f Col. Aden Lowe, of the 3d Mo. State Guards, a prominent young
attorney and politician, to follow more slowly, Thompson pushed on with
500 mounted men, whom he calls "dragoons," made a wide circuit, and
struck the railroad north of Ironton at Big River Bridge, only about
40 miles from St Louis. He had made astonishing progress so far, and
jubilantly reported to Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, who had come to
Columbus to watch the movement, that his men were so anxious to fight
that he reached his objective point two days ahead of the appointed
time.

247

At the Big River Bridge he struck a small company of a somewhat noted
regiment, the 33d Ill. (the Normal Regiment), largely made up of
students and teachers in the Normal Institute of Illinois, who, despite
the disparity in numbers, gave him a sharp little fight, in which he
lost two killed and quite a number wounded. He reported having captured
45 prisoners, with a quantity of supplies, and succeeded in burning
the bridge across the river. While engaged in distributing the supplies,
another company of the 33d Ill., hearing the noise, came up to the
assistance of their comrades, and Thompson had another fight on his
hands, in which he admits he lost four men killed and quite a number
wounded, but insists that he "killed another lot of the enemy and took
10 prisoners." He said he "had the enemy terribly frightened," and that
if Albert Sidney Johnston had the rest of his men in striking distance
that he could take Ironton, with its 12,000,000 rations stored for the
Winter, in an hour.

Johnston transmitted Thompson's report to Richmond with a complimentary
indorsement. Thompson also reported having received several hundred
recruits and captured about 17,000 pounds of lead. These were destined
to be the last of his rejoicings for some time.

Thompson sent word to all the commanders of Confederate forces in the
neighborhood to join in his attack on Ironton, promising them victory
and unlimited spoils.

Gen. Grant ordered Col. Carlin to move forward with his force from Pilot
Knob and attack Thompson's main body, which was then in the neighborhood
of Fredericktown. He also ordered Col. J. B. Plum-mer to march from Cape
Girardeau, strike at Thompson's line of retreat, and endeavor to capture
his whole force.

248

Thompson had cunningly magnified the number of his troops, and Plummer
and Carlin were both impressed with the idea that he had somewhere in
the neighbo