DISTURBANCES IN MISSOURI.

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CHAPTER LXVI.

DISTURBANCES IN MISSOURI-THE SMALL NUMBER OF TROOPS IN THE DEPARTMENT-GENERAL ROSECRANS IN COMMAND THERE-PRICE THINKS THE OPPORTUNITY FAVORABLE FOR ANOTHER INVASION OF MISSOURI-MARMADUKE SENT TO TEST ITS FEASIBILITY-HE IS REPULSED AND DRIVEN BACK TOWARD ARKANSAS-PRICE'S EXPEDITION IN SEPTEMBERTHE NUMBER OF HIS TROOPS-THE UNION FORCE COLLECTED TO OPPOSE HIM-THE BATTLE OF PILOT KNOB-FIGHT AT HARRISON'S STATION-SKILFUL MANAGEMENT OF GENERAL EWING-ROLLA SECURELY GARRISONED-GENERAL PLEASONTON TAKES COMMAND OF THE CAVALRY-CONDITION OF ST. LOUIS AND JEFFERSON CITY-PRICE MAKES A FATAL DELAYHE THREATENS JEFFERSON CITY, BUT FINDING IT TOO STRONGLY defended, TURNS ASIDE TO BOONEVILLE-SANBORN FOLLOWS AND HARASSES HIM-PLEASONTON JOINS IN THE PURSUIT THE BATTLES OF THE BIG BLUE-LITTLE OSAGE CROSSING, AND MARAIS DES CYGNES-PRICE COMPLETELY ROUTED-HE IS DEFEATED ONCE MORE AT NEWTONIA-RESULTS-INDIAN TROUBLES ON THE FRONTIER-THE LEAGUE AMONG THE TRIBES OF THE SIOUX NATION-GENERAL POPE'S IDEAS OF THE BEST METHOD OF BREAKING THEIR POWER -GENERAL SULLY SENT WITH A LARGE CAVALRY FORCE TO ATTACK THEM, AND POSTS ESTABLISHED ALONG THE FRONTIER-HIS CAMPAIGN-THE BATTLE NEAR THE LITTLE MIS SOURI THE DEFEAT AND FLIGHT OF THE INDIANS-SULLY FALLS BACK TO HIS TRAINS AND PURSUES THEM TO THE "BAD LANDS"-DESCRIPTION OF THE 66 BAD LANDS"-HE ATTACKS AND DEFEATS THE INDIANS AGAIN-THEY ARE COMPLETELY SCATTERED AND BROKEN-GENERAL POPE'S PLANS FOR PEACE WITH THEM IN FUTURE-THE MASSACRE OF THE CHEYENNES BY COLONEL CHIVINGTON-DETAILS OF THE SURPRISE AND SLAUGHTER-INVESTIGATION BY THE COMMITTEE ON THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR-CHIVINGTON ORDERED ARRESTEDREBEL PLOTS AGAINST THE CITIZENS OF THE NORTHERN STATES-THE SCHEME FOR THe RELEASE OF THE JOHNSON'S ISLAND PRISONERS, AND THE BURNING OF BUFFALO, CLEVELAND, ETC.-HOW BAFFLED-BLACKBURN'S PLAN FOR DISSEMINATING Yellow fever AND SMALL-POX-JOHN T. BEALL'S RAID UPON LAKE STEAMERS-HIS CAPTURE, TRIAL, AND

EXECUTION-THE RAID ON ST. ALBANS-ARREST AND DISCHARGE OF THE ROBBERS-THE PLOT FOR RELEASING THE PRISONERS AND DESTROYING CHICAGO-HOW DISCOVEREDATTEMPT TO BURN THE HOTELS IN NEW YORK-ARREST TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF KENNEDY.

DURING the summer and autumn of 1864, there were considerable disturbances from the Rebels in Missouri. On the 30th of January, 1864, General Rosecrans had been assigned to the command of the Department of Missouri, relieving General Schofield, who was transferred to the Department of the Ohio. The necessity of raising a large force for Sherman's Meridian expedition, and after that general became commander of the Military Division of the Mississippi, the gathering of the larger part of his troops for the campaign in Georgia, compelled the reduction of the force in Missouri to the lowest number which would suffice for holding the position. The old Missouri State militia, a part of which had proved unreliable, had been disbanded, and but few of the enrolled Missouri militia, a more loyal and efficient organization, were now in the service. In June, General Rosecrans' entire effective force consisted of six thousand five hundred mounted men for field duty, scattered over a country four hun

dred miles long and three hundred broad, and a few partially organized new infantry regiments, and dismounted men. This was the entire force for the protection of the great depots at St. Louis, Jefferson city, St. Joseph, Macon, Springfield, Rolla, and Pilot Knob.

The same force were also required to guard the railroad lines and bridges against invasion, and to protect, as far as possible, the lives and property of citizens from the guerrillas, who swarmed over the whole country bordering on the Missouri river. As the preservation of St. Louis and its vicinity from Rebel attack was of the first importance, General Rosecrans felt it necessary to concentrate the larger part of his force, in the neighborhood of that city, and along the line of the principal railroads radiating from it. The country south of the Maramec was thus left a prey to anarchy.

This state of things was speedily known to the Rebel General Sterling Price, and though he had been so often repulsed, he thought he now saw before him the opportunity of invading Missouri with success, and of accomplishing what had long been his highest ambition, the subjugation of St. Louis, his own former residence. His long experience of the supe riority of the Union troops to his own, in pluck, endurance, and resolute courage, had made him cautious, and he accordingly sent Marmaduke forward with a mixed force, partly bushwhackers, of about six thousand infantry and cavalry and three batteries, about the first of June, 1864, to penetrate into southern Missouri, and, if possible, reach the Missouri river and interrupt its navigation. Marmaduke pushed forward, and occupied Lake Village, from whence he began to annoy the boats on the Missouri, but his operations were speedily cut short. General A. J. Smith, (with portions of the sixteenth and seventeenth corps,) who was on his way from the disastrous Red river expedition, to join Sherman's army, was ordered to ascend the Mississippi and Missouri, and put an end to Marmaduke's foray. On the 5th of June, this force, consisting of Mower's division of the sixteenth corps, and one brigade of the seventeenth, disembarked at Sunnyside, and marched rapidly upon Marmaduke, attacked, defeated, and drove him back toward Arkansas, and on the 7th of June re-embarked for Memphis. During the summer, Price remained tolerably quiet, but in September, attracted by the offers and promises of the Knights of the Golden Circle and other disloyalists in Missouri and Illinois, who pledged their co-operation and aid in killing off the Union citizens, and preventing the ballot for President, which was to take place on the 8th of November, he again made preparations to enter Missouri.

He crossed the Arkansas river on the 21st of September, with two divisions of cavalry, and three batteries of artillery; and at Batesville, Arkansas, was joined by the Rebel General Shelby, who had previously been confronting General Steele. The combined Rebel force was about fifteen thousand men, the greater part cavalry. Their first movement northward,

PRICE'S EXPEDITION IN SEPTEMBER.

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was a feint toward Springfield, Missouri, but after proceeding a short distance in that direction, they turned off toward Pilot Knob. St. Louis was, as we have said, Price's objective in this expedition. No sooner had Price commenced his march, than Steele followed, having been reinforced by Mower's division of the sixteenth corps, and Winslow's cavalry, which had been sent from Memphis by General Washburne. General A. J. Smith, who was on his way from western Arkansas to join Sherman's army, with a force of four thousand five hundred men, crossed to Brownsville, Arkansas, and thence by a severe march of three hundred and twelve miles, occupying nineteen days, reached Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and embarking his men on transports was conveyed to Jefferson City, Missouri.

On the 23d of September, Price's advance, under Shelby, occupied Bloomfield, which had been evacuated by the Union troops two days before. Price now pushed on for Pilot Knob, which was occupied by the Union General Ewing, with two regiments of volunteers, and detachments from three militia regiments. General Ewing had sent off his stores to St. Louis, which was now strongly garrisoned, having nearly ten thousand troops, the greater part of them militia and hundred days' men, guarding it. But though he had secured his stores from danger, Ewing was too brave an officer to abandon his post, while there was a possibility of holding it. The Rebel advance was repulsed promptly, and then as their main body came up, he took his position in the fort, a strong one, mounting fourteen guns, but unfortunately, commanded by Shepherd's Mountain, an eminence near by. The Rebels assaulted the fort without delay, but the terrible fire of his artillery and musketry, reserved till they came within short range, drove them back with heavy loss, and greatly enraged at their repulse, they presently moved off and occupied Shepherd's Mountain, and Ewing finding that he would be compelled to evacuate the fort, spiked his guns, blew up his magazine, and fell back to Harrison station, on the southwest branch railroad, where were some breast works previously occupied by militia. His retreat to this point was a running fight for the whole distance, and the enemy were only kept at bay by the skilful and constant use of his artillery. At Harrison, he made a brave stand and fought the enemy for a long time, but they had cut the railroad on both sides of him, and were about surrounding his little force, when Colonel Beveridge came up with a reinforcement of five hundred men, which the Rebels supposed to be the advance-guard of a large body of troops, and hesitated to attack. Availing himself of this hesitation, General Ewing marched rapidly for Rolla, where he arrived next morning. In this two days' fight, the Rebels had lost over one thousand in killed and wounded, and had been delayed, at a time when every moment was of great value to the Union commanders at St. Louis and Jefferson City, in hurrying forward their troops. Rolla, to which point General Ewing had retreated, was now strongly garrisoned;

General Sanborn, who was stationed at Springfield, having ascertained that the enemy had no intentions on that place, had brought the greater part of his garrison to Rolla, to reinforce General McNeil. At St. Louis, General Pleasonton, one of the best cavalry officers in the army, had relieved General Frank P. Blair in command of the cavalry, and Senator B. Gratz Brown had been put in command of the militia, by General Rosecrans. St. Louis was by this time so strongly fortified and defended that Price durst not assail it. At Jefferson City, the enrolled militia were gathered under command of General E. B. Brown, and General Clinton B. Fisk had drawn thither all the available troops from northern Missouri. These, with General A. J. Smith's veterans, forty-five hundred in number, made the State capital so strong that its capture would require more and better troops than Price had at command, while McNeil and Sanborn at Rolla were within reasonable supporting distance. Price committed the mistake of remaining for two or three days at Richwood, near Pilot Knob, and threatening St. Louis, while he issued a proclamation to the people of Missouri, in which he stated that he had come into the state with the intention of remaining; that he desired to make friends, and not enemies, and that the depredations which he had committed were a military neces sity. About the 5th of October, he moved toward Jefferson City, and Generals McNeil and Sanborn, apprized promptly of his movements, moved at once with all their available cavalry, and making forced marches, reached the capital a few hours before him, and finding himself confronted by so formidable a force, Price turned aside toward Booneville. General Pleasonton, who had taken command at Jefferson City, sent a cavalry force under General Sanborn in pursuit of him, and he, hanging upon Price's rear, harrassed him, driving in his rear-guard, and gleaning many prisoners. On the 17th of October, General Pleasonton, who had followed with the main body of his army, moved from Sedalia with the determination of bringing Price to an engagement. On the 19th of October, he formed a junction with Winslow's cavalry, which had followed Price from Arkansas, and now came up with his troops. This addition gave him sixty-five hundred mounted troops, beside a consid erable infantry force.

On the 22d of October, Pleasonton overtook Price at the Little Blue river, and drove him thence to the Big Blue, at Independence, where he attacked his rear-guard, and captured two guns. Price's advance had met, on the 21st, General Blunt, with a small force, near the Big Blue, and had repulsed him, causing him to fall back to his reserves, which were under command of General Curtis, and had come from Kansas to attack Price.

On the 23d, Curtis, who held Westport, was attacked by Shelby, who commanded Price's advance, and compelled to fall back, when Pleasonton came up and defeated Price's forces, and compelled them to retreat south