Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 9.djvu/473



N the 1st of February, 1865, the Missouri brigade, under command of Colonel McCown, was ordered to Mobile. Before it reached there it was joined by General Cockrell, still suffering from his wounds, and General Gates, who had lost an arm. General Cockrell was assigned to the command of the division lately commanded by General French, and Colonel Gates to the command of the brigade. Additions of exchanged prisoners were made to the brigade until it numbered about 400 men. It camped five miles from Mobile until February 24th, when it was ordered to cross the bay at Fort Blakely, where it was put on picket duty on the Pensacola road, upon which General Steele was advancing with an army corps. On this service a detachment of less than a hundred men met and routed a cavalry regiment, which charged and attempted to ride over it

Gen. D. H. Maury was in command of the Confederate forces at Mobile, and his orders were to defend his position as long as he could, and then burn all the cotton in the city and retire. The city and its defenses threatened by three army corps—two under Canby and one under General Steele. General Maury with 4,500 infantry, among them the Missouri brigade,