in Virginia. Colonel Buchell had served in the Prussian
army, and was an instructed soldier. Three days after he joined me, he
was mortally wounded in action, and survived but a few hours. I sat
beside him as his brave spirit passed away. The old "Fatherland" sent no
bolder horseman to battle at Rossbach or Gravelotte.

During this long retreat of two hundred miles from the banks of the
Atchafalaya to Mansfield, I had been in correspondence with General
Kirby Smith at Shreveport, and always expressed my intention to fight as
soon as reenforcements reached me. General Kirby Smith thought that I
would be too weak to meet the enemy, even with all possible
reenforcements, and suggested two courses: one, to hold the works at
Shreveport until he could concentrate a force to relieve me; the other,
to retire into Texas and induce the enemy to follow us.

My objection to the first suggestion was, that it would result in the
surrender of the troops and Shreveport, as it would be impossible to
raise a new force for their relief; and to the second, that its
consequences would be quite as disastrous as a defeat, as it would be an
abandonment of Louisiana and southern Arkansas. The men from these
States might be expected to leave us, and small blame to them; while
from the interior of Texas we could give no more aid to our brethren on
the east of the Mississippi than from the Sandwich Islands. General
Kirby Smith did not insist on the adoption of either of his own
suggestions, nor express an approval of mine; but when Mansfield was
reached, a decision became necessary.

Three roads lead from this place to Shreveport, the Kingston, Middle,
and Keachi. The distance by the first, the one nearest to the valley of
Red River, is thirty-eight miles; by the second, forty; and by the
third, forty-five. From Keachi, five and twenty miles from Mansfield and
twenty from Shreveport, roads cross the Sabine into Texas. Past
Mansfield, then, the enemy would have three roads, one of which would be
near his fleet on the river, and could avail himself of his great
superiority in numbers. This was pointed out to the "Aulic Council" at
Shreveport, but failed to elicit any definite response.

On the 21st of March there had reached Shreveport, from Price's command
in Arkansas, two brigades of Missouri infantry and two of Arkansas,
numbering together forty-four hundred muskets. These troops I had
repeatedly asked for, but they were retained at Shreveport