by
Lane withdrawing his forces to Fort Scott. The next day, leaving Col.
Jennison with 400 cavalry in Fort Scott, Lane crossed the Little Osage
and threw up fortifications on its banks to oppose Price's further
advance and give him battle should he attempt to move into Kansas.

Gen. Price declined to fight him in his chosen position, but drew his
forces together and started to execute his cherished plan of advancing
to the Missouri River and forming connection there with the troops
which Gens. Harris and Green had been raising in northern Missouri, not
seriously molested in their work by the Union forces under Gens.
Pope and Sturgis. The action at Dry Wood was made the most of by the
Secessionists, who claimed a defeat for the terror-striking "Jim" Lane.
The casualties were insignificant for the forces engaged, as there were
but five killed and 12 wounded on the Union side, and four killed and 16
wounded on the Confederate.

203

It was feared that after Gen. Price had moved forward to the Missouri
River McCulloch would come up from Arkansas and take Fort Scott, which
he had been authorized to do by the Confederate Secretary of War;
but McCulloch seems to have had other ideas, and spent the weeks in
inaction.

The situation of the Union men of southwest Missouri became gloomy in
the extreme. The whole country was overrun with guerrilla bands hunting
down the Union men, and not infrequently shooting them on sight.

Gen. Fremont had seriously alarmed Polk, Pillow and Thompson by his
showy reinforcement of Cairo with 3,800 men. Though Pillow was reputed
to have about 20,000 troops at his disposal, he was seized with a great
fear, wrote to Hardee at Pocahontas urging him to come to his help, and
limited the sphere of the operations of his dashing lieutenant, M. Jeff
Thompson. Maj.-Gen. Polk seems to have also been deeply impressed,
for he wrote to Pillow urging him to put his troops in trenches in the
neighborhood of New Madrid, strongly fortify that place and stretch a
chain across the river to prevent the passage of gunboats.

Then Polk had another tremor, and ordered Pillow to evacuate New Madrid
at once, taking his men and heavy guns across the river to the strong
works of Fort Pillow. Pillow, however, as insubordinate and self-seeking
as he had been in the Mexican War, and thirsting for the distinction of
taking Cape Girardeau, did not obey his superior's orders, but retained
his forces at New Madrid. He had