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326

THE PEA RIDGE CAMPAIGN.

stay where we were, and took thenecessary precautions to make ourposition secure. To conceal it asmuch as possible, no camp-fires wereallowed, and the troops lay silentlyon the field resting on their arms.

Between 12 and 1 o’clock the out-posts reported some noise at a dis-tance from our left, as if troops weremoving toward the north-east. Itherefore went out with one of mystaff-officers as far as our line of out-posts, and remained there about halfan hour, but could hear nothing. I,however, saw distinctly the camp-firesof Price ’s troops extending from theheights near Elkhorn Tavern far downtoward the south-east. Toward thewest and south-west the sky was illu-mined by two large, isolated camp-fires, one about midway between Elk-horn Tavern and Leetown, and theother four or five miles farther off inthe direction of Bentonville . This, inconnection with what we had seen during the afternoon, when some of theenemy’s troops were moving along the heights of Pea Ridge toward Elk-horn Tavern, and others toward the south-west, and with what the outpostshad reported, made it clear to my mind that the enemy would not venturebattle again near Leetown, but that McCulloch’s troops would join thoseof Price , and by a united effort try to overwhelm our right wing at Elk-horn Tavern. For this reason, and to give our worn-out and hungry troopssomething to eat, good camp-fires and rest, I resolved to withdraw themfrom their position, move them back to our camp, and lead them forwardagain in the morning to the same ground, to fall upon the enemy’s right flankand rear, as soon as he should begin his attack. Leaving the Benton Hussarsand a line of outposts with a reserve of infantry on the field, to guard ourposition, I marched off from the left, called in all the detachments fromwherever they were, and formed the two divisions in such a manner on theroad leading from my headquarters to the ground we had left, that, by reach-ing it with the head of our column, we could bring it in the shortest possibletime on the right into line, and come into action at the very moment the firstregiment and battery had taken their position. All these preparations werecompleted before daybreak of the 8th.

During the night of the 7th the division of Colonel Davis had been calledin by General Curtis from Leetown, and in the morning it took positionon the Telegraph road, in place of Carr’s division, which had borne the brunt

BRIGADIER-GENERAL JAMES MCINTOSH.PROM A PHOTOGRAPH.