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X. Price's Return
After having triumphantly paraded through Little Rock and crossing the Arkansas River, Sterling Price and his army were making good progress. Since commencing the campaign, the men had averaged between fifteen and twenty miles per day. Although not being particulary testing for veteran infantry, even greener troops were keeping up, bolstered by their recent success on the field of battle. The terrain in northern Arkansas was certainly rugged and rough, but crossing several high hills and numerous streams did not hold the troops back at all. The army's spirit was optimistic and many a diarist noted the motivation of the officers, NCOs and private soldiers.
Partly responsible for the good morale was the fact that Price had been able to liberate a large wagon train from the Little Rock arsenal. This enabled the army to carry especially sufficient food supplies and necessities to keep the men happy and satisfied. Extensive foraging however would have massively slowed down the march and would therefore have provided the Federals more time to react to the Rebel advance. Nevertheless, mounted foraging parties were sent out in western and eastern directions and many patriotic citizens along the way were willing to donate to men that were not demanding but kindly asking for support. Weapon shortages as well as the need for horses and mules now were an issue of the past due to Steele's rapid retreat from the area and his inability to gather or destroy most of those properties.
Several weeks in advance of the campaign start, Sterling Price already had sent out an illustrous band of recruiters to Missouri. Those were to assemble any willing and able man, especially from the Pro-Confederate regions in Western Missouri. Part of this delegation were Colonels Charles H. Tyler, J. T. Coffee, Caleb Perkins and James T. Searcey as well as Lieutenant Colonels Alonzo Slayback and D. A. Williams.
One man however had no official military rank, but was nonetheless an important puzzle piece in Price's plans. The individual in question was John W. Taylor from the Order of American Knights. This secret organization was formed in 1856 by New Orleans lawyer Phineas C. Wright and remained a paper tiger until its founder moved to St. Louis in 1860. There the OAK was redefined to protect civil rights, promote the movement to end the war and provide protection for Democrats against Unionist and Republican movements. Soon, the movement was organized in several temples and began to hold secret meetings. Although its members were not nearly as numerous as their leaders boasted, several held prestigous functions within local communities that were able to spread pro-southern propaganda. By providing Taylor with cash in gold and several printer presses, Price hoped to sow division within the civil society. The OAK was not able to achieve lasting success, but forced Rosecrans and the Union authorities to send several regiments worth of troops on a wild goose chase for the deviating plotters.
Another factor for the invasion were the roaming bands of bushwhackers in Missouri, that professed some vague loyalty to Price. Although possessing a militant sense of independence, the bushwhackers scented that a major shift in the fortunes of war might be able to occur and doubled down on their activities. It has to be acknowledged that those warbands, in several instances lead by truly psychopaths lusting for simple murder and destruction, took adwantage of the situation to better plunder and intimidate the Pro-Union citizenry, but this nonetheless siphoned away even more men and materials from Rosecrans' department. All in all, the expedition seemed to be well underway.
X. Price's Return
After having triumphantly paraded through Little Rock and crossing the Arkansas River, Sterling Price and his army were making good progress. Since commencing the campaign, the men had averaged between fifteen and twenty miles per day. Although not being particulary testing for veteran infantry, even greener troops were keeping up, bolstered by their recent success on the field of battle. The terrain in northern Arkansas was certainly rugged and rough, but crossing several high hills and numerous streams did not hold the troops back at all. The army's spirit was optimistic and many a diarist noted the motivation of the officers, NCOs and private soldiers.
Partly responsible for the good morale was the fact that Price had been able to liberate a large wagon train from the Little Rock arsenal. This enabled the army to carry especially sufficient food supplies and necessities to keep the men happy and satisfied. Extensive foraging however would have massively slowed down the march and would therefore have provided the Federals more time to react to the Rebel advance. Nevertheless, mounted foraging parties were sent out in western and eastern directions and many patriotic citizens along the way were willing to donate to men that were not demanding but kindly asking for support. Weapon shortages as well as the need for horses and mules now were an issue of the past due to Steele's rapid retreat from the area and his inability to gather or destroy most of those properties.
Several weeks in advance of the campaign start, Sterling Price already had sent out an illustrous band of recruiters to Missouri. Those were to assemble any willing and able man, especially from the Pro-Confederate regions in Western Missouri. Part of this delegation were Colonels Charles H. Tyler, J. T. Coffee, Caleb Perkins and James T. Searcey as well as Lieutenant Colonels Alonzo Slayback and D. A. Williams.
One man however had no official military rank, but was nonetheless an important puzzle piece in Price's plans. The individual in question was John W. Taylor from the Order of American Knights. This secret organization was formed in 1856 by New Orleans lawyer Phineas C. Wright and remained a paper tiger until its founder moved to St. Louis in 1860. There the OAK was redefined to protect civil rights, promote the movement to end the war and provide protection for Democrats against Unionist and Republican movements. Soon, the movement was organized in several temples and began to hold secret meetings. Although its members were not nearly as numerous as their leaders boasted, several held prestigous functions within local communities that were able to spread pro-southern propaganda. By providing Taylor with cash in gold and several printer presses, Price hoped to sow division within the civil society. The OAK was not able to achieve lasting success, but forced Rosecrans and the Union authorities to send several regiments worth of troops on a wild goose chase for the deviating plotters.
Another factor for the invasion were the roaming bands of bushwhackers in Missouri, that professed some vague loyalty to Price. Although possessing a militant sense of independence, the bushwhackers scented that a major shift in the fortunes of war might be able to occur and doubled down on their activities. It has to be acknowledged that those warbands, in several instances lead by truly psychopaths lusting for simple murder and destruction, took adwantage of the situation to better plunder and intimidate the Pro-Union citizenry, but this nonetheless siphoned away even more men and materials from Rosecrans' department. All in all, the expedition seemed to be well underway.
- Lothar
- Word Count: 600