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Governor Oliver P. Morton, of Indiana , answering my urgent request fortroops, telegraphed that if leave were granted from Washington he would sendfive regiments made up of river boatmen, well adapted for the Mississippiexpedition. In answer to my request they were ordered to me. But theorder was changed, and instead of joining me they were sent to GeneralRobert Anderson, then in command at Louisville . The same day I askedSenator Latham, at Washington, to aid my application for three thousandmen from California, to be placed at El Paso, to operate against Texas troopsmoving into Arkansas. On the 5th Marsh reported from Girardeau that theenemy was close upon him, 5000 strong, and would attack him before morning.At midnight a heavy battery of 6 twenty-four-pounders and 1000 men wereembarked to his aid under experienced officers, and Prentiss further reenforcedhim from below the same morning.
On the 6th General Scott telegraphed me that he had ordered all thetroops out of New Mexico , and directed me to confer immediately with thegovernor of Kansas, and arrange for the safety of New Mexico , sending tworegiments u without delay,” as the first detachment would leave on the 15th.
On the 9th I informed the Government that the greater part of the oldtroops were going out of service, while the new levies, totally unacquaintedwith the rudiments of military training, would be unmanageable before anenemy. Therefore, I asked authority from the President to collect through-out the states educated officers who had seen service. With them I couldmake a framework on which to organize an army. My request was granted,and I acted upon it at once.
On the 10th Prentiss reported from Cairo that the enemy were again con-centrating and intrenching at New Madrid about ten thousand strong.
Before my arrival at St. Louis General Lyon had borne a decisive andimportant part in Missouri. Together with Francis P. Blair , the younger, hehad saved Missouri from secession. For this reason I had left his movementsto his own discretion, but had myself made every possible effort to reenforcehim. The defeat at Bull Run had made a change in affairs from that whichwas existing when General Lyon left Boonville for Springfield on the 5th ofJuly. To any other officer in his actual situation, I should have issued per-emptory orders to fall back upon the railroad at Rolla .
On the 6th I had sent an officer by special engine to Rolla , with dispatchesfor Lyon, and for news of him. In his letter of August 9th, the day beforethe battle, Lyon states, in answer to mine of the 6th, that he was unable todetermine whether he could maintain his ground or would have to retire. Ata council of war a fortnight before the battle, the opinion of his officers wasunanimous for retreating upon Rolla .
On the 13th news reached me of the battle fought at Wilson’s Creek onthe 10th between about 6000 Union troops, under Lyon, and a greatly superiorforce under Price and McCulloch. I was informed that General Lyon had beenkilled, and that the Union troops under Sigel were retreating unmolested uponRolla . In telegraphing a report of the battle to Washington, I informed theDepartment of the need of some organized force to repel the enemy, reported