h was not
included--was headed by a mysterious "Adlatus,"--a title before unknown
in America or to the dictionaries, and since retired to oblivion.
Naturally, the Adlatus's command of English was limited. His knowledge
of Missouri was even more so. Though commanding Missouri and dealing
intensely with Missouri affairs, the men surrounding Fremont were
everything but Missourians or those acquainted with Missouri affairs. It
would have been surprising to find one of them who could bound the State
and name its principal rivers.

This, too, in the midst of a multitude of able, educated, influential
Missourians who were ardent Unionists and were burning with zeal to
serve the cause. Not one of them appears in the Fremont entourage.

219

Gens. Pope, Sturgis, Jeff C. Davis, Hunter,--all Regulars and trained
to war; Sigel, with his profound theoretical knowledge and his large
experience; Curtis, lately returned to the Army with his military
training supplemented by wide experience in civil life; Hurlbut, the
brilliant orator and politician, were all busily engaged in something
or other that kept them from interfering with Price while he lingered on
the Missouri River gathering up recruits and stripping the Union farmers
of that rich agricultural region of cattle and grain sufficient to feed
his army during the coming Winter, and of horses and wagons to haul off
his spoils and thoroly equip his army with transportation.

The only really soldierly thing done at this time was by the "political
General,"--the erratic, demagogic, trumpet-sounding "Jim" Lane. He
was commanding men who had come out from home to do something toward
fighting the war and not to stay in camp and be drilled into automatons.
He could only maintain his hold on them and his ascendency in Kansas
politics by action.

Learning that Price had left a large stock of ammunition at the
important little town of Osceola, the head of navigation on the Osage
River, under strong guard, Lane led his brigade a swift march from
Kansas upon the town, and succeeded in surprising the garrison, which,
after a brief resistance, retreated and left it to Lane's mercy,
whereupon he proceeded to not only destroy the very considerable
quantity of stores which Price had accumulated there, but to burn down
the town. This was an exceedingly ill-advised ending to a piece of
brilliant soldiership, because not only was it injustice to an enemy,
but it was a severe blow upon Union m