home-guard organizations of the district. Squads of men were detached all along the Pacific railroad, to guard the bridges, and keep open communication; and from Rolla, the terminus of the road, Colonel Sigel marched his force to Springfield, and thence extended his line of operations westward to Sarcoxie. After the battle of Booneville, and when the forces of Jackson and Price were in full retreat toward the Arkansas border, all eyes were turned toward Colonel Sigel, then the only man in a position to intercept them, and news from his command was breathlessly expected from day to day. Throughout the state more was likely to be expected from him then than a calm review of his force would justify; for his whole command numbered less than three thousand men, and his line of operations was nearly three hundred miles in extent. Yet the bulk of his force was gathered to the west of Springfield, for there was evidently the critical point, and toward that point Major Sturgis pressed hurriedly forward with his Kansas men; and with his face turned that way, the earnest Lyon hurried the preparations for his march from Booneville. From Booneville, Jackson had retreated to Lexington, and every day contradictory reports of his movements reached Sigel. Now he had formed a junction with Price, with Rains, with Parsons, or with. M'Culloch, and his force was reported at every number from six hundred to ten thousand. Moreover, this united force was represented at various times to be upon every road by which it could possibly reach the Arkansas line. Sigel's duty to watch or intercept this body with such a part of his own command as he could have at any one place, was thus no light one; and still Lyon did not move, and Sturgis was heard from very far away.

Sigel, with only his own regiment, arrived in Sarcoxie on Friday, June 28th, at five P. M., and there learned certainly that Price, with between eight and nine hundred men, was encamped to the south of Neosho, twenty-two miles west of Sarcoxie; and that Jackson's troops, under command of Parsons, and another body, under General Rains, were to the north, near Lamar. He determined to march against Price, near Neosho, and to attack subsequently those to the north. He accordingly marched from Sarcoxie on the morning of the 29th; but, on the same morning, the rebel camp at Neosho was broken up, and the troops there stationed fled. Sigel then ordered the battalion of the fifth regiment, at Mount Vernon, under Colonel Salomons, to join him at Neosho; and as soon as they had arrived, he moved forward, leaving one company in Neosho, and on the evening of the 4th of July encamped on Spring River, one mile to the south-east of Carthage, the county seat of Jasper county. The troops had marched twenty miles that day. Colonel Sigel ascertained that Jackson, with four thousand men, was only nine miles distant, encamped on the prairie. His own force consisted of nine companies of the third regiment, seven companies of the fifth regimentin all nine hundred and fifty men-with two batteries of artillery, of four field

pieces each. With this force he moved, on the morning of July 5th, to attack the rebels. Dry Fork Creek was passed six miles north of Carthage, and after a further march of three miles, Jackson's force was found drawn up in order of battle, on an eminence which rises gradually from the creek, and is about a mile distant. Jackson's front presented three regiments, one regiment of cavalry being on each wing, and the centre being formed of infantry, cavalry, and two fieldpieces; other field-pieces were posted on the wings. The force in this line was computed at two thousand five hundred men. Behind it was a large force in reserve. Colonel Sigel detached one cannon, and an infantry company, to protect his baggage, three miles in the rear, and at about nine, A. M., opened fire with his artillery. The fire was promptly answered, and the rebel cavalry moved forward on his flanks, and threatened to turn them. Notwithstanding this movement, Colonel Sigel continued his fire until that of the enemy was sensibly weakened, when he ordered the guns to be advanced. Captain Wilkins, commander of one of the batteries, at this moment announced that his ammunition was exhausted. Both wings were also engaged with the rebel cavalry, and the loss of the entire baggage became imminent. A retreat toward Dry Fork Creek was accordingly ordered; and at that point, after a junction with the baggage-train, a stand was made for upwards of two hours, and a heavy loss inflicted upon the enemy. Meanwhile, the rebel cavalry had completely surrounded Colonel Sigel's command, and formed a line in his rear, on Buck Branch, a little creek which it was necessary that he should pass. At this point a feint was made toward either flank of the enemy's line, which drew his whole force into the road, and exposed it to the fire of the national artillery. One round was fired, and the infantry charged at double quick, and completely routed these two regiments. From this point the march was undisputed, until Sigel's command reached a ridge to the north of Carthage, on the Springfield road, where the enemy again took position. Here a severe fight occurred, the hardest of the day. The enemy was driven from his position, and the Union force obtained cover in a wood, which rendered the enemy's cavalry for the time useless. After the men were somewhat rested in the wood, the march was continued to Sarcoxie, which they reached at two, A. M., on the 6th. Reliable accounts represented the rebel loss on this day at three hundred and fifty men, while the whole loss in Sigel's command was but thirteen killed and thirty-one wounded.

Soon after the battle near Carthage, the whole Union force in Missouri subject to the command of General Lyon was concentrated at Springfield. While they remained there, the three months for which Colonel Sigel's regiment was enlisted expired, and he began to reorganize it for the war. Inspired by their whole association, and especially by the recent fight, with high admiration of and entire confidence in their colonel, six hundred of his men re-enlisted, and the

regiment was soon filled up by recruits from the neighborhood of Springfield and
from St. Louis. When, in the beginning of August, General Lyon left Spring-
field
upon
his first march in search of the rebel army, Colonel Sigel accompanied
him with a battalion of the third regiment, was present at the Dug Spring skir-
mish, and returned to Springfield with the general.

Lyon determined, on the 9th of August, to attack the rebels in their camp on Wilson's creek, and with this purpose divided his force into two columns: the right he commanded in person, and the command of the left was intrusted to Colonel Sigel. Sigel's division consisted of a battalion of the third regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Albert; a battalion of the fifth, under Colonel Salomon -only nine hundred men in the two battalions; six pieces of artillery, and two companies of cavalry of the United States army. It should be remembered that the men of the fifth regiment were on this occasion volunteers in a double sense, as the term of their enlistment had expired eight days before; and that the third regiment was composed in a great degree of recruits who were imperfectly drilled, and had never been under fire. Moreover, the field-pieces were not served by practiced artillerymen, but by men taken from the infantry regiments. Sigel's command left Camp Fremont, south of Springfield, at sunset on the 9th, and at daybreak on the 10th was within a mile of the south-eastern extremity of the enemy's camp. Here the advance was very slowly and carefully made, and a large number of prisoners was taken before the rebels had discovered the prox imity of the Union forces. Four pieces of artillery were planted on a hill in sight of the rebel camp, a line formed to support them, and when the firing announced that Lyon's attack had begun, the four pieces opened a very destructive fire. Under cover of this, the infantry advanced, drove out the enemy, and formed nearly in the centre of his camp; whereupon the artillery was also moved forward, and, after some minutes, the enemy was driven into the woods in confusion. In order to render all possible assistance to Lyon's attack, Colonel Sigel now advanced still more to the north-west-further, it is said, than had been contemplated in the plan of attack—and even received a very destructive fire from Totten's battery. Taking a position near a farmhouse, he formed his men across a road that he supposed the enemy would follow in retreat; and meanwhile the firing in Lyon's direction almost entirely ceased, and it was supposed that the attack had been successful. This was the state of affairs at half-past eight o'clock, when it was reported to Colonel Sigel by his skirmishers that "Lyon's men were coming up," along the very road which he had supposed the rebels would take, and the infantry and artillery were notified not to fire on men coming in that direction. Lyon's men were thus momentarily expected, when a strong column of infantry appeared; two batteries simultaneously opened fire on Sigel's men, and the infantry also. Great confusion spread in the national

4

ranks, and the cry was raised that Lyon's men were firing on them. Order could not be restored in time to avail, and the rebel infantry advanced to within ten paces of Sigel's guns, and killed the horses. Salomon's regiment broke, and could not be rallied; Sigel's also broke, but was partially rallied, and brought away one gun. Thus repulsed, Sigel could only make the best of his way to Springfield, which he did, and there formed a junction with the other column, learned of Lyon's death, and assumed the command as next in rank. Preparations were made the same night for a further retreat, and at daybreak on the 11th the whole command moved toward the Gasconade River, which, contrary to expectation, was reached without a fight. But before that river was passed, some question as to his actual rank was raised; and, though it was known that Sigel had then been confirmed a brigadier-general, the fact that he had not received his commission was insisted upon, and the command was assumed by Major Sturgis, of the United States army, who conducted the retreat to Rolla.

Franz Sigel received his commission as a brigadier-general of volunteers, August 17th. On the 19th he arrived in St. Louis, where he was enthusiastically received by his German fellow-citizens, upon whom his recent achievements had made a great impression. He remained in St. Louis several weeks, conferring with the commander of the department upon the various measures necessary for the march southward of a large force, and left that city to take command of the advance the largest division of Fremont's army-then posted at Georgetown and Sedalia. He arrived in Sedalia September 28th, and on October 13th marched from that place for Warsaw, "with sufficient force to open the way;" passed the Osage at Warsaw on the 16th, and reached Springfield, to the great joy of its inhabitants, October 27th. Sigel's command was at this time in splendid condition. To all the wants and grievances of his men he gave personal attention, mingled with them on the march and in camp, and cheered them through every difficulty. He was consequently a great favorite, and they were enthusiastically eager to follow him in the actual strife. But while the advance still remained at Springfield, General Fremont was removed from the command, his plan of campaign was abandoned, and Sigel with his brigade retraced his steps to Rolla. New measures were now inaugurated. General Hunter assumed the command, and we hear of activity in every part of the state, upon both sides; and the rebels are roughly handled in several places; Price again advances to the Osage, and again retires; but in all these movements we hear but little of Sigel. And thus it continued for the remainder of October, for November and December; and while all was movement, life, and triumph around him, he fretted in compulsory inactivity, till it seemed that he was forgotten, or that there was an intention to ignore his past services. From this state of affairs a rumor easily spread that it was his intention to resign his commission, and general

credence was given to it. "For a long time," said one of his friends, "things have looked as though the intention were to trifle with him. Where he sowed, where he was first in the field and was the first to strike, and while his name rang, like that of Mars, from every German lip throughout the Union, and helped to fill the camps, others are now to reap the harvest."

General Sigel did indeed feel that injustice had been done to him, and that he had been improperly interfered with in his command. Finally, it appeared to him impossible to retain his position under the circumstances and with a proper regard to his self-respect; and on the 31st of December, therefore, he tendered his resignation. General Halleck, to whom the resignation was sent, at St. Louis, did not, it is said, immediately forward it to Washington. General Sigel, when informed of this, reiterated the tender, January 14th, and demanded the immediate dispatch of his letter to head-quarters. He was, however, compelled on January 27th to tender his resignation for a third time, which was not accepted.