Page:History of Southeast Missouri 1912 Volume 1.djvu/397

 HISTORY OP SOUTHEAST MISSOURI 387 erate troops inoluding a large imiiibcr of IIis- sourians. It was his intention to invade the state, to seize cities, among them St. Louis, if possible, and to arouse the enthusiasm and seek assistance for the Confederate cause from the people of Missouri. He entered the state, after having divided his troops into three divisions; the first of these divisions was un- der the command of Major General Pagin, who had under him Brigadier Generals Ca- bell, McRea, Stemmons and Dobbins; the sec- ond division was commanded by Major Gen- eral John S. Marmaduke and consisted prin- cipally of Missourians ; under ]Iarmaduke were Brigadier Generals Clarke, Graham and Tyler and Colonels Freeman, Lowe, Bristow, Green, Jeffers, Burbridge and Kitchen. The third division of the army was commanded by Genera] Jo Shelby and among the brigadiers who served under him was Jeff Thompson. Opposed to Price's army were the Pederal forces under General Thomas Ewiug, Jr., who was stationed at St. Louis and had command over the district of Soi^theast Missouri, there being posts at Pilot Knob, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau and New Madrid. The three divisions of Price's army com- prising in all about 12,000 men and 14 pieces of artillery, entered the state at three differ- ent points. Shelby was on the left and marched by way of Doniphan. The Pederal forces at Doniphan on his approach set fire to the town and retreated. They were fol- lowed by Shelby who defeated them in a skir- mish at Ponder 's Mill on the Little Black river. General Pagin entered the state to the east of Doniphan commanding as he did the central one of the three divisions ; accompa- nied by General Price he reached Prederick- town September 24th. Marmaduke was in command of the most easterly of the divisions and his route was by Poplar Bluff, Castorville Vol. 1—23 and Dallas. Orders were for all the divisions to drive the Federal forces before them, unite at Fredericktown and prepare for an attack on Pilot Knob where the most strenu- ous resistance was expected. Shelby exceeded the fifteen miles a day which each division was supposed to march, reached Fredericktown in advance of the others, sent a detachment to Farmington, which place was taken after a skii-mish with Pederal forces in the courthouse at that place. Shelby waited for a time at Fredericktown and then took up the march toward the north. His command fought a severe skirmish at iIineral Point, destroyed the bridges at Big river, and tore up long stretches of railroad track, and reached Potosi. Here a force of Union troops holding the fortifications and the courthouse were captured. The railroad track from Mineral Point to Potosi was then torn up and Shelby awaited orders from Price. Not receiving them and hearing ru- mors of the fighting at Ironton he marched with his command in that direction in time to take part in the pursuit of Ewing. As Marmaduke 's division made its way to the north Jeffers was detached for an attack on Bloomfield. The Union forces withdrew on his approach and he followed them. On the 25th of September he fought a skirmish at Jackson and captured the town. He reached the rendezvous at Fredericktown Sep- tember 26th. Price then with the divisions of Marmaduke and Fagan proceeded to the attack on Pilot Knob. At this time General Rosecraus was depart- ment commander in Missouri with headquar- ters at St. Louis. When he was informed that Price contemplated entering the state, he called upon the authorities at Washington for reinforcements and received six thousand troops under command of General A. J.