| |
 Melcher
In 1861
Springfield was a city of about 2000 population. Most of the residents lived
southwest of the public square.
Springfield,
MO Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War
 |
John
Smith Phelps
Future
Governor of Missouri
not present
at battle |
photo
courtesy Phelps camp #66, Sons of Union Veterans
Phelps
(note
- all Phelps quotes by John S Phelps' 15 year old daughter, Mary)
Springfield
was the headquarters of General Nathaniel Lyon, and a regiment...was stationed
on my father's plantation.
Snead
Lyon
was nothing but a (former) little captain of artillery. But such was his
clearness, force and real genius,.... conceding nothing, but very discourteous,
his reason and his will equal.
 |
Brig
Gen Nathaniel Lyon
Commander
of Union Forces |
Civil
War Times Illustrated "Photographic History of the Civil War" Black Dog;
Leventhal Publishers, New York... From National Archives
Under Both Flags
...Lyon
was badly off for troops. Of the 5,800 men he now had in hand, many of Sigel's
men claimed their discharge before the day of battle, and the term of service
of the First Iowa would expire on the 18th, as they were all three months
men. Sigel went among his soldiers and begged them to stand by him at this
critical time...Notwithstanding his entreaties, two-thirds of the officers
and some of the men declined to serve any longer. The vacancies in the battery
were filled by men from the infantry, but they were ignorant of artillery
drill,...The First Iowa Infantry, under Colonel William H. Merritt, was composed
of better material. A mass meeting of the regiment was held, in which every
man might have his say; and it was determined that, although the government
could claim them no longer than the 18th of the month, they would remain
in the field until it suited Lyon's pleasure to send them home. As to their
wages, they informed the General that they had no use for money, and it would
make no difference if they were never paid.
Phelps
(referring
to the 1st Iowa Infantry)
They
had been enlisted for three months and their time was over, but they refused
to be disbanded in face of an imminent battle.
(Initially,
when the Civil War broke out, Lincoln felt it would only take a few months
to put down the rebellion. Most soldiers that answered his first call for
volunteers, joined only for a three month term. This had, or was expiring,
for many of Lyon's troop's. Col Sigel had already lost some of his men, in
particular, most of his artillery crews.)
 Upham
...the
boys...had got their thin clothes badly worn out, especially behind and many
of them took flour sacks and made themselves aprons and wore them there instead
of in front. When Gen. Lyon saw the first one of these on a soldier, he ordered
him to remove it at once, but when he found its removal left the whole fighting
force of that soldier without a 'rear guard' and exposed to the jibes and
jokes of friend and foe, he ordered it quickly replaced.....It was declared
that none of the First Iowa would "run from a lady or the enemy - for very
shame's sake they would not dare turn aught but their faces to either.
Poole
Their
clothes are in tatters to an extent the contempt of the raggedest crowd that
ever gathered at the five points. Two hundred and fifty of them are utterly
unfit for travel from the want of shoes - some entirely barefooted, other
have an apology for shoes that would excite the profoundest contempt of the
seediest beggar that ever hunted the gutter for bones. As for the hats -
description fails to do the things justice. Hunt up all the old hat that
ever plugged the windows of poverty's dirties, kennels, select a thousand
of the poorest and dirtiest, and they might give you a fair approximate idea
of the headgear of the Iowa First....A large majority of out regiment are
men of taste and education - who of them would like to charge upon a battery,
confident if killed that his body would be handled with a pair of tongs to
tumble it into a dog's grave, or else from its ragged dirty
appearance...
Upham
...our
men are put off with an old rusty machine that is a cross between a blunderbuss
and a chinese matchlock, and is one which would excite the merriment even
of a digger Indian, unless he happened to be behind it....The
old-fashioned-brass-mounted-and-of-such-is the-kingdom-of-heaven kind that
are infinitely more dangerous to friend than enemy - will kick further than
they will shoot...
Under Both Flags
It should
be known, however, that regular soldiers, unless controlled by a sufficient
number of competent officers, are not likely to be formidable in battle,
and it happened that of the fourteen companies of Regulars then in Springfield,
five of them were commanded by sergeants, and but twelve commissioned officers
could be found for the remaining nine. The resignation from the army of nearly
all the officers of southern birth in the early month of 1861...And the sudden
demand by the government for staff officers of experience, created this state
of affairs.
Snead
Though
he was convinced that he could not, with the force at his command, resist
the armies which were gathering to attack him...he was, nevertheless, loth
to abandon Springfield and the south-west to the Confederates......But if
it were difficult to advance, or to remain where he (Lyon) was, it was even
more difficult to retreat;....The only road open to him was that which led
to Rolla,.... Between Springfield and Rolla, lay a rough country, through
which the road ran a rough country, through which the road ran for one hundred
and fifteen miles over hills, and through ravines, and across a hundred streams.
How could an army of six or seven thousand disheartened men, encumbered by
four hundred army wagons, and impeded by crowds of refugees, fleeing with
their families and household goods... hope to retreat over such a road, for
such a distance, pursued by more than twice their own number of men under
Price and McCulloch, and harassed and hindered at every step by an overwhelming
force of mounted troops?
Lyon
To Major
Gen. J.C. Fremont, Commanding Western Department, St. Louis, MO.
General
- I have just received your note of the 6th inst., by special messenger.
I retired to this place, as I have before informed you, reaching here on
the 5th. The enemy followed to within ten miles of here. He has taken a strong
position, and is recruiting his supplies of horses, mules, and provisions
by forages into the surrounding country. His large force of mounted men enables
him to do this without much annoyance from me. I find my position extremely
embarrassing, and am at present unable to determine whether I shall be able
to maintain my ground or forced to retire. I shall hold my ground as long
as possible, though I may, without knowing how far, endanger the safety of
my entire force with its valuable material, being induced, by the important
considerations involved, to take this step. The enemy yesterday made a show
of force about five miles distant, and has doubtless a full purpose of making
an attack on me. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, N. Lyon Brig Gen.
Vols., Commanding |
KS
IA
LA
TX
