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SATURDAY, April 22, 1865-10 a.m.
At a Court of Inquiry then held at Shreveport, La., pursuant to adjournment.
Present, Brigadier General Thomas F. Drayton, Provisional Army, C. S.; Brigadier General E. McNair, Provisional Army, C. S.; Colonel P. N. Luckett, Third Texas Infantry; Major O. M. Watkins, assistant adjutant-general, judge-advocate.
Major General S. Price appeared before the Court.
The proceedings of yesterday read.
The judge-advocate then introduced as evidence an official copy of the letter of instructions from General E. Kirby Smith, commanding Trans-Mississippi Department, to Major General Sterling Price, directing him to make the campaign in Missouri. Said official copy is dated August 4, 1864, and is hereunto attached and marked Exhibit A.
Captain T. J. MACKEY, corps of engineers, was then sworn, no other witnesses being present.
Examined by the JUDGE-ADVOCATE:
Question. Were you in the campaign of 1864 in Missouri under command of Major-General Price?
Answer. I was.
Question. State in what capacity you served, when you joined the command, when the march began, the route it pursued, and the places where the enemy were encountered and with what results, from the time you joined the command until the end of the campaign.
Answer. I was chief engineer on the staff of Major-General Price. Joined the command at Princeton, Ark., on the 29th August, 1864. The march began from Princeton August 30, 1864, moving west of it to Dardanelle, on the Arkansas River. Reached Dardanelle on the 6th day of September, 1864. I was then directed by Major-General Price to prepare pontoons for the passage of the river, provided no practicable ford could be found. Inquiring for the usual fords from citizens, I learned that they were impracticable. A practicable ford was found by me a half mile southeast of Dardanelle-a ford three or three feet and a half in depth, the river 290 or 300 yards in width. Ammunition was removed from caissons; ordnance stores necessarily raised in the wagons. We crossed without accident and marched fourteen miles to the vicinity of Dover, in Arkansas. From thence Major-General Fagan moved east to Springfield, Ark., with his division. At Dover a council of war as held. I was not present. There the object of the campaign was the developed. The roads from Dardanelle to Batesville, Ark., and from Dardanelle to Springfield, Mo., fork at Dover. The main body of the army, with headquarters, moved by way of Clinton, Ark., crossing the White River at O'Neal's Ferry, about eighteen miles above Batesville. At Batesville, or near there, Major-General Price and staff made a junction with Major-General Fagan's force. At O'Neal's Crossing Major-General Marmaduke, with his division, moved by an upper route direct to Powhatan. The road was rough and difficult one, and was adopted because of the forage and subsistence that it furnished. Headquarters with General Fagan's division moved from Batesville, fourteen miles, to Powhatan, Ark., which point it reached on the 15th September, 1864, where it was joined by Generals Marmaduke and Shelby. Moved from Powhatan to Pocahontas on the 16th, a distance of eighteen miles. At Pocahontas we halted two days for the purpose of reorganizing, many recruits being then in camp, and to distribute ordnance to the different divisions. At that point two or more brigades were organized and added to Major-General Fagan's division, under Colonels Dobbin and McCray, and one brigade, under Colonel Freeman, added to Major-General Marmaduke's division, and a brigade, under Colonel Jackman, to General Shelby's division. These four brigades were chiefly of recruits from Arkansas and Missouri. At this point, by direction of General Price, I prepared four or five maps indicating the routes by which the different divisions should move on entering Missouri, it having been determined by General Price to move by three routes to Fredericktown, Mo., 140 miles from Pocahontas. General Price directed me to lay the routes down clearly, so that the subordinate commanders could always communicate with him readily and know where he was. From Pocahontas General Price, with Major-General Fagan's division, moved direct to Fredericktown by Greenville, the middle route. Major-General Marmaduke moved by Poplar Bluff, Dallas, and Bloomfield, by the longest route to the same point. Brigadier-General Shelby moved upon the left. This route leads through Patterson. He encountered the enemy in the vicinity of Doniphan and defeated him without loss to himself, capturing a few prisoners and the telegraph office with its instruments. He again engaged the enemy at Patterson, defeated him, capturing a few prisoners without loss to himself. Prior to this engagement the enemy had burned the town of Doniphan. Doniphan is in Missouri, twenty miles from Pocahontas. General Shelby's engagement at Doniphan was on the 19th, the day after leaving Pocahontas.
On the 22nd General Shelby engaged the enemy at Patterson. The three divisions made their junction at Fredericktown, Mo., on the 24th day of September, 1864. At that point General Shelby had an engagement with the enemy, defeating him with little loss. A very few prisoners taken on the 23rd of September, the day before the junction.
On the morning of the 26th General Shelby, by Major-General Price's order, moved from Fredericktown and in the direction of Saint Louis and the Iron Mountain Railroad. He moved in a northwesterly direction about forty-five miles to cut the road at Mineral Point. General Shelby's order was to burn bridges and depots. He destroyed the two bridges at this point. I learned this officially in the discharge of my duties as an engineer.
On the morning of the 26th September Major-General Price, with Major-Generals Marmaduke's and Fagan's divisions, moved west on the road leading from Fredericktown to Pilot Knob, Mo., to the Saint Francis River, where the army halted at a point nine miles distant from Pilot Knob. Major-General Fagan moved forward the same day with his division to Arcadia, two miles distant from Pilot Knob, leaving his train at the Saint Francis. I started to move with him, was ordered back by General Price for the purpose of repairing the bridge, 400 feet in length, across the Saint Price for the purpose of repairing the bridge, 400 feet in length, across the Saint Francis. I had assigned an officer of engineer troops to that duty. General Price desired me to attend to it myself, as it was the only practicable crossing in his rear. Heard heavy firing in the direction of Arcadia the same day-Major-General Fagan driving in the enemy's outposts.
On the morning of the 27th General Price moved to the front about eight miles with General Marmaduke's division. Found Major-General Fagan in possession of Arcadia and Ironton. These are small towns about three-quarters of a mile east. We found the enemy in position in the vicinity of Pilot Knob.
On the 27th Generals Fagan's and Marmaduke's divisions assaulted Pilot Knob, and were repulsed. On the night of the 27th the enemy evacuated their work, blowing up their magazine. We followed early on the morning of the 28th, General Price with Major-General Fagan's division reaching Potosi, thirty-two miles north of Pilot Knob, on the 29th of September. Major-General Marmaduke moved on the left northwest on the 28th, following the enemy in the direction of Cuba, a point on the railroad between Saint Louis and Springfield, Mo. Brigadier-General Shelby had already moved from Potosi on the 28th by General Price's order in the direction of Pilot Knob. On reaching Caledonia, twelve or thirteen miles distant from Pilot Knob, he moved west to cut the enemy's line of retreat upon Cuba. Headquarters with Major-General Fagan's division moved by Richwoods to Saint Clair, thirty-five miles northwest of Potosi, where they were joined by the divisions of Generals Marmaduke and Shelby. At Richwoods Brigadier-General Cabell left the main command on the 30th and marched to Franklin, thirty miles from Saint Clair, at the junction of the Pacific and Southwest Railroad.
On the 1st October General Price, with Major-General Fagan's and Marmaduke's divisions, marched north to the vicinity of Union, where Brigadier-General Cabell rejoined us on the 2nd. At that point Major-General Marmaduke moved northwest to cut the Pacific Railroad, to destroy the bridge at the mouth of the Gasconade, a point on the railroad between Saint Louis and Jefferson City. Major-General Price continued to move west on the Jefferson City road to the vicinity of Mount Sterling, about fifty miles from Union. At Mount Sterling Major-General Marmaduke joined him on the 5th of October.
On the 6th [7th] the advance engaged the enemy four or five miles from Jefferson City and about thirty-one miles from Mount Sterling, driving him into the city.
On the 7th [8th] retired from Jefferson City, by way of Russellville, to California. Camped at Russellville, seventeen miles west of Jefferson City.
On the 9th moved north on the road to Boonville. Our rear was attacked at California, a point on the railroad between Jefferson City and Boonville. The attack was repulsed.
On the 10th we marched sixteen miles to Boonville, Brigadier-General Shelby in advance, who had an engagement at Boonville, resulting in the capture of between 200 and 300 prisoners, with their arms. Major-General Price, with Major-Generals Marmaduke's and Fagan's divisions, reached Boonville on the 10th, where the command remained two days.
The enemy making demonstrations on our force at Boonville from the direction of Tipton on the 11th, they were repulsed and pursued for eighteen miles.
During the night of the 12th the command moved from Boonville on the road to Lexington to Chouteau Springs, twelve miles from Boonville. The next day, the 13th, Major-General Marmaduke's division, under the command of Brigadier-General Clark, was detached and moved in the direction of Glasgow, a town on the north blank of the Missouri River, crossing that stream at Arrow Rock. General Price, with Major-General Fagan's division and Brigadier-General Shelby's division, proceeded on the 14th to Jonesborough, about twenty-eight [miles] from Boonville. From that point Brigadier-General Shelby moved with a part of his division and a battery in the direction of Glasgow, to a point on the south bank of the Missouri River, opposite Glasgow.
On the 15th General Price, with Major-General Fagan's division, moved to Keiser's on the Salt Fork of the La Mine River, seventeen miles from Jonesborough and thirty from Glasgow.
On the 14th, from Jonesborough, Brigadier-General Thompson, with a brigade of Brigadier-General Shelby's division, moved south to Sedalia on the Pacific Railroad. On the night of the 17th and on the 18th all detachments rejoined Major-General Price, who had remained on the La Mine with General Fagan's division.
On the 18th the command marched twenty-two miles to Waverly. Our advance, under Brigadier-General Shelby, engaged and defeated the enemy at that point.
On the 19th the army marched twenty-six miles, engaging the enemy in force in the vicinity of Lexington, and defeated him.
On the 20th we moved twenty-two miles west in the direction of Independence in pursuit of the enemy, who had engaged us on the day before.
On the 21st we engaged the enemy in force on the Little Blue, eight miles east of Independence, defeating him and inflicting on him heavy loss. On that night we entered Independence, having marched twenty-six miles during the day. The command moved west twelve miles on the 22nd, skirmishing with the enemy on the Big Blue, eight miles west of Independence, the enemy contesting our passage of the stream.
On the 23rd engaged the enemy in force in the vicinity of Westport and defeated him. From this point we moved south twenty-four miles to the Middle Fork of Grand River, in the vicinity of which we had a skirmish with the cavalry of the enemy.
On the 24th we moved thirty-three miles to Blooming Grove, Kans., on the Marais des Cygnes.
On the 25th Major-General Fagan's and Marmaduke's divisions were attacked eight or nine from Blooming Grove, near Mine Creek, in the rear of the train, and routed by the enemy. On the afternoon of the 25th we defeated the enemy that had routed Major-General Fagan and Marmaduke after the enemy had been re-enforced by 2,500 cavalry from Fort Scott. This occurred between the Osage and Marmiton Rivers, and eight or nine miles from the previous fight of that day, the army marching about twenty-eight miles on that day and camped at Redfield Post-Office, on the Marmiton.
On the night of the 25th we destroyed about one-third of our train and a portion of our ordnance stores.
On the 26th the entire force, with the train, marched to Carthage, fifty-eight or sixty miles.
On the 27th marched twenty-two miles to Shoal Creek.
ON the 28th marched to Newtonia, seventeen miles, encamping three miles south of Newtonia. Near this place we engaged the enemy in force and routed him. From Newtonia, on the 29th, we marched twenty-six miles to the vicinity of Pineville.
On the 30th from thence to Maysville, Ark., on the line of the Cherokee Country, a distance of twelve miles.
On the 31st we reached Illinois River, in the Cherokee Nation, twenty-six miles from the last encampment.
On the 1st of November we arrived at Boonsborough, or Cane Hill, in Arkansas. From this point Major-General Fagan was sent with his division on the following day to attack the enemy at Fayetteville, Ark., eighteen or twenty miles east of Cane Hill, where the main army remained until the 4th, when, being rejoined by Major-General Fagan, we marched fourteen miles on that day and camped in the Indian Territory.
On the 5th eighteen miles and on the 6th twenty miles, to the Arkansas River, which was crossed at Pheasant Bluffs on the 7th; marched four miles.
On the 8th Major-General Fagan, with his division, moved southeast by way of Ultima Thule to Washington. Brigadier-General Shelby had on the day before moved southwest to the North Fork of the Canadian River. General Price, with General Marmaduke's division, marched ten miles on the 8th.
On the 9th nine miles.
On the 10th twelve miles.
On the 11th fourteen miles.
On the 12th two miles, to Gaines' Creek, where there was pasturage and subsistence.
On the 13th sixteen miles, to Perryville, in the Choctaw Nation, where we remained until the morning of the 15th, when we marched seventeen miles.
On the 16th seven miles.
On the 17th fourteen miles to the vicinity of Little Boggy, where Colonel Tyler left the main body with his brigade of recruits, moving southeast in the direction of Doaksville.
On the 18th the main army moved ten miles, to Boggy Depot.
On the 19th nine or ten miles, to Leflore.
On the 20th nine miles, to Little Blue.
On the 21st fourteen miles, to Island Bayou.
On the 22nd sixteen miles, crossing Red River at Kemp's Ferry into Texas. General Marmaduke's division there took the river route to Clarksville, Tex., eighty-five miles distant, where it joined the main body, which had marched through Bonham. This junction occurred on the 28th or 29th. We then moved thirty-six miles to Laynesport, Ark., where the expedition rested, the main army having marched 1,438 miles exclusive of the movements of detachments.
The hour of 2.30 p.m. having arrived the Court adjourned to meet on Monday next, the 24th instant.