killed, captured, or dispersed his entire command. Poindexter, after wandering alone through the woods for several days, was made a prisoner; and Porter, driven back upon McNeil by the same movement of Gen. Loan, was compelled to disperse his band to save it from destruction. This was the last appearance of the Rebels in formidable force northward of the Missouri river; though small bands of guerrillas continued to plunder and murder there, as elsewhere, for more than a year. Independence, on the western border of the State, was about this time attacked" by a Rebel band of 500 to 800, under Col. Hughes; and its garrison, 312 men of the 7th Missouri cavalry, was surrendered by Lt.-Col. Buel, after a short resistance. Gen. Coffey, with 1,500 Rebel cavalry from Arkansas, early in August, invaded south-western Missouri, and, avoiding Springfield, moved rapidly northward. Col. Clark Wright, 6th Missouri cavalry, was sent with 1,200 men in pursuit; Gen. Totten being directed by Schofield to strike the band which had just captured Independence, before it could be joined by Coffey; while Gen. Blunt, commanding in Arkansas, was requested to send a force from Fort Scott, to cöoperate in cutting off Coffey's retreat; and Col. Fitz-Henry Warren, 1st Iowa cavalry, was dispatched from Clinton with 1,500 men to effect a junction with Maj. Foster; who, with the 7th militia cavalry, 800 strong, had been pushed out from Lexington by Totten, in quest of Hughes. These combinations upon our side failed most signally. Coffey and Hughes united their forces and fought Sept. 24. 81 Aug. 11. 23 Maj. Foster at Lone Jack, Jackson county, wounded and defeated him, with the loss of his two guns, and compelled him to fall back to Lexington, upon which place Coffey was advancing with an army now augmented to 4,500 men; when, finding that Gen. Blunt was in strong force, threatening his line of retreat, while Loan's and Wright's and other commands were concentrating upon him from every direction, he relinquished the hope of capturing Lexington and relieving the Rebels north of the river, and turned to fly. Eluding Gen. Blunt in the night, he was hotly pursued to the Arkansas line, but escaped without serious disaster. Gen. Schofield was soon after " superseded in the command of the department, by Gen. Curtis, but immediately placed at the head of the forces confronting the enemy in the south-west, where the Rebels, now led by Gen. T. C. Hindman," were threatening a fresh invasion. Setting forward from Springfield" to Sarcoxie to reconnoiter the enemy's position, Gen. Salomon's advance had been overwhelmed at Newtonia by a large body of Rebel cavalry. Salomon had thereupon moved forward to their support, and renewed the battle at noon; fighting until sunset without serious loss,ultimately retiring in good order from the field. He estimated his strength at 4,500, and the enemy's in his front at 7,000. Gen. Schofield, being rëenforced by Gen. Blunt from Arkansas, found himself at the head of 10,000 men; while the Rebels at Newtonia were estimated at 13,000 to 20,000. He resolved to advance that night and attack at daylight next morning; Gen. Blunt approach Late M. C. from Arkansas. 24 Oct. 1. GEN. SCHOFIELD ADVANCES INTO ARKANSAS. 37 ing Newtonia from the north and to Ozark, resolved not to fight until west, and Gen. Totten from the east. rëenforcements should arrive, and Ile found, on coming up, that the that further pursuit would be useless; enemy had sent their baggage to the so he retraced his steps, via Bentonrear, and were preparing to retreat. ville, to Cross Hollows and Osage Immediately charging with cavalry Springs, sending Gen. Herron, with and artillery, the Rebels fled without the 1st Iowa and 7th militia cavalry, resistance, and were chased 30 miles about 1,000 in all, to attack in the into Arkansas. It appeared that, rear some 3,000 or 4,000 Rebel cavthough in great numbers, they were alry who were encamped on White badly armed, many of them not at river, 8 miles from Fayetteville; while all; having been sorely disappointed Gen. Totten, advancing via Fayetteby the capture of a vessel laden with ville, was to assail them in front. arms for their use on the Mississippi Gen. Herron reached their camp at some time previously. Schofield early dawn," and immediately atpressed on" to the old battle-ground tacked with such vigor that the of Pea Ridge, only to find the ene- Rebels, though in superior numbers, my's forces divided: a part, under fled rapidly into the mountains, with Cooper, having moved westward to the loss of their camp equipage. Gen. ward Maysville, with intent to oper- Totten did not arrive till after they ate on our communications with Fort had vanished. Gen. Schofield found Scott, while the main body had re- no further enemies within striking treated south-westerly toward Hunts- distance, until compelled by sickness ville, leaving two or three thousand to resign his command," leaving Miscavalry in our front to screen these souri substantially pacified. movements. Gen. Blunt was thereupon sent after Cooper; and, after a hard night's march, found him in camp near Maysville, and at once attacked, capturing his 4 guns and completely routing his command. The Rebels fled in disorder across the Arkansas to Fort Gibson. Their loss in material would have been greater had they had more to lose. Gen. Schofield, with the residue of his army, made a forced march over White River Mountains, to a point 8 miles west of Huntsville, where Rains had encamped the day before. His advance was next morning pushed forward into Huntsville, whence a few Rebel cavalry fled at his approach. He here learned that Rains was retreating across the mountains Oct. 17. But Gen. Hindman, commanding the Confederate forces in Arkansas, was not disposed to rest satisfied with such a conclusion of the campaign. Having collected, by concentration and conscription, a force estimated by our officers in his front at 25,000 to 30,000 men-while he officially reports that, for want of stores, etc., he was able to take on this expedition but 9,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry, and his artillery-he crossed the Arkansas river at or near Van Buren, and advanced upon our scattered and numerically far inferior division, which was watching him from the neighborhood of the last conflict. It was now December; but the weather was clear and dry, and the days bright and warm, though the nights were chilly; while the roads were in good | of Blunt, he rested his men but an condition. Gen. Blunt, commanding hour or so before putting his column the 1st division, in good part of Kan- again in motion, and had proceeded sas troops, numbering about 5,000 but 5 or 6 miles when his advance men, was at Cane Hill, or Boones- was met by the 1st Arkansas and borough, some 10 miles north-west of 7th Missouri (Union) cavalry, being a Van Buren, and 18 south-west of part of those he had dispatched from Fayetteville, when he was apprised Elkhorn to the aid of Blunt, who had of this advance," with one of his just before been attacked and thrown three brigades (Gen. Salomon's), pro- into great disorder by Marmaduke's tecting his trains at Rhea's Mills, 8 Rebel cavalry, forming the vanguard miles north. Determined not to be of Hindman's army. driven out of Arkansas, he telegraphed in various directions for Gen. Herron, commanding the 2d and 3d divisions, now in Missouri, and left subject to his orders by Gen. Schofield's departure; and attempted, by showing a bold front and directing his cavalry to skirmish sharply with the Rebel vanguard, to delay Hindman's advance until Herron could reach him. Blunt's dispatch found" that able and earnest leader at Wilson's creek, some 10 miles south of Springfield, but with most of his command from 10 to 20 miles nearer the Arkansas line. Within three hours, his divisions were in motion southerly, making marches of fully 20 miles per day, with all their guns and trains. Having reached Elkhorn," he dispatched Col. Wickersham, with his 3,000 cavalry, to the more immediate relief of Blunt; and pushing on to Fayetteville, marching all night, he entered that place at 4 A. M., on Sunday morning, Dec. 7th. Impressed with the peril * Dec. 2. Dec. 3. 40 On the evening of the 5th. 41 Gen. Herron, in a private letter to a friend at Dubuque, Iowa, dated Dec. 16, says: "For four miles, we fought their cavalry, driving them back to Illinois creek, where I found their whole force strongly posted on a long ridge, with magnificent positions for batteries. For one mile in front, it was clear ground, and my road lay right in the center of their line. Gen. Blunt had been skirmishing for the last two days with what he supposed the advance of the enemy's main body; but learned, at 8 P. M. of the 6th, that Hindman had turned his left and interposed between him and all of Herron's infantry and artillery. Col. Wickersham, with 4 cavalry regiments, reported to Blunt at Cane Hill two hours afterward, with tidings that Herron would be at Fayetteville early next morning. Blunt now attempted to warn Herron of his danger, but it was too late; his messengers were intercepted by Marmaduke's cavalry. Hindman was probably reaching for Blunt's trains at Rhea's Mills, when, to their mutual astonishment, he locked horns with Herron on Illinois creek, near the settlement known as PRAIRIE GROVE. Herron, divested of his cavalry, had but about 4,000 men in hand, and ought to have stood on the defensive," availing himself of every advantage of position and shelter. From a prisoner taken, I learned that Hindman was on the ridge, with his whole force, and intended to whip me out before Blunt could get up; in other words, to take us one at a time. The case looked tough, with Blunt ten miles away, and 25,000 men between us; but I saw at a glance there were just two things that could be done; namely, fight them without delay, and depend on the chance of Blunt's hearing me BATTLE OF PRAIRIE GROVE. 39 Anxious, however, for Blunt's safe- | when they were likewise repulsed with great slaughter. A fresh brigade, consisting of the 26th Indiana and 37th Illinois infantry, being now brought up from the right to the relief of our exhausted center, Col. Houston ordered and led a charge against the same Rebel battery which had been fruitlessly charged already. Again it was taken, and again the captors were compelled to abandon it by the overwhelming fire of infantry concentrated upon them. Thus the battle stood, still desperately contested, neither lost nor won, when, at 23 P. M., Herron heard the welcome music of a battery opening at some distance on his right, and was soon assured that Blunt's division was on hand. ty, and apprehending that he might Blunt had that morning sent Col. Wickersham, with hiş cavalry, in advance, followed by Gen. Salomon's infantry brigade, with directions to move rapidly on the Fayetteville road, and form a junction, if possible, with Herron. Three miles north of Cane Hill, however, Wickersham had taken the left-hand road to Rhea's Mills, instead of the right, leading directly to Fayetteville; and Blunt, on reaching the fork, had followed, deeming it imprudent to dislocate his command. Coming up at length with Wickersham, he ordered him to face toward Fayetteville, and endeavor to reach Herron. Wickersham had barely started, when, a little after noon, the boom of artillery was heard in the north-east, and, leaving Gen. Salomon's brigade to guard his trains at Rhea's Mills, Blunt set forward, over a blind, hilly road, with his two others, in the direction of the fire. At 1:45 P. M., Gen. Blunt, in adIt required no time to make a decision." vance of his division, came into full view of the field where the battle was fiercely raging. The Rebels were very strongly posted on high, rolling ground, covered by timber, and only approached from the north over large, open fields, which afforded no cover, save that a part of them borc a crop of ripe corn. Blunt's eccentric advance had brought him in front of the enemy's left, where they had been massing a large force for the purpose of flanking Herron's position. The flankers found an enemy much nearer than they expected, and were at once hotly engaged with Blunt's division. Its three batteries, firing shell and case-shot at short range, soon proved an overmatch for the two Rebel batteries opposed to them, driving them and their supports back into the woods; where they were charged by Col. Weer, leading the 10th, 13th, and part of the 2d and 11th Kansas and 20th Iowa, and a musketry fight of three hours was maintained with equal energy by the contending hosts. Meantime, our batteries were advanced at various points and served with rare efficiency; Lieut. Tenney, with six 10-pound Parrotts, repelling with shell and canister, while unsupported, a formidable infantry attack. Here fell the Rebel Gen. Stein, of Missouri. A battery of 10 guns, well supported, opening upon Tenney, he in ten minutes silenced its clamor, dismounting two of the guns, and driving off the residue. An attempt to capture Rabb's and Hopkins's batteries, which were supported by the 11th Kansas, Lt.Col. Moonlight, was defeated with fearful slaughter. "Gen. Blunt, in his official report, says: "The enemy's loss in killed and wounded can As darkness came on, the firing gradually slackened and ceased; the Rebels recoiling into their woody covert, our soldiers sleeping on their arms in the open field where they had so bravely struggled, expecting to renew the combat at daylight. Meanwhile, our wounded were all cared for, the trains of the whole army sent to Fayetteville; and Gen. Salomon's brigade, relieved from the duty of guarding them, ordered to the field; ammunition brought up and distributed, and everything made ready for proceeding to business at dawn; but, just before daylight, Gen. Blunt received a flag of truce from Hindman, asking a personal interview with reference to the burial of the dead and relief of the wounded. Blunt met Hindman accordingly, and was soon satisfied that the meeting so solicited was but a trick; that Hindman had no force present of near but his staff-escort, and a party left to gather up his wounded; that the bulk of his army had commenced retreating several hours before. Our loss in this battle was 167 killed, 798 wounded, and 183 missing-total, 1,148. Most of the missing were captured in Marmaduke's initial attack on our cavalry, and were exchanged directly afterward. Of our loss, no less than 953 fell on Herron's command of hardly more than 4,000 men. Lt.-Col. McFarland, who led the 19th Iowa in its first charge, was killed; as was Maj. Burdett, of the 7th Missouri cavalry. Lt.-Col. Black, 37th Illinois, and Maj. Thompson, 20th Iowa, were among the wounded. The Rebel loss" must have been greater, because not fall short of 3,000, and will probably much exceed that number, as many of them, not se |