Steele assisted by Generals Solomon, Thayer, Rice and Ingleman and Colonel Benton fought the rebel force sharply at Sabine Crossings, losing some seven hundred, and inflicting a heavy loss upon the foe, capturing three pieces of artillery. This secured Steele a safe retreat into Little Rock, and temporarily relieved Missouri. General Rosecrans assumed command in Missouri, relieving General Schofield. About the 21st of September, 1864, he learned that Price, crossing the Arkansas with two divisions of cavalry and three batteries of artillery, had joined Shelby to invade Missouri again with some 14,000 veteran mounted men. He had about 6,500 men, scattered in various posts. A portion of A. J. Smith's troops had crossed the Missouri in June and defeated Marmaduke, and re-embarked for Memphis. As Price set forward, Steele's forces came out of their defenses and followed him. A. J. Smith was halted at Cairo, en route to join the army of the Cumberland, and marched to confront Price, who was marching for Jefferson City. When Springfield was safe, General Sanborn went to reinforce General McNeil at Rolla, while General Ewing defended Pilot Knob, and ascertained on the 27th of September that the main force of Price was in Southeastern Missouri. Ewing's defense saved St. Louis, then only covered by A. J. Smith's command, giving its militia and citizens time to organize, and also the hundred day regiments of Illinois time to arrive. These were the 132d, the 134th, 136th, 139th, 140th and 142d. They were but partially drilled, but soldiers more ready for the conflict had never gone to the field. In the central district, General Brown was in command at Jefferson City, and was reinforced by Brigadier-General Fiske. Price waited a few days at Richwood, and finding his way into St. Louis arrested, and that not yet could he supply his ruffian hordes from the stores of that city, marched for Jefferson City. By forced marches McNeil and Sanborn arrived there, and with their cavalry and artillery united with Brown and Fiske, and again the invaders were thwarted. General Pleasanton assumed command at Jefferson City on the 8th of October, and sent a strong force of cavalry under Sanborn to follow up and harass the rebel force-keeping Price between our force and the Missouri River. On the 22d of October Sanborn's force routed General Fagan at Independence. On the 23d the Big Blue was crossed and there was a sharp engagement with the main rebel force, driving it beyond the Little Santa Fe. "On the 24th, after a march of sixty miles, the enemy were overtaken at midnight at Marias des Cygnes. Skirmishing began at 4 A. M. on the 25th with artillery, when the enemy were driven from the field with loss of mules, horses, etc. They fell back skirmishing to the Little Osage Crossing, when a charge was made upon two divisions of them by two advanced brigades under Colonels Benton and Phillips, and eight pieces of artillery and nearly one thousand prisoners, including Generals Marmaduke and Cabell were captured. The pursuit was kept up by Sanborn's brigade, with repeated and successful charges to the Marmiton, whence the enemy fled under cover of night toward Arkansas. Kansas troops and General Benton's brigade followed rapidly, and on the 28th Sanborn reached Newtonia, where the enemy made his last stand, in time to turn the tide of battle going against General Blunt, thus giving the final blow to the invasion. "The loss of the enemy was ten pieces of artillery, a large number of small arms, nearly all his trains and plunder, and, beside his killed, wounded and deserters, 1,958 prisoners." There was general disappointment that Price's army was not destroyed or captured, and General Rosecrans failed to retrieve in Missouri his laurels which withered at Chickamauga. Elsewhere were events worthy of note, some of which are mentioned here, to clear the way for the record of the grand events of the closing campaigns of the war. 23d and In oppo General The rebel General Forrest moved on Union City March summoned its commander, Colonel Hawkins, to surrender. sition to the wishes of his subordinates it was given up. Brayman marched from Cairo within six miles, when he heard of the surrender and returned. Forrest next occupied Hickman and with Buford's division marched against Paducah, which was held by Colonel S. G. Hicks [see Vol. I., p. 325] of the 40th Illinois volunteers and 655 men. He retired into Fort Anderson and made a defiant stand, assisted by gunboats Peosta and Paw Paw, under Captain Shirk of the navy. Forrest sent the following note: PADUCAH-FORT PILLOW. "HEAD-QUARTERS FORREST'S CAVALRY CORPS, PADUCAH, March 25, 1864. "To Colonel Hicks, Commanding Federal forces at Paducah : 121 Having a force amply sufficient to carry your works and reduce the place, in order to avoid the unnecessary effusion of blood, I demand a surrender of the fort and troops with all the public stores. If you surrender you will be treated as prisoners of war, but if I have to storm your works, you may expect no quarter. "N. B. FORREST, Major-General Commanding." To this summons from a greatly superior force Colonel Hicks made the following reply, free from bravado, but dignified and high-toned: "PADUCAH, KY., March 25, 1864. "Major-General N. B. Forrest, Commanding Confederate forces : "I have this moment received yours of this inst., in which you demand an unconditional surrender of forces under my command. I can answer that I have been placed here by my Government to defend the post. In this, as well as all other orders from my superior officers, I feel it my duty as an honorable officer to obey, and must, therefore, respectfully decline surrendering as you require. "Very Respectfully, "S. J. HICKS, Commanding Post." The assault was ordered, twice made and repulsed. Forrest occupied the town and made some captures, but retired leaving Hicks uncaptured, with a loss of fourteen killed and forty-six wounded. On the 12th of April Forrest assaulted Fort Pillow, under Major Booth. After a desperate resistance the fort was carried, and then occurred the most disgraceful and inhuman butchery of the war. Atrocities were committed scarcely equaled by Sepoys. The rebels were infuriated at the presence and bravery of colored troops and slaughter held high carnival. No special pleading can ever mitigate, much less justify the atrocity of that wholesale massacre. Columbus was summoned to surrender, but did not, and no assault was made. In North Carolina events of importance were transpiring, but Illinois troops were not engaged, although General J. N. Palmer was in command. CHAPTER VII. GENERAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. CHANGE OF PLAN, NOT OF BASE-GOVERNOR OGLESBY-MEMOIR-EXTRACTS FROM HE grand closing campaigns of the war were about to commence. of pressed will of the people, gress revived the grade of "Lieutenant-General," and the President gave the act his approval, February 29, 1864, and placed Ulysses S. Grant in command of the armies of the United States. This was the beginning of the end. Summoning Sherman to his counsel, the plan of the two great campaigns was laid down. Independent, not to. say rival movements were to end, and the enemy was no longer to have the opportunity to swing his armies, as upon a pivot, nor to move upon interior lines and crush, at will, our armies. The policy of the Lieutenant-General is best indicated in his own sententious language: "I therefore determined first, to use the greatest number of troops practicable against the armed forces of the enemy, preventing him from using the same forces at different seasons against first one and then another of our armies, and the possibility of repose for refitting and producing necessary supplies for carrying on resistance." The "anaconda" of the earlier stages of the war was remembered, but was no longer to be in a state of torpor, but lithe and strangely terrible. The armies East and West were to be one, and under one mind. Sherman, with the brave veterans of the West, should go against and through the army of Johnston; Grant, himself, would go with Meade and the army of the Potomac against Richmond; Sheridan should sweep the Shenandoah and Butler operate upon |