THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR IN MISSOURI.

267

FAC-SIMILE OF WAR SCRIP ISSUED BY THE CONFEDERATE LEGISLATURE OF MISSOURI .

Tahm0>1£l 1862 ..... Corn'

?}*PSiE#ERS!

? ficSs ru 1 S" A.

imass*

VABl t~ IN 'PAYMENT OF

TAT

Blair and Lyon would quickly attack them. Some well-meaning gentlemen,who vainly imagined that Missouri could maintain her neutrality in the midstof war, now sought to establish a truce between Price and Lyon. Throughthem a conference was agreed upon, and the Governor and General Price cameto St. Louis under Lyon’s safe conduct. They met him and Blair at the Planters’House. Lyon was accompanied by his aide-de-camp, Major Horace A. Conant,and I was present as the Governor’s aide. The interview, which lasted severalhours, was at last terminated by Lyon’s saying that he would see every man,woman, and child in Missouri under the sod before he would consent that theState should dictate to “his Government” as to the movement of its troopswithin her limits, or as to any other matter however unimportant. “This,”said he, “means war. One of my officers will conduct you out of my lines inan hour.” So saying, he left without another word, without even a salutation.

He had hardly left us when he was issuing orders for the movement of histroops. Sweeny and Sigel were sent with about 3000 men to the south-westto intercept the retreat of Jackson and Price if they should undertake toeffect a junction with General Ben. McCulloch, who was believed to be con-centrating a Confederate army in north-western Arkansas for the invasion ofMissouri. Lyon would himself move up the Missouri after Jackson.

The conference was held on the 11th of June. On the 13th Lyon wason his way to Jefferson City with about 2000 men. Arriving there the nextday, he found that the Governor had fled to Boonville. Leaving a garrisonat Jefferson City , he pushed on to Boonville, where some 1300 militia had ren-dezvoused. Attacking these on the 17th, he dispersed them and drove theGovernor southward with some two or three hundred men who still adheredto him and to the cause which he represented. General Price had meanwhilegone to Lexington, where several thousand militia had assembled.

Prom a military standpoint the affair at Boonville was a very insignificantthing, but it did in fact deal a stunning blow to the Southern-rights men of