ear much hereafter--at
the head with his troop of Regular cavalry, and following him with a
battalion of Regulars under Capt. Frederick Steele--of whom we shall
also hear a great deal hereafter--and a section of Totten's Regular
Battery, he marched out the Cassville Road with his whole force and at
Dug Springs, 20 miles away, came up with McCulloch's advance, commanded
by Brig.-Gen. J. S. Rains, of the Missouri State Guards, of whom, too,
we shall hear much. Col. Mcintosh, McCulloch's adviser, was also on the
ground with 150 men.

Rains attempted to put into operation the tactics employed against Sigel
at Carthage, but Steele and Stanley were men of different temper, and
attacked him so savagely as to scatter his force in wild confusion.

Lyon marched forward to within six miles of the main Confederate
position, and lay there 24 hours, when, not deeming it wise to attack so
far from his base, retired unmolested to Springfield.

This startling aggressiveness quite overcame Gen. McCulloch, and
the conduct of the Missourians disgusted him. He was strong in his
denunciation of them and quite frank in his reluctance to attack
Gen. Lyon without further information as to "his position and
fortifications," and complained bitterly that he could get no
information as to the "barricades" in Springfield and other positions
he might encounter. He said that "he would not make a blind attack on
Springfield," and "would order the whole army back to Cassville rather
than bring on an engagement with an unknown enemy."

154

Gen. Price was strenuous in his insistence upon attack, and
finally McCulloch consented to meet all the general officers at his
headquarters. In the council McCulloch was plain in his unwillingness to
engage Lyon or to enter on any aggressive campaign, but Price, seconded
by Gens. Parsons, Bains, Slack and McBride, were most determined that
Lyon should be attacked at once, and declared that if McCulloch
would not do it he would resume command and fight the battle himself.
McCulloch finally yielded, and ordered a forward movement, and on
the morning of Aug. 6 the entire force was in camp along the bank of
Wilson's Creek, about six miles south of Springfield. This position
was taken largely because of its proximity to immense cornfields, which
would supply the troops and animals with food.

Wilson's Creek, rising in the neighborhood of Springfield, flows west
some five miles, and then runs south nine or 10 mile