From, St. Louis to Belmont 35

During the month of December Generals Popeand Prentiss, with vigorous marching and skir-mishing, but without any serious engagement,restored the Federal authority in all the northernand central portions of Missouri . Price main-tained himself for a while at Springfield , but latein January, 1862, General Samuel Curtis movedagainst him with 12,000 men and 50 pieces ofartillery. On the approach of this force the Con­ federate general retreated into Arkansas , wherehe was once more joined by McCulloch, andboth were placed under the command of the ableand enterprising General Van Dorn . Curtis , anexcellent officer , pursued cautiously until hereached an eminence known as Pea Ridge, in theOzark Mountains . Here he waited Batt | e 0 fin a strong position, contenting him- Pea Ridge,self with observing the enemy, for his line of com-munications was already very long, and he couldnot safely penetrate farther into a hostile coun-try. He had left small detachments en echelonto protect his communications along the mainpost-road from Missouri which led to Fayetteville in Arkansas , and which was his only availableline of retreat. This left him just 10,250 menand 48 guns with which to meet the enemy. Van Dorn , having collected more than 20,000 men,besides 5000 civilized Choctaws and Cherokees