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

Page 703 Chapter LIII. PRICE'S MISSOURI EXPEDITION.

Price to prepare pontoons for the passage of the river, provided no practicable ford could be found. Inquiring for the usual fords from citizens, I learned that they were impracticable. A practicable ford was found by me a half mile southeast of Dardanelle-a ford three or three feet and a half in depth, the river 290 or 300 yards in width. Ammunition was removed from caissons; ordnance stores necessarily raised in the wagons. We crossed without accident and marched fourteen miles to the vicinity of Dover, in Arkansas. From thence Major-General Fagan moved east to Springfield, Ark., with his division. At Dover a council of war as held. I was not present. There the object of the campaign was the developed. The roads from Dardanelle to Batesville, Ark., and from Dardanelle to Springfield, Mo., fork at Dover. The main body of the army, with headquarters, moved by way of Clinton, Ark., crossing the White River at O'Neal's Ferry, about eighteen miles above Batesville. At Batesville, or near there, Major-General Price and staff made a junction with Major-General Fagan's force. At O'Neal's Crossing Major-General Marmaduke, with his division, moved by an upper route direct to Powhatan. The road was rough and difficult one, and was adopted because of the forage and subsistence that it furnished. Headquarters with General Fagan's division moved from Batesville, fourteen miles, to Powhatan, Ark., which point it reached on the 15th September, 1864, where it was joined by Generals Marmaduke and Shelby. Moved from Powhatan to Pocahontas on the 16th, a distance of eighteen miles. At Pocahontas we halted two days for the purpose of reorganizing, many recruits being then in camp, and to distribute ordnance to the different divisions. At that point two or more brigades were organized and added to Major-General Fagan's division, under Colonels Dobbin and McCray, and one brigade, under Colonel Freeman, added to Major-General Marmaduke's division, and a brigade, under Colonel Jackman, to General Shelby's division. These four brigades were chiefly of recruits from Arkansas and Missouri. At this point, by direction of General Price, I prepared four or five maps indicating the routes by which the different divisions should move on entering Missouri, it having been determined by General Price to move by three routes to Fredericktown, Mo., 140 miles from Pocahontas. General Price directed me to lay the routes down clearly, so that the subordinate commanders could always communicate with him readily and know where he was. From Pocahontas General Price, with Major-General Fagan's division, moved direct to Fredericktown by Greenville, the middle route. Major-General Marmaduke moved by Poplar Bluff, Dallas, and Bloomfield, by the longest route to the same point. Brigadier-General Shelby moved upon the left. This route leads through Patterson. He encountered the enemy in the vicinity of Doniphan and defeated him without loss to himself, capturing a few prisoners and the telegraph office with its instruments. He again engaged the enemy at Patterson, defeated him, capturing a few prisoners without loss to himself. Prior to this engagement the enemy had burned the town of Doniphan. Doniphan is in Missouri, twenty miles from Pocahontas. General Shelby's engagement at Doniphan was on the 19th, the day after leaving Pocahontas.

On the 22nd General Shelby engaged the enemy at Patterson. The three divisions made their junction at Fredericktown, Mo., on the 24th day of September, 1864. At that point General Shelby had an engagement with the enemy, defeating him with little loss. A very few prisoners taken on the 23rd of September, the day before the junction.

On the morning of the 26th General Shelby, by Major-General Price's order, moved from Fredericktown and in the direction of Saint Louis and the Iron Mountain Railroad. He moved in a northwesterly direction about forty-five miles to cut the road at Mineral Point. General Shelby's order was to burn bridges and depots. He destroyed the two bridges at this point. I learned this officially in the discharge of my duties as an engineer.

On the morning of the 26th September Major-General Price, with Major-Generals Marmaduke's and Fagan's divisions, moved west on the road leading from Fredericktown to Pilot Knob, Mo., to the Saint Francis River, where the army halted at a point nine miles distant from Pilot Knob. Major-General Fagan moved forward the same day with his division to Arcadia, two miles distant from Pilot Knob, leaving his train at the Saint Francis. I started to move with him, was ordered back by General Price for the purpose of repairing the bridge, 400 feet in length, across the Saint Price for the purpose of repairing the bridge, 400 feet in length, across the Saint Francis. I had assigned an officer of engineer troops to that duty. General Price desired me to attend to it myself, as it was the only practicable crossing in his rear. Heard heavy firing in the direction of Arcadia the same day-Major-General Fagan driving in the enemy's outposts.

On the morning of the 27th General Price moved to the front about eight miles with General Marmaduke's division. Found Major-General Fagan in possession of Arcadia and Ironton. These are small towns about three-quarters of a mile east. We found the enemy in position in the vicinity of Pilot Knob.

On the 27th Generals Fagan's and Marmaduke's divisions assaulted Pilot Knob, and were repulsed. On the night of the 27th the enemy evacuated their work, blowing


Page 703 Chapter LIII. PRICE'S MISSOURI EXPEDITION.