Today in History:

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

Page 754 LOUISIANA AND THE TRANS- MISSISSIPPI. Chapter LIII.

positively that there are now three brigades of infantry at Monticello, namely, Parsons', Hawthorn's, and Dockery's, numbering between 3,000 and 4,000 men, and one battery of artillery- two 12- pounders and four 6- pounders. Prisoners captured said 7,000 cavalry and 7,000 infantry, under Generals Walker and Prince Polignac, were on their way to Monticello from Louisiana, ad that the cavalry was already on Bayou Bartholomew, twenty- three miles from Monticello; ascertained positively that there are no troops at Princeton, except about 150 cavalry. Churchhill's division of infantry left Princeton on the morning of the 9th for Camden 2,500 strong, mostly conscripts and poorly armed. All information gathered from deserters say that Price has from 8,000 to 15,000 men poorly mounted and not very well armed, with sixteen pieces of artillery. He was also reported to have a large amount of arms and ammunition for arming and equipping recruits. All goes to show that he has gone on his way to Missouri. Was attacked to- day about twenty miles out on the Warren road by Lane's brigade, numbering about 1,000 men. After a severe fight of about an hour's duration succeeded in cutting the way through; supposed to have killed 20 or 30 rebels and took 8 prisoners. Loss to ourselves about 20 men. A rebel lieutenant, who was severely wounded and captured, said that we were attacked by Lane's brigade just from Louisiana, that they were encamped twenty miles from Monticello, where we drove in their pickets, and were sent for to intercept us. This confirmed reports of prisoners previously captured that there were troops on the way from Louisiana to Monticello.

POWELL CLAYTON,

Brigadier- General, Commanding.

Lieutenant Colonel W. D. GREEN.

Assistant Adjutant- General.

PINE BLUFF, September 12, 1864.

No new from the enemy to- day. In the skirmish yesterday, seventeen miles from here, we lost 2 men killed, 5 wounded, and 2 officers and 11 men missing.

POWELL CLAYTON,

Brigadier- General, Commanding.

Captain DYER,

Assistant Adjutant- General.


Numbers 2. Report of Major Thomas W. Scudder, Fifth Kansas Cavalry.


HEADQUARTERS FIFTH KANSAS CAVALRY,
September 12, 1864.

COLONEL: I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by my command (First Indiana and Fifth Kansas Cavalry) in the late expedition toward Monticello:

I reported at headquarters September 9 at 4 a. m. with sixty men of the Fifth Kansas and one gun from the First Indiana. Owing to some mistake in the detail the First Indiana did not report until we were some seven miles out on the lower road. Captain Kyler then came up with thirty men. I marched during the day in the center, camped with the rest at the cross- roads, about fourteen miles from Monticello. That


Page 754 LOUISIANA AND THE TRANS- MISSISSIPPI. Chapter LIII.