und the left flank. He quickly decided that the "position was
not tenable," and fell back still more, "when the officers assured me
that the men were in such condition that it would be worse than useless
to bring them into acton again that day." Such is the demoralization of
"standing around."

Finally, it occurred to him to take what troops he could gather and join
Gen. Van Dorn, whose cannon had been thundering two or three miles
away all this time. First, however, he decided to march them back some
distance to a creek, "where they could all get a drink, and join Gen.
Van Dorn in the morning."

Col. E. Greer, 3d Tex. Cav., who became the senior officer of
McCulloch's Division, reported that he gathered up fragments of
regiments to the number of 3,000 after the casualties to his superiors,
and being informed that Gen. Pike had left the field with the remainder
of the command, retired some distance, sending word to Gen. Van Dorn
that, unless he ordered otherwise, he would march to join him at 1:30 in
the morning. Van Dorn approved of this.

330

The night of March 7 closed down with a tumult of widely-varying
emotions in the 33,000 men who joined battle in the morning. All of
Gen. Pike's Indians, except a portion of Col. Standwaitie's regiment
of Cherokee half-breeds, and several thousand whites were rushing off
toward the Arkansas River at full speed. The remnant of McCulloch's
Division, which Col. Greer had rallied, and which had some fight left
in it, unutterably weary, hungry and depressed, bivouacked near the
battlefield, awaiting Van Dora's orders. Price's Missourians, who were
no less weary and hungry than their comrades, from a night of severest
marching and a day of sharp fighting, camped on the ground which they
had wrung from Carr's Division by seven hours of bitter struggling and
the cost of a number of prominent officers and several hundred men.
Their success, though dearly bought, was sufficient to encourage them.
They had captured several hundred prisoners and two pieces of artillery.
They had driven Carr's Division back a quarter of a mile, were across
the Union line of retreat, and Van Dorn had his headquarters at Elkhorn
Tavern.

331

Price had greatly endeared himself to his troops by his conduct during
the day. He was everywhere at the front, leading and encouraging his
men, and though wounded in the arm had refused to quit the field. His
generalship was not so conspicuous as his soldiers