A correspondent of the Chicago Tribune, writing from Cassville, Mo., under date of March 2, gives the following incidents of the chase after Price, which terminated in such a glorious victory:
While the troops were thus eking out a precarious existence, "living off the country " on scanty gleanings from fields where Price and McCulloch had previously reaped an ample harvest, an important seizure of confederate flour and salt was effected by Corporal Bennett, of Company E of the 36th, at Neutonia, in Missouri. He had been on duty in the topographical office at Department Headquarters, and was not relieved and allowed to proceed to the regiment until it was far on its way to Arkansas. Hastening through Missouri to join his command, he was requested by Lieut. Col. Holland, commanding the post at Cassville, to lead a party to Neutonia to capture stores, which Price, in his inordinate haste, had allowed to remain under the watchful surveillance of sympathizing citizens. Detachments from the garrison at Cassville were scattered over the country guarding mills and points which were of interest to hold, until there was not a commissioned officer or a dozen men remaining for duty at the post, and no one whatever with whom he could entrust such an undertaking.
Private Edwards, of Company D, also on his way to join the command, was induced to accompany the expedition, which, with a squad of a dozen "Home Guards," constituted the escort for the train of ten wagons, which reached Neutonia in one day from Cassville, a distance of forty miles. These wagons with eleven others pressed from citizens, were loaded with flour and salt, amounting to more than thirty tons, and in two days thereafter the whole was brought in safety to Cassville. This helped materially to relieve the pressing needs of the army.
SOURCE: L. G. Bennett and William M. Haigh, History of the Thirty-Sixth Illinois Volunteers, During the War of the Rebellion (1876), pages 122-123.
A correspondent of the Chicago Tribune, writing from Cassville, Mo., under date of March 2, gives the following incidents of the chase after Price, which terminated in such a glorious victory:
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. . . .[Lt. Col. Holland] had been informed that PRICE had stored at the Newtonia Mill, twenty-five miles north of this place 500 sacks of flour which he had caused to be manufactured expressly for his army, but in his head long retreat had been unable to take them along. On Tuesday morning Col. HOLLAND sent Lieut. MOORE with two wagons, all he could raise, and an escort of about fifty men, with orders to seize on the flour, and wagons and teams enough to transport it to Cassville. At the Gadfly Mill, ten miles out, which the Government is running for the army at present -- one of the teams was loaded with 3,000 pounds of flour and returned.
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In the evening Lieut. MOORE and command came in from Newtonia with 40,000 pounds of PRICE'S flour and 2,000 pounds of his salt, leaving nearly as much more in a place where we shall be sure to get it in a day or two.
SOURCE: New York Times, March 16, 1862. Scott Carson brought this item to my attention. The complete NY Times article is here.
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