Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 9.djvu/325

Rh sinned his march and did not halt again until he was within thirty miles of Springfield and fifty miles from the crossing of the Osage. He marched fifty miles in hot July weather, in twenty-four hours. He then learned that Sigel was in no immediate danger, and marched to Springfield, thirty miles, in a more leisurely manner. He entered Springfield with a good deal of mediaeval display. His escort, which was composed of St. Louis German butchers, remarkable for their size and ferocious aspect, was mounted on powerful iron-gray horses and armed with big revolvers and massive swords, and thus accoutered dashed through the streets of the little town, which was held by Sweeny, with the view of overpowering the simple country people with the fierceness of their appearance.

When General Price left Lexington he made his way direct to General McCulloch's headquarters. En route he was joined by men in squads and companies, so that when he reached Cowskin prairie, in the extreme south- western corner of the State, he had about 1,200 men with him, though most of them were unarmed. He there learned that Gen. N. B. Pearce, a West Point graduate and an accomplished soldier, commander of the military forces of Arkansas, was near Maysville in that State with an Arkansas brigade, and leaving his men in camp on Cowskin prairie he went there with a small escort. General Pearce received him cordially and informed him that General McCulloch had left Fort Smith, where his headquarters had been, and would reach Maysville the next day. General Pearce loaned General Price 650 muskets with which to help arm his men.

General Price returned to Cowskin prairie, organized his men as well as he could, and placed those whom he could arm under command of Col. Alexander £. Steen, a young Missouri an and West Pointer, who had a short time before resigned from the regular army. The next day General McCulloch, in advance of his troops, reached