Today in History:

560 Series I Volume XLI-I Serial 83 - Price's Missouri Expedition Part I

Page 560 LOUISIANA AND THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI. Chapter LIII.

tain Cosgrove and Lieutenants Mitchell and Watts, in the engagements on the border with the Confederate forces under General Price:

On receiving orders from you on the 20th day of October, 1864, in pursuance to instructions from headquarters Department of Kansas, to proceed with the detachment from Fort Scott, Kans., to Paola, Kans., and thence to join you at army headquarters at Kansas City, I moved the command immediately, arriving at that post october 22. Arriving at Olathe, Kans., I found it very difficult to ascertain the position of our army under General Curtis. Moved to Little Santa Fe, directly east of this place, and reported to you as directed. At this place I received orders from you to report to Major C. S. Charlot, assistant adjutant-general, with the detachment as personal escort to General Curtis. We marched from Little Santa Fe to the Trading Post, Linn County, Kans, arriving there on the morning of October 25, 1864, where the enemy were found in force. At this point the detachment was relieved for the present from escort duty and ordered by Major Charlot to report to you for duty. The detachment was formed on the right of our line at this point and retained this position in the charges on the rebels at Mine Creek. Arriving at the crossing of ---- Creek at Charlot, eight miles southeast of Mound City, Kans., the detachment was formed immediately in front of our line and deployed as skirmishers, driving in the entire skirmish line of the enemy across the creek. The command was again formed on the right and participated in several charges, which resulted in a complete rout of the enemy. The command participated in the engagements during the entire day and at night moved for Fort Scott, Kans., arriving on the morning of October 26, 1864. At 10 a. m. the same day I again received orders to report to Major-General Curtis for duty and accompanied the Army of the Border to Lamar, Mo., at which point orders were received to return again to Fort Scott, and arrived there on morning of October 28, 1864.

I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

HENRY HOPKINS,

Major Second Kansas Cavalry.

Colonel W. F. CLOUD,

Second Kansas Cavalry.


Numbers 74.

Report of Captain Merritt H. Insley, U. S. Army, Assistant Quartermaster.

DEPOT QUARTERMASTER'S OFFICE,

Fort Scott, Kans., December 1, 1864.

MAJOR: In compliance with general field order, dated headquarters Army of the Border, Camp Arkansas, November 8, 1864, I have the honor to submit the following report:

At the time the general commanding took the field against the rebel army under General Price I was attending to the duties of depot quartermaster at this post. In obedience to orders from the general commanding, and in consequence of the imminent danger of an attack upon this post by the enemy, under command of the rebel General Price, in his retreat southward, after his defeats in the vicinity of Westport, Mo., all the public stores were loaded into wagons and transported into the interior of the State, beyond the reach of the enemy, under my direction, though in the immediate charge of citizen employees of the quartermaster's department. The trains were absent from October 24


Page 560 LOUISIANA AND THE TRANS-MISSISSIPPI. Chapter LIII.