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With the lines hot about bushwackers and Prices use of various bands across Missouri, it seems many of you have forgotten that Price actually had a 10,000 man army. He could have had more men but he decided to take only the cavalry so that he could move quickly and take St. Louis.
Most of his army were not bushwackers, and unlike their counterparts Price's Soldiers were in the Confederate Army. Throughout the campaign and war his men were subjected to a lacking commissary, poor horses, no issued clothing to speak of and once again the lack of weapons raises its ugly head.
By the time Price reached Pilot Knob there had been hoards of his men who simply walked into the houses and took whatever they could find. Orchards picked clean, food cellars cleared out, bed sheets and clothing looted. They didn't do this because they were bad men but because they were that hungry and ill equipped.
One U.S. soldier at Pilot Knob described some of Prices men just outside of Ironton as men who were all dressed in Federal Uniform. He was riding up to them when he noticed that they had too much tin ware hanging from their saddle horns. He turned his horse just as they fired on him the balls whistled about his head.
Another description from the civilians came from a woman who heard commotion as the CS forces rode past her house as she went downstairs men were coming out of her cellar her winter stores notably a ham. She also noted that one of the men cut a 3' x3' square out of her carpet (probably as a saddle blanket).
Price should have left Ft. Davidson alone and kept his sights on St. Louis since that was his objective but the Federal garrison of 1500 men detained him long enough to allow more Soldiers to get to St. Louis from other Places. However with it being an election year in Missouri, Price wanted to influence the Gubernatorial race in Missouri since part of the plan was to allow Pro-Southern Candidate and Lt. Governor-in-exile Reynolds to have have a chance in that election.
Therefore, after Pilot Knob and the garrison's escape from Ft. Davidson (In Pilot Knob), Price set his sights for Jefferson City, Then after his failure there headed to Kansas City and then down the western border of Missouri.
I was surprised to learn that my Wife's great grand father was in the 15th Missouri, Co. A. in fact just prior to that the entire company were Reve's Scouts (The Bushwackers at Marmaduke's Raid). I was most surprised to learn that he was captured at Pilot Knob over a month after Price had moved through. He was within 50 miles from home. Why didn't he follow Price? Why didn't he go home? I think he was done. Most likely lost his horse in the shelling from the horse. His unit went over Shepards Mountain and there is a "Smith" who was interviewed by Cyrus Peterson (Who wrote the book on Pilot Knob). He said the CS cannons had just arrived on top of the mountain and the officers were toasting themselves on a job well done. No sooner did they fire the first shot at the fort than all hell broke loose and the cannons and everyone around them were dead. Smith went on to say he didn't "give a damn and they could drink their whiskey in hell." for not offering him any because he had no water and his throat was dry. In short he was done and morale had to be low.
Accounts after the battle around Pilot Knob place lots of Confederate soldiers in the locality days after the battle. As Price went it appears that his army continured to splinter as it crossed the state. Certainly Price arrived down in Texas with an army but it was a skeleton of what it had been. Losing just about all his artillery. It was hard to replace arms and horses as they went.
Some of the men did take Federal Uniforms because they were cold and had nothing else to supply themselves with. However this seemed to come with dire consequences. Since bushwackers had been wearing Federal Uniforms regular soldiers were usually mistaken as bushwackers and simply shot down. This apparently happened to several of Prices soldiers when they tried to surrender during the battle of Mine Creek, KS.
Certainly bushwacking was rampant but don't forget that even the regular Confederate soldiers got caught in the mix too.
Frank Aufmuth
Most of his army were not bushwackers, and unlike their counterparts Price's Soldiers were in the Confederate Army. Throughout the campaign and war his men were subjected to a lacking commissary, poor horses, no issued clothing to speak of and once again the lack of weapons raises its ugly head.
By the time Price reached Pilot Knob there had been hoards of his men who simply walked into the houses and took whatever they could find. Orchards picked clean, food cellars cleared out, bed sheets and clothing looted. They didn't do this because they were bad men but because they were that hungry and ill equipped.
One U.S. soldier at Pilot Knob described some of Prices men just outside of Ironton as men who were all dressed in Federal Uniform. He was riding up to them when he noticed that they had too much tin ware hanging from their saddle horns. He turned his horse just as they fired on him the balls whistled about his head.
Another description from the civilians came from a woman who heard commotion as the CS forces rode past her house as she went downstairs men were coming out of her cellar her winter stores notably a ham. She also noted that one of the men cut a 3' x3' square out of her carpet (probably as a saddle blanket).
Price should have left Ft. Davidson alone and kept his sights on St. Louis since that was his objective but the Federal garrison of 1500 men detained him long enough to allow more Soldiers to get to St. Louis from other Places. However with it being an election year in Missouri, Price wanted to influence the Gubernatorial race in Missouri since part of the plan was to allow Pro-Southern Candidate and Lt. Governor-in-exile Reynolds to have have a chance in that election.
Therefore, after Pilot Knob and the garrison's escape from Ft. Davidson (In Pilot Knob), Price set his sights for Jefferson City, Then after his failure there headed to Kansas City and then down the western border of Missouri.
I was surprised to learn that my Wife's great grand father was in the 15th Missouri, Co. A. in fact just prior to that the entire company were Reve's Scouts (The Bushwackers at Marmaduke's Raid). I was most surprised to learn that he was captured at Pilot Knob over a month after Price had moved through. He was within 50 miles from home. Why didn't he follow Price? Why didn't he go home? I think he was done. Most likely lost his horse in the shelling from the horse. His unit went over Shepards Mountain and there is a "Smith" who was interviewed by Cyrus Peterson (Who wrote the book on Pilot Knob). He said the CS cannons had just arrived on top of the mountain and the officers were toasting themselves on a job well done. No sooner did they fire the first shot at the fort than all hell broke loose and the cannons and everyone around them were dead. Smith went on to say he didn't "give a damn and they could drink their whiskey in hell." for not offering him any because he had no water and his throat was dry. In short he was done and morale had to be low.
Accounts after the battle around Pilot Knob place lots of Confederate soldiers in the locality days after the battle. As Price went it appears that his army continured to splinter as it crossed the state. Certainly Price arrived down in Texas with an army but it was a skeleton of what it had been. Losing just about all his artillery. It was hard to replace arms and horses as they went.
Some of the men did take Federal Uniforms because they were cold and had nothing else to supply themselves with. However this seemed to come with dire consequences. Since bushwackers had been wearing Federal Uniforms regular soldiers were usually mistaken as bushwackers and simply shot down. This apparently happened to several of Prices soldiers when they tried to surrender during the battle of Mine Creek, KS.
Certainly bushwacking was rampant but don't forget that even the regular Confederate soldiers got caught in the mix too.
Frank Aufmuth
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