make a stand.
His line of march from
Westport to
Newtonia was strewn with the debris of a routed army.
He crossed the
Arkansas River above
Fort Smith with a few pieces of artillery, with his army demoralized and reduced by captures and dispersion to perhaps less than 5000 men. Most of the noted guerrilla, bands followed him from the
State.
The “
Price raid,” as it was called in the
West, was the last military operation of much consequence that took place in
Missouri and
Arkansas.
It is certain that
Price lost more than he gained in war material and that the raid did not tend to strengthen the
Confederate cause in the
West.
He did not capture and take off a single piece of cannon on his raid.
Large numbers of the men he conscripted and pressed into service during the raid left him at the first opportunity and returned to their homes, or were picked up by the
Federal cavalry and paroled.
[In
General Price's report occurs the following summary of the campaign: “ I marched 1434 miles, fought 43 battles and skirmishes, captured and paroled over 3000 Federal officers and men, captured 18 pieces of artillery, 3000 stand of small-arms, 16 stand of colors, . . . a great many wagons and teams, large numbers of horses, great quantities of subsistence and ordnance stores, . . . and destroyed property to the cost of $10,000,000. . . . I lost 10 pieces of artillery.
2 stand of colors, 1000 small-arms, while I do not think I lost 1000 prisoners. . . . I brought with me at least 5000 recruits.”--editors.]
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Surrender of the Tennessee, battle of Mobile Bay. |
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The Brooklyn after the battle of Mobile.
From a sketch made at the time. |
