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THE WAR IN THE WEST. 219
Darkness came down upon the vast prairie, yet the battle
was not ended. Steele showed signs of advancing, and Marma-
duke ordered Shelby to attack and check him effectually. De-
ploying his entire brigade, except Gordon's regiment, as skir-
mishers, he engaged Steele's whole army. The horizon, from
east to west, was one leaping, incessant blaze of about six thou-
sand muskets, lighting up the very sky and making night hideous
with their screaming missiles. The batteries, too, joined in the
combat and burst like volcanoes from the solid earth, throwing
large jets of flame at every discharge; while from the gloom and
distance came the wild yells of the Confederates as they drove a
regiment here or gained an advantage there. Steele at mid-
night had not advanced an inch when General Shelby withdrew
his command. The next day he again went to the front and skir-
mished heavily, Steele positively refusing battle and remaining
quietly upon the prairie, secure in his concentrated strength. It
soon became evident that General Price would not fight in the
position chosen-indeed, the attempt, had the issue been made,
could only result in severe defeat, and check the Federal army
but a moment; so when General Steele advanced the third morn-
ing upon the fortifications he found only a few logs and shallow
ditches. Yet much good had been done. The severe blows
struck by General Shelby on both sides of the river; Colonel Mon-
roe's brilliant and stubborn fighting near Okalona, which took
place a short time before Shelby's attack upon the rear the first
day; and General Marmaduke's vigorous efforts to contest the
passage of the Little Missouri river, told upon General Steele's
organization and the elan of his troops. The desperate nature of
the fighting made him naturally cautious, and the rapid move-
ment of the cavalry impressed upon his mind ideas of numbers
having in fact no real existence.
Two roads at this time were open to General Steele-one
to Washington and the other to Camden. Generals Marmaduke
and Shelby proposed a plan of operations which necessitated the
deploying of one division to cover the first point and one division
to cover the other, so that in whatever direction Steele moved,
troops were upon his front and rear. General Price thought
Steele's objective point was Washington and withdrew from the
Camden road all opposition. Steele's quick eye saw the outlet
instantly, and he pushed immediately for Camden. To oppose his
front again and make one more battle for the town was now Gen-
eral Price's desire, and General Marmaduke and Shelby, after a
forced night march of great severity, accomplished the orders
Object Description
| Title | Shelby and his men, or, the war in the west |
| Author | Edwards, John N. (John Newman), 1839-1889 |
| Subject.LCSH |
Shelby, Joseph Orville, 1830-1897 Missouri -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Arkansas -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 |
| Coverage | United State -- Missouri |
| Source |
Digital reproduction based on reprint edition republished by his wife Jennie Edwards, Kansas City, Mo. : Hudson-Kimberly Pub. Co., 1897 Originally published: Cincinnati, Ohio : Miami printing and publishing, 1867. |
| Language | English |
| Date.Original | 1897 |
| Date.Digital | 2003? |
| Type |
Books and pamphlets |
| Format | JPEG |
| Collection Name | Civil War in Missouri - Monographs |
| Editorial Note | All blank pages have been eliminated |
| Publisher.Digital | University of Missouri Digital Library Production Services |
| Rights | These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact contributing institution for information. |
| Contributing Institution |
University of Missouri--Columbia. Libraries |
| Copy Request | Contact Ellis Library Special Collection, University of Missouri - Columbia at (573) 882-0076 or email: SpecialCollections@missouri.edu |
Description
| Title | civk000028p0219 |
| Description | THE WAR IN THE WEST. 219 Darkness came down upon the vast prairie, yet the battle was not ended. Steele showed signs of advancing, and Marma- duke ordered Shelby to attack and check him effectually. De- ploying his entire brigade, except Gordon's regiment, as skir- mishers, he engaged Steele's whole army. The horizon, from east to west, was one leaping, incessant blaze of about six thou- sand muskets, lighting up the very sky and making night hideous with their screaming missiles. The batteries, too, joined in the combat and burst like volcanoes from the solid earth, throwing large jets of flame at every discharge; while from the gloom and distance came the wild yells of the Confederates as they drove a regiment here or gained an advantage there. Steele at mid- night had not advanced an inch when General Shelby withdrew his command. The next day he again went to the front and skir- mished heavily, Steele positively refusing battle and remaining quietly upon the prairie, secure in his concentrated strength. It soon became evident that General Price would not fight in the position chosen-indeed, the attempt, had the issue been made, could only result in severe defeat, and check the Federal army but a moment; so when General Steele advanced the third morn- ing upon the fortifications he found only a few logs and shallow ditches. Yet much good had been done. The severe blows struck by General Shelby on both sides of the river; Colonel Mon- roe's brilliant and stubborn fighting near Okalona, which took place a short time before Shelby's attack upon the rear the first day; and General Marmaduke's vigorous efforts to contest the passage of the Little Missouri river, told upon General Steele's organization and the elan of his troops. The desperate nature of the fighting made him naturally cautious, and the rapid move- ment of the cavalry impressed upon his mind ideas of numbers having in fact no real existence. Two roads at this time were open to General Steele-one to Washington and the other to Camden. Generals Marmaduke and Shelby proposed a plan of operations which necessitated the deploying of one division to cover the first point and one division to cover the other, so that in whatever direction Steele moved, troops were upon his front and rear. General Price thought Steele's objective point was Washington and withdrew from the Camden road all opposition. Steele's quick eye saw the outlet instantly, and he pushed immediately for Camden. To oppose his front again and make one more battle for the town was now Gen- eral Price's desire, and General Marmaduke and Shelby, after a forced night march of great severity, accomplished the orders |
| Source | Shelby and His Men |
| Type | Books and monographs |
| Format | JPEG |
| Identifier | civk000028p0219.jpg |
| Collection Name | Civil War in Missouri - Monographs |
| Editorial Note | All blank pages have been eliminated |
| Publisher.Digital | University of Missouri Digital Library Production Services |
| Rights | These pages may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Please contact koppk@umsystem.edu for more information. |
| Copy Request | Contact Ellis Library special collection at: SpecialCollections@missouri.edu |
