the result of the movement been such as to render assistance necessary. The troops got back to camp on the night of the 12th much exhausted, though the entire loss in killed and wounded did not exceed a hundred men. Reconnoissances were made toward Hatcher's Run on the 8th and 9th, with the object of diverting the attention of the enemy from Warren's movement down the Weldon Railroad. That on the 8th was conducted by Colonel Kirwin, who with a brigade of cavalry moved out in the evening on the Vaughan road, but after a sharp skirmish near the stream returned to camp about ten o'clock. The reconnoissance on the following day was made by the first division of the second corps under General Miles, preceded by Kirwin's cavalry brigade. The column left camp at daylight and arrived about nine o'clock on the bank of the run, on the west side of which the enemy were found strongly intrenched. To strengthen their position they had increased the width and depth of the stream by constructing a dam below the ford, so that the Sixth Ohio Regiment attempting to cross dismounted under the fire of the rebels was compelled to retreat; nevertheless the Second New York heavy artillery succeeded in crossing, though losing three men by drowning, and then carried the works. The cavalry soon after crossed lower down at Armstrong's and drove the enemy to Gravelly Run. General Miles then made dispositions to resist an attack from the enemy in force, who it was not likely would allow him to retain his position quietly. About five in the evening he received a large accession of strength by the arrival of the first and third divisions of the sixth corps under General Wheaton, which had recently come from the Shenandoah Valley. During the night the cold storm of hail and snow which had distressed Warren's column near Hicksford fell also upon that under Miles. He remained, however, through the morning and forenoon of the 11th awaiting an attack from Dec. the enemy, and then prepared to II return; but about two o'clock the rebels, who had been gathering in front, appeared in force and charged the captured works, but were repulsed with severe loss. Nevertheless the retrograde march was resumed, and continued until the old camps were reached. The entire Federal loss during the movement was about 125 killed and wounded. From this time to the end of the year, nothing of great importance occurred in connection with the armies of the Potomac and the James, beyond the accustomed picket and artillery firing, which, however, was sometimes very severe, particularly in the neighborhood of "Fort Hell" and Dutch Gap. CHAPTER XLV. Invasion of Missouri by General Price.-Movements of General A. J. Smith.-General Emory's Defence of Pilot Knob. -Concentration of Troops at Jefferson City.-Retreat of Price westward, followed by General Sanborn.-Price issues a Proclamation.-Ravages of Price's Troops.-General Pleasonton's Pursuit of Price.-Battle of Westport.-Battle at Marais des Cygnes.-Battle at Little Osage Crossing.-Final Rout of Price.-Results of his Invasion. -Operations in Southwestern Virginia.-Death of Morgan.-General Burbridge's Movement against Virginia Salt-works.— General Gillem defeated by Breckinridge.-Advance of Breckinridge toward Knoxville.-Operations of General Stoneman.-Defeat of Vaughan by General Gillem.-Retreat of Breckinridge into North Carolina.-Destruction of the Salt-works at Saltville. 1864. MISSOURI again became the scene of active hostilities in the latter part of the year. Vague rumors of a new invasion of the State with the object of revolutionizing it obtained currency toward September. About the 21st of that month information was received at headquarters that General Sterling Price had crossed the Arkansas with two divisions of cavalry and three batteries of artillery, and joined Shelby near Batesville, sixty miles south of the State line. After reorganizing at this place he found himself at the head of a force of about fifteen thousand mounted veterans, and advanced rapidly toward the southeastern portion of the State. The Federal force at this time in Missouri consisted of about 6,500 mounted men, scattered over a region four hundred miles long and three hundred broad, which, with the partially organized new infantry regiments and dismounted men, constituted the whole of the force left to cover the dépôts at St. Louis, Jefferson City, St. Joseph, Macon, Springfield, Rolla, and Pilot Knob, to guard the railroads and railroad bridges, and protect the lives and property of citizens from the guerrillas swarming in the country bordering on the Missouri. General Rosecrans, however, who had succeeded General Schofield in Missouri, immediately adopted measures to meet the emergency. The citizens were called to arms. In St. Louis business was suspended for a portion of the day to allow opportunity for the militia to drill; discharged officers and soldiers were appealed to to lend their aid, and the employés of the quartermaster's department capable of bearing arms were organized into companies. Rosecrans thought it best to concentrate the bulk of his troops in the neighborhood of St. Louis, and thus left all that part of the State south of the Maramec open to the invader. But Fortunately, a force under General A. J. Smith, consisting of 4,500 veteran infantry, on its way from Memphis to Nashville to join the army of General Thomas, was at this time passing Cairo. These troops were detained, and ordered of hesitation on the part of General Rosecrans, arising from ignorance as to where Price intended to strike, and a consequent unwillingness to move troops in one direction lest it should prove that the enemy were approaching in another. On the 23d of September, the advance of Price's force under Shelby occupied Bloomfield, in Stoddard County, which had been evacuated by the Federal troops on the night of the 21st. On the 26th the rebels moved on Pilot Sept. Knob in St. François County, which 26. fortunately had been occupied the day before by General Ewing with a brigade of General Smith's command. With this force, and the garrison of Pilot Knob and some outlying posts, he undertook to make a stand against the rebels, who without delay made preparations to carry the place by assault. The fort occupied by the Federal forces was a strong one, mounting four twenty-four pounders, four thirty-two pounders, and four six-pounder Parrotts, besides two six-pounder Parrotts mounted outside. The enemy advanced against it on the 27th, in full confidence of being able to carry it by assault, but were driven back with a loss of about a thousand to turn their arms against Price. General Smith, after the unfortunate conclusion of the Red River expedition under General Banks, had returned to Vicksburg, and subsequently moved northward to Memphis, and it had been intended that his troops should join the army of Sherman, of whose force they really constituted a part. But Marmaduke, with a force of about six thousand infantry and cavalry and three batteries, having occupied Lake Village, on the Mississippi, about seventy-five miles north of Vicksburg in a direct line, where he undertook to interrupt the traffic on the river, both above and below Greenville, General Smith proceeded in quest of him. On the 5th of June his force, comprising General Mower's division of the sixteenth corps and one brigade of the seventeenth, disembarked at Sunny Side, and after a march of thirty miles encountered and defeated Marmaduke near Columbia, Arkansas, and on the 7th General Smith re-embarked for Memphis. He was subsequently directed by Sherman to take the offensive against Forrest, and on the 14th of July met and defeated him at Tupelo, Mississippi. He then returned to Memphis. In addition to the troops of General Smith, a cav-men, by a well-directed artillery and alry force of 1,500 men was sent from Memphis under Colonel Winslow, and no doubt was entertained that General Rosecrans thus reinforced would check Price and drive him back into Arkansas, where General Steele would be ready to cut off his retreat. But there seems to have been a good deal musketry fire at easy range. But the position was commanded by a neighboring height called Shepherd Mountain, and the enemy having occupied this, General Ewing determined to evacuate the fort. He had previously sent away his stores to St. Louis. Blowing up his magazine he fell back, keeping up a running fight with the enemy as far as Harrison Station, on the Southwest Branch Railroad. Here he prepared to make another stand, behind breast-works left by a party of militia who had previously occupied the place. General Ewing in his defence of Pilot Knob rendered important service by detaining the entire force of Price, and affording time to put St. Louis in a state of defence, then covered only by a portion of General Smith's infantry and some regiments of cavalry thrown out as far as practicable toward the enemy. The rebels followed him up closely, and cut the railroad on both sides of him, thus severing his communications with both Rolla and St. Louis. He was only saved from another assault by the opportune arrival of Colonel Beveridge, of the Seventeenth Illinois Cavalry, with five hundred men; the enemy taking these to be only the advance of large reinforcements, delayed the attack which they had intended, and General Ewing in the night, with the main body of his troops, succeeded in reaching Rolla. In the mean time, Springfield being considered secure, General Sanborn moved with all his available cavalry to reinforce Rolla, where General McNeil was in command and preparing to protect the dépôts and great supply trains. General Smith's infantry, aided by the militia and the citizens, the whole under the command of General Pleasonton, who had relieved General Frank Blair, made St. Louis secure. Senator B. Gratz Brown was placed by Rosecrans in charge of the militia, and he, concen trating at Jefferson City the troops of the Central District, reinforced by General Fisk with all the available troops north of the Missouri, and aided by the enthusiastic exertions of the citizens, made thorough preparations to drive back the invaders from the State capital. Toward this point the enemy, having remained a day or two at Richwood's, threatening St. Louis, were in fact rapidly marching, and on the 7th of October crossed the Osage not far from the city. But Generals McNeil and Sanborn, moving with all their available cavalry, succeeded by forced marches in getting there first, and having united their commands with those of Generals Fisk and Brown, made the defensive force within the city such that Price, though he appeared before the works on the morning of the 8th, thought it Oct. prudent not to attack, and moved 8. General off in a westerly direction. Pleasonton, who also arrived at Jefferson City on the morning of the 8th, assumed command of the forces there, and sent General Sanborn the same afternoon with all his mounted troops, about four thousand, to follow the enemy and harass them until the remaining cavalry and infantry supports could come up. On the afternoon of the 9th the rebels entered California, twenty-five miles west of Jefferson City, on the Pacific Railroad, and burnt the dépôts and a train of cars. From California, after tearing up the railroad track some distance on each side of the town, the rebels moved on to Booneville, in Cooper County. Though they did all the damage they could to the railroad on their march, tearing up the track, burning bridges, and plundering generally, General Price declared in a proclamation which he issued, that he came into the State to remain, and that he wished to make friends, not enemies, and desired that the depredations he committed might be excused on the score of military necessity. He obtained many recruits by conscription, and by voluntary enlistment among the disloyal portion of the inhabitants, so that his force, when he entered the State comprising only about fifteen thousand men, was swelled to near twenty thousand, nearly all mounted. 17. On the 13th Price withdrew from Booneville, and continuing his march westward, occupied Lexington, in LafayOct. ette County, on the 17th. For the purpose of foraging and obtaining recruits and conscripts, detached bodies of his force were sent in various directions, some as far as the borders of Kansas, exciting considerable alarm in that State; some as far east as Danville and High Hill, Montgomery County, burning buildings, destroying railroad property, and in some instances murdering citizens. The militia were driven out of Sedalia, in Pettis County, with severe loss; and at Glasgow, in Howard County, six companies of the Forty-third Missouri, after a fight of five hours, were compelled to surrender; but they were afterward liberated on parole. The Federal troops did not pursue actively till General Pleasonton came up, when they advanced toward Booneville and harassed Price's rear with Sanborn's troops. Most of the Federal cavalry was concentrated at the Black Water, awaiting the arrival of Colonel Winslow from Washburne's command. He came up on the 19th bringing his force of fifteen hundred cavalry, with which he had followed the enemy from Arkansas. General Pleasonton now, with this addition to his force, having 6,500 mounted men, exclusive of escort guards, moved from Sedalia in pursuit of Price, and came up with and routed the rebel General Fagan at Independence on the 22d, capturing two guns. On the 23d the Big Blue was cross- Oct. ed, and a severe battle, which lasted 23. from seven in the morning till one in the afternoon, was fought near Westport. General Curtis, commanding the Department of Kansas, on the approach of Price had collected what force he could to repel the invaders, and had held this town. He was attacked and driven out by Shelby, but the latter was in turn attacked and defeated by Pleasonton, and by dark driven across the Little Santa Fé. The enemy then turned southward by the Fort Scott road, and from that time had no other object than to get away safely with the large quantity of plunder they had collected. But Generals Pleasonton and Curtis, having now joined their forces, pursued rapidly, and after a march of sixty miles again overtook the rebels at Marais des Cygnes on the morning of the 25th, and at Oct. four o'clock, under cover of a dense 25. fog, opening with artillery, attacked and |