Zagonyi's Charge on Springfield. OCCUPATION OF SPRINGFIELD. 339 Occupation of Springfield. This success was followed by a forced march into Springfield, Siegel still on the advance. A thirty miles stretch was made October 27th, by that division, and to it was assigned the honors of a first entry. How well Siegel knew each street, each house, each hill around! The town had for him memories at once pleasurable and painful. The Federal army was received by the people as deliverers: October 27th was a galaday. Little did the sanguine and expectant inhabitants realise that they were soon to be given once more over to the brutal reign of the Confederates. before the infantry fire, and | tions of the same service. We have given only five succeeded in pass- the story of their brief service quite at length ing over to the General's in order to illustrate one of those episodes of position under the hill. Major White, after the war which ever will remain as a landa series of remarkable adventures, succeeded mark of heroism and devotion. in effecting not only his escape, but the capture of his captors. He reached town the next morning, at the head of an extemporized guard of farmers and five Scouts, bearing Captain Wroton along with him, as prisoner. Dorsheimer gave a novel and humorous version of the “occupation" of SpringfieldZagonyi having retired, with all his remaining forces toward the North, fearing an attemp to cut off his retreat. He said: "At day-break White rode into Springfield at the head of his captives and a motley band of Home Guard. He found the Federals still in possession of the place. As the officer of highest rank, he took command. His garrison consisted of twenty-four men. He stationed twenty-two of them as pickets in the outskirts of the village, and held the other two as a reserve. At noon the enemy sent in a flag of truce, and asked permission to bury their dead. Major White received the flaggling along down from the North. So with with proper ceremony, but said that General Siegel was in command and the request would have to be referred to him. Siegel was then forty miles away! In a short time a written communication purporting to come from General Siegel, saying that the rebels might send a party under certain restrictions to bury their dead. White drew in some of his pickets, stationed them about the field, and under their surveillance the Southern dead were buried." Asboth arrived with the rear division October 30th, and was soon followed by General Lane, with his Kansas brigade. McKinstry's division was then on the Pomme de Terre, seventy miles away, and Pope was still strug Hunter. The rebels, led by Price in person, were at Neosho, fifty-four miles to the southwest of Springfield. His command, it was reported, included McCullough's forces and all of Jackson's "State Guard," as well as Rains' motley army-numbering, all told, about thirty thousand men. Fremont's then available strength was about thirteen thousand, of all arms. A sudden march upon Springfield by the Confederates might drive the Federal General to close quarters, but no such dashing movement was made by Price, though he began his forward march from Neosho as early as October 27th. Pope's division arrived at headquarters November 1st and 3d-having marched sev The place was not retained, however: Major White "evacuated" the position to return with his Scouts to camp. The Guard fell back towards Bolivar. The loss of the Guards was fifty-three-killed, wounded and missing; that of the Scouts was thirty-one-enty miles in two days. McKinstry's corps half of that number being of Naughton's Company of Irish Dragoons. This was the first and last exploit of the Guardsmen. They returned, soon after, to St. Louis, along with Fremont. Their rations and forage were denied them and they were disbanded-ashamed of their soiled and ragged garments, and humiliated at their usage. Such are the fortunes of those at the mercy of opposing fac soon followed. The apprehensions of Fremont were appeased by this addition to his strength, and he awaited Price's disposition in confidence. The long threatened blow came at last. On the morning of November 2d a messenger arrived at Springfield, from St. Louis, bearing the order, signed by General Scott, of Fremont's removal from command. He was Fremont Relieved of his Command. directed to pass over his command to General Hunter, and to report himself | by letter to the War Department. It came like a defeat. The camps were in commotion at once, and the officers and men of Siegel's and Asboth's divisions to a great extent became disastrously disaffected. It was a terribly unwelcome fact, at that moment, when the consummation of the commander's hopes seemed so near. Three months of almost superhuman labor, of enormous expense, of infinite sacrifice, were swept away by the dash of a pen. Disposition for Battle. Price pushed on rapidly. A reconnoissance by Asboth, November 3d, reported the enemy to be concentrating in force at Wilson's Creek McCullough's army being also reported as at Dug Spring. Though suspended from office Fremont could not, with any propriety, abandon his charge Hunter not having come in, up to the evening of the 3d, with his division. A deputation of one hundred and ten officers waited upon Fremont during the evening, to present an address of sympathy and confidence. A request was also made, that he would lead them to battle. The result of the interview was the promulgation of an order for battle, reading: "One regiment and two Disposition for Battle, pieces of artillery of General Pope's division to remain as a reserve in Springfield. The different divisions to come into their positions at the same time, about eleven o'clock, at which hour a simultaneous attack will be made. "The baggage-trains to be packed and held in readiness at Springfield. Each regiment to carry three two-horse wagons to transport the wounded. "J. C. FREMONT, "Major-General Commanding.' But, Hunter arrived during a council of Generals held at midnight. Fremont laid all matters before him, including the dispositions for battle, and then resigned the command, to depart, early on the morrow, for St. Louis. He was accompanied by the Body Guard and Sharpshooters, as a special escort. Most of his staff also returned with him, and soon were dismissed from service. The famous Guardsmen were not recognized as having any official existence, and they laid aside their sabres in mortification: disgrace was not for such as they. Springfield again Hunter's retreat from Springfield soon followed. November 8th the divisions of Siegel and Asboth pushed forward to Wilson's Creek, not as a menace to Price and McCullough, but as a feint to cover the Federal retreat from South-western Missouri. “The different divisions of the army shall be put The day following the remaining three di in the following order of battle. Act'g Major-General Asboth, right wing. visions started for the North by way of Rolla. The cause of this retrograde has been variously accounted for. A correspondent, who seemed well informed, wrote from Rolla stating that Hunter acted under orders from Washington, sent along with the dispatch superseding Fremont-it having been ascertained at headquarters that Price and “General Siegel to start at six o'clock by Joak- McCullough were only "drawing on" the um's Mill, and follow his old trail, except that he is Federal forces, to prevent their concentration to turn to the right some two miles sooner, and pro-along the Mississippi, up which the Confedeceed to the old stable on the lower end of the lower "General McKinstry's column to leave camp at six o'clock, and proceed by the Fayetteville road to the upper end of the upper cornfield on the left, where General Lyon made his first attack. cornfield. "General Asboth to start at six and one-half o'clock, by the Mount Vernon road, then by a prairie road to the right of the ravine opposite the lower field. “General Pope to start at seven o'clock by the Fayetteville road, following General McKinstry's column. “General Lane to join General Siegel's division. General Wyman to join General Asboth's division. rates hoped to move. He further said: “That General Price did not intend to fight, was shown by his falling back whenever our forces advanced. Two days before the main body of the Federal army left Springfield (for Rolla), the rebels fell back from Cassville to near the Arkansas line." From the fact that the enemy were not in force at Wilson's Creek, as reported by Asboth to Fremont on the morning of November 3d-only their ad MCCLELLAN IN CHIEF COMMAND. vance guard of seven thousand having occupied the place for a brief time-it was assumed by Fremont's enemies that there was no enemy to fight him; but, such a statement found credence only with those glad to believe anything adverse to the late Commanding-General. Still, the circumstance that when Siegel and Asboth occupied the Wilson's Creek battle ground and found no foe, rendered it certain that there had been a retreat of the Confederates, and made plausible the theory of their pressing forward thirty thousand men only to retire and thus "draw on" the confident Federal-Commander-inChief. The truth undoubtedly was that Fremont did not design to stop at Springfield: his programme looked to Little Rock. This the enemy learned, and he retired to fight on his own soil and near his supplies. of them their lives, as a 341 Disastrous state of Major Dorsheimer thus stated the prevailing impressions of Fremont's friends: "Fortyeight hours more must have given to General Fremont an engagement. What the result would have been no one who was there doubted. A victory such as the country has long desired and sorely needs—a decisive, complete and overwhelming victory-was as certain as it is possible for the skill and valor of man to make certain any future event. Now, twenty thousand men are required to hold our long line of defense in Missouri; then, five thousand at Springfield would have secured the State of Missouri, and a column pushed into Arkansas would have turned the enemy's position upon the Mississippi. In the same time and with the same labor that the march to the rear was made, two States might have been won, and the fate of the rebellion of the Southwest decided." It will not require years for the public to arrive at conclusions regarding affairs in Missouri during Fremont's rule: if time writes its verdict of approval it will give satisfaction to many and pain but few. CHAPTER X. MCCLELLAN'S CAMPAIGN IN EASTERN VIRGINIA UP TO NOVEMBER FIRST. THE SECOND CAMPAIGN OF THE POTOMAC. After the Defeat. After the Battle. THE anxiety which fol- | there followed, from peolowed the disaster to our ple and press, a storm of arms at Bull Run, July 21st, was profound-indignant comment that must have appalled the excitement intense. Confidence in Gen- those in power. This hurricane of words, howeral Scott's prudence had been unbounded; ever, was quickly silenced by the dangers of defeat was not regarded as possible. The the hour. The enemy had but to push his shock was, therefore, all the more stunning. advantages in order to lay the National CapBut when, added to defeat, came the specta-ital under his guns. That he refrained from cle of a stampede before a non-pursuing doing so was not because the way was not enemy, the humiliation was complete; and open up to the Potomac intrenchments, but |