The Courier of the Ozarks Page 2
CHAPTER II
AN INTERNECINE WAR
After the battle of Pea Ridge, the Confederate Government had no regularorganized troops in Missouri. General Sterling Price, with his Missouriregiments, which had enlisted in the Confederate service, was orderedeast of the Mississippi. But there were thousands of State troops thathad followed Price, and although they refused to enlist in the regularConfederate service, they were, at heart, as bitter towards the Union asever. These men found their way back home, and although thousands ofthem took the oath of allegiance to the Federal Government, the majorityof them were not only ready, but eager, to ally themselves with some ofthe guerrilla bands which were infesting the State.
The Federal authorities, knowing that Price, with his army, had beenordered east, thought that the Confederates had given up all hopes ofholding the State, and that the fighting was over, except with smallguerrilla bands, that could easily be kept in check. Therefore, thegreat majority of the Federal troops in Missouri were withdrawn to swellthe armies of Buell and Grant.
The Confederates now thought they saw their opportunity. Numbers of theConfederate officers secretly made their way into the State andcommenced to organize the disloyal forces, co-operating with theguerrilla bands. Among these officers was Colonel Clay, who appeared inthe first chapter.
This movement was so successful that during the summer of 1862 it isestimated that there were from thirty to forty thousand of these menenrolled and officered. Places of rendezvous were designated, where allwere to assemble at a given signal, and, by a coup-de-main, seize allthe important points in the State which were feebly garrisoned. Thenthey were to co-operate with an army moving up from Arkansas, and theState would be redeemed.
It was a well laid plan, but fortunately it was early discovered byGeneral J. M. Schofield, who was in command of the Department ofMissouri. How General Schofield first received his information will betold hereafter.
General Schofield frantically appealed to Halleck for aid, and then toWashington, but he was answered that owing to the great militarymovements going on, not a regiment could be spared.
General Schofield, thus left to his own resources, rose grandly to theoccasion. He would use the Confederates' own tactics. So he ordered theentire militia of the State to be enrolled. Thousands of Confederatesympathizers fled the State, or took to the bush. During the summer of1862 between forty and fifty thousand loyal State militia wereorganized. Thus the whole State became one vast armed camp, nearly fortythousand men on a side, arrayed against each other.
It was father against son, brother against brother, neighbor againstneighbor. The only wonder is that owing to the passions of the timesthere were not more excesses and murders committed than there were.
During the year 1862 there were at least one hundred and fiftyengagements fought on the soil of Missouri, in which the numbers engagedvaried from forty or fifty to five or six thousand. In these engagementsGeneral Schofield says the Union troops were successful in nine out often, and that at least three thousand guerrillas had been killed,wounded, or taken prisoners, and that ten thousand had fled the State.
This terrible warfare between neighbors receives scant mention inhistory, but in no great battles of the war was greater bravery shown,greater heroism displayed, than in many of the minor engagements foughtin Missouri.