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No. 102.

Report of Col. Charles H. Tyler, C. S. Army, commanding unarmed bri

gade.

HEADQUARTERS TYLER'S BRIGADE,
December 15, 1864.

MAJOR: In obedience to the order of the brigadier-[general] commanding the division to report the part taken by my brigade in the various actions from Independence to Newtonia, I have the honor to report that owing to its unarmed condition the brigade was not assigned to duty with either the advance or rear guard of the army, but had been marching on the flanks of the wagon train for its protection.

On the 25th of October the army marched from the Marais des Cygnes. General Shelby's division was in advance, General Fagan's in the center, and General Marmaduke commanded the rear. As usual, my brigade guarded the flanks of the wagon train.

About 10 a. m., while marching with the regiments separated, my attention was called to an action then in progress in the rear. Large numbers of troops were observed pursuing a retreating force and firing upon them with revolvers. Rightly conjecturing that our rear guard had been overpowered, I immediately concentrated my command and made as imposing a line of battle as possible. Soon our retreating troops confirmed my conjectures in respect to the fighting, and at the solicitation of some of the intelligent officers who were retreating I con tinued in this position until the rear of the train had safely passed. I then assumed the duties of rear guard and continued as such until meeting the commanding general. He hurried me to the front to guard a park of wagons in the advance. Upon my arrival at the park I found the train again in motion and took my position on the right flank, as originally assigned. An order soon came from the commanding general to support a battery of artillery then in position on our right front, and being the senior officer present, to take the command. I formed line of battle as ordered, but before the enemy appeared received another order from the commanding general to march in advance of the train. After advancing three or four miles in front of the train the general commanding, through a staff officer, directed me to form a line of battle faced to the rear. Upon coming up he informed me that our rear guard was being driven and needed support, and directed me to support it morally by an ostentatious display and physically by the armed men under my orders. Accordingly when our retreating rear guard appeared in sight I told my unarmed recruits that the commanding general looked to them alone for the safety of the train; that they must charge the enemy and check him. This they did and very gallantly, considering that they were unarmed recruits and had the example of so many armed fugitive veterans to demoralize them.

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After the charge the recruits speedily rallied, and I again reported line of battle to the commanding general. General Fagan then ssumed command, retained me still as a support to the rear. roops under my command behaved well even if they had been armed eterans. As unarmed recruits they distinguished themselves. Durng their whole march there is no known instance of lawlessness. In 11 the demoralization they have behaved well. No insubordinate spirit as been developed. They have reported in greater numbers for duty omparatively than any other brigade.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
C. H. TYLER,
Colonel, Commanding Brigade.

Maj. H. EWING,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Marmaduke's Division.

No. 103.

Record of the Price Court of Inquiry.

PROCEEDINGS OF A COURT OF INQUIRY CONVENED AT SHREVEPORT, LA., BY VIRTUE OF THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL ORDERS:

SPECIAL ORDERS, Į Hdqrs. TRANS-MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT,

No. 58.

Shreveport, La., March 8, 1865.

*

XVI. At the instance of Maj. Gen. Sterling Price a Court of Inquiry is hereby appointed to meet at Washington, Ark., at 12 m. on Monday, the 3d day of April, 1865, or as soon thereafter as practicable, to investigate the facts and circumstances connected with the recent Missouri expedition under his command. The Court will give its opinion upon the facts which may be developed.

Detail for the Court: Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Drayton, Provisional Army, C. S.; Brig. Gen. E. McNair, Provisional Army, C. S.; Col. P. N. Luckett, Third Texas Infantry; Maj. O. M. Watkins, assistant adju tant-general, judge-advocate.

Should it become necessary during the investigation for the Court to change the place of meeting it will do so, notifying department headquarters thereof.

By command of General E. Kirby Smith:

H. P. PRATT, Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.

SPECIAL ORDERS, IDQRS. TRANS-MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT, Shreveport, La., April 5, 1865.

No. 81.

*

VI. Paragraph XVI, Special Orders, No. 58, current series, Department Headquarters, is so amended as to make Shreveport, La., the first place of meeting of the Court of Inquiry instituted at the instance of Major-General Price.

By command of General E. Kirby Smith:

P. B. LEEDS,

Major and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

FIRST DAY.

SHREVEPORT, LA.,

April 21, 1865—10 a, m.

The Court met pursuant to the foregoing orders:

Present, Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Drayton, Provisional Army, C. S.; Brig. Gen. E. McNair, Provisional Army, C. S.; Col. P. N. Luckett, Third Texas Infantry. Maj. Oscar M. Watkins, assistant adjutant general, judge-advocate.

Maj. Gen. Sterling Price, Provisional Army, C. S., appeared before the Court.

The judge-advocate read the orders convening the Court and asked Major-General Price if he had any objection to any member named in the detail. He replied, none.

The Court was then duly sworn in the presence of Major-General Price by the judge-advocate, and the judge-advocate was duly sworn by the president of the Court.

Major-General Price asked of the Court to be allowed the assistance of Col. Richard H. Musser, Ninth Missouri Infantry, as his military friend. The Court was then cleared for deliberation and the request of Major-General Price granted.

The hour of 12 m. having arrived adjourned to meet to-morrow at 10 a. m.

SECOND DAY.

SATURDAY, April 22, 1865–10 a. m. At a Court of Inquiry then held at Shreveport, La., pursuant to adjournment.

Present, Brig. Gen. Thomas F. Drayton, Provisional Army, C. S.; Brig. Gen. E. McNair, Provisional Army, C. S.; Col. P. N. Luckett, Third Texas Infantry; Maj. O. M. Watkins, assistant adjutant-general, judge-advocate.

Maj. Gen. 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 TransMississippi Department, to Maj. Gen. 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.

Capt. 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-Gen

al Price to prepare pontoons for the passage of the river, provided no practicable rd could be found. Inquiring for the usual fords from citizens, I learned that they ere impracticable. A practicable ford was found by me a half mile southeast of ardanelle-a ford three or three feet and a half in depth, the river 290 or 300 ards in width. Ammunition was removed from caissons; ordnance stores necesarily raised in the wagons. We crossed without accident and marched fourteen iles to the vicinity of Dover, in Arkansas. From thence Major-General Fagan oved east to Springfield, Ark., with his division. At Dover a council of war was eld. I was not present. There the object of the campaign was then developed. he roads from Dardanelle to Batesville, Ark., and from Dardanelle to Springfield, o., fork at Dover. The main body of the army, with headquarters, moved by way f Clinton, Ark., crossing the White River at O'Neal's Ferry, about eighteen miles bove Batesville. At Batesville, or near there, Major-General Price and staff made a unction with Major-General Fagan's force. At O'Neal's Crossing Major-General armaduke, with his division, moved by an upper route direct to Powhatan. The ad was rough and a difficult one, and was adopted because of the forage and substence that it furnished. Headquarters with General Fagan's division moved from atesville, fourteen miles, to Powhatan, Ark., which point it reached on the 15th eptember, 1864, where it was joined by Generals Marmaduke and Shelby. Moved com Powhatan to Pocahontas on the 16th, a distance of eighteen miles. At Pocaontas we halted two days for the purpose of reorganizing, many recruits being then 1 camp, and to distribute ordnance to the different divisions. At that point two or ore 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 Genral Shelby's division. These four brigades were chiefly of recruits from Arkansas nd Missouri. At this point, by direction of General Price, I prepared four or five haps indicating the routes by which the different divisions should move on entering lissouri, 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 he routes down clearly, so that the subordinate commanders could always comnunicate 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 22d 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 23d 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 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, blow

ing 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 Shelly 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-Generals Fagan's and Marmaduke's divisions, marched north to the vicinity of Union, where Brigadier-General Cabell rejoined us on the 2d. 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 conmand 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 bank of the Missouri River, crossing that stream at Arrow Rock. General Price, with MajorGeneral 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 22d, skirmishing with the enemy on the Big Blue, eight miles west of Independence, the enemy contesting our passage of the

stream.

On the 23d 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

cnemy.

On the 24th we moved thirty-three miles to Blooming Grove, Kans., on the Marais des Cygnes,

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