NEWS OF 150 YEARS AGO
November/December 1861
From The Missouri Democrat, Wednesday, November 6, 1861.
RELIABLE ACCOUNTS FROM PRICE’S HEADQUARTERS.
A Junction formed with McCulloch.
THE REBEL ARMY ABOUT 20,000 STRONG.
Fresh Supplies of Clothing, Medicines, &c.
Rifled Cannon Expected to Arrive.
THE RUMP LEGISLATURE IN SESSION AT NEOSHO.
Rebel Bands Forming in the Interior.
THE REBELS WILL MAKE A STAND AT NEOSHO.
PRICE THE GREATEST GENERAL IN THE WORLD.
CHARITON COUNTY, MO., Oct. 30, 1861.
[Special Dispatch to the Missouri Democrat.]
Editors Missouri Democrat:
Judge M. C. Hunt, a prominent citizen of this county, reached home yesterday, direct from Gen. Price’s headquarters. He brings news of interest.
He left Price’s camp at Neosho, on Wednesday morning, 23d. Price and McCulloch were both in camp, having united their forces, making an army of from 27,000 to 35,000 strong-about 30,000 Judge Hunt thinks.
Price had received a large supply of clothing, medicines, &c., and some arms. His rifled cannon had not yet reached him, but were expected Sunday night. They were en route, under charge of Gen. Geo. B. Clark, who had sent runners forward to announce his approach.
The Legislature was in session at Neosho, but lacked four of having a quorum. They were expected.
Price gives out that he will make a stand at Neosho and wait for Fremont a reasonable time. He expects to whip Fremont easy, and then take up the line of march for your city, or Central Missouri, and go into winter quarters.
I was down at Glasgow yesterday, and saw several squads of soldiers crossing the river, bound for Price. One squad was composed of a Colonel, a Major, a Captain and three other officers whose rank I could not learn.
Major John B. Clark (son of the old filibuster) is in Howard county with about one hundred men, and is about setting out for Price, some say, while others assert he is going into the guerrilla line on this side of the river.
There are quite a number of soldiers in Howard, Chariton, Randolph and Boone, and the quiet, orderly people expect some trouble from them. A company of jayhawkers was recently raised in this and the upper part of Howard county, for the purpose of attacking Col. Morgan, at Laclede. They have not returned, and I hope not, until they got well jayhawked themselves.
Judge Hunt met with no trouble coming in, and I suppose Price’s soldiers who have been running at large since the battle of Lexington, will start back to their rebel chief. May they get there by the way of the St. Louis Arsenal, is the best luck I wish them.
Gen. Price’s friends here predict that he will be made a Major General, and placed in command of all the Confederate forces west of the Mississippi.
It is confidently predicted that the rump Legislature will confirm Jackson’s declaration of independence, and then Missouri will be a part of Dixie-in a horn!
Union men in central Missouri are growing stronger since the attempt of the Confederates to COERCE Kentucky out of the Union, as well as their own State; and now that the work of coercion has been fairly inaugurated, they stand or fall by it, while their prayer is for the ascendancy of the good old STARS AND STRIPES.
