ment.

Still, Rosecrans, without encouragement from Washington, prosecuted his investigations; and, upon evidence that, at a recent meeting of one of the lodges aforesaid, a resolve . had been offered, and laid over, to commence operations in St. Louis by assassinating the provost-marshal and attempting to seize the department headquarters, he arrested the State commander, deputy commandcr, grand secretary, lecturer, and some 30 or 40 leading members of the secret organization, and lodged them in prison.

The State commander aforesaid being the Belgian Consul at St. Louis, Rosecrans soon received, by telegraph from the War Department, an order to liberate him, with which he declined to comply; representing that it would not have been given had the Government been in possession of the facts known to him, and which he had dispatched by a trusty hand to Washington. And, that evidence having been received and read by the President, the order of release

was countermanded.

The urgent exactions of the public service in other quarters having stripped Missouri of nearly or quite all troops but her own militia, Rosecrans sought and obtained authority to raise ten regiments of twelvemonths' men for the exigency; when a Rebel outbreak occurred in Platte county, in the north-west, quickly

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followed by guerrilla outrages and raids in the western river counties. These were but forerunners of the long meditated Rebel invasion, whereof Gen. Washburne, commanding at Memphis, gave the first distinct warning; apprising Rosecrans that Shelby, then at Batesville, northwestern Arkansas, was about to be joined by Price; when the advance would begin. Gen. A. J. Smith was then passing up the river to röenforce Sherman in northern Georgia, when he was halted" at Cairo by order from Halleck, and sent to St. Louis to strengthen Rosecrans.

Price entered south-eastern Missouri by way of Poplar bluffs and Bloomfield; advancing unresisted to Pilot Knob, where he was first withstood by a brigade, commanded by Gen. Hugh S. Ewing. Here were Eort Davidson and some other rude works; and Ewing made an obstinate stand, inflicting a loss of not less than 1,000 men on the raiders, while his own was but about 200. Still, as Price had not less than 10,000 men against 1,200, and as a day's desultory fighting had given the enemy possession of some of the steep hills overlooking the fort, Ewingwho had signally repulsed two assaults-wisely decided not to await inevitable capture, but, spiking his heavy guns and blowing up his magazine, escaped during the night; taking the road westward to Rolla through Caledonia and Websterhis more natural line of retreat on Mineral Point and Potosi being already in the enemy's possession. At Webster, he turned abruptly north, and struck the South-western Railroad at Harrison; having made 66

This bold stroke ought to have insured the destruction of at least half the Rebel army, which an overwhelming Union force was now moving to inclose and crush. But A. J. Smith was stopped, with our supplies, at the Lamine, where the enemy had burned the railroad bridge; and where Mower joined him: when, taking five days' rations, Smith advanced" to Dunksburg; Pleasanton, with our cavalry, including Mower's, under Winslow, being well advanced, on a line stretching northward from Warrensburg.

The enemy was north-west of this, and seemed disposed to stay there: his advance reaching Lexington, driving Gen. Blunt with a force from Kansas, who, after a sharp skirmish, retreated on Independence. Rosecrans, learning this by telegraph, directed" Pleasanton, who had been demonstrating toward Waverly, to move in force on Lexington, ordering Smith to follow; and both, of course, obeyed.

These orders seem to have been mistakes-very natural, perhaps, but not the less unfortunate. It is not easy to overtake an army mainly mounted, which lives off the country, has few guns, and burns every bridge behind it; but our only chance of crushing so nimble an adversary, lay

him as he attempted to pass; and it matters not whether he had been drawn so far northward in quest of food or in order to double on his pursuers. When Pleasanton's advance, under McNeil and Sanborn, reached " Lexington, the enemy had left, moving rapidly westward, and at the Little Blue striking Blunt's Kansas division, of which Gen. Curtis had now assumed command, in such force as compelled him, after a few hours' conflict, being flanked, to fall back to the Big Blue, where he took up a strong position. Rosecrans, presuming that Curtis could hold his ground, ordered Pleasanton to send McNeil, with a brigade only, on the track of the enemy, and, with his remaining cavalry, move southward, to Lone Jack; whither Smith, with his infantry, was now hastening from his false move to Lexington.

These orders seem to have been contingent, and, at any rate, were not obeyed. Pleasanton, with all his cavalry, pressed on the track of the flying enemy; reaching the Little Blue at 10 A. M., only to find the bridge destroyed and the enemy's rear-guard rather stubborn beyond it; he driving them steadily till nightfall; when Independence was taken by a brilliant cavalry charge-Cutherwood's regiment capturing two guns -Pleasanton following sharply, after dispatching McNeil, with his brigade, to Little Santa Fé, to intercept the enemy, and telegraphing Rosecrans, "Let Smith come to this place." Hereupon, Rosecrans--"reluctantly," as he very naturally says

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reached Smith that night at Chapel Hill, just as he was putting his column in motion southward, and sent

it westward instead.

Next morning, Pleasanton pressed on to the crossing of the Big Blue; where he found the enemy's main body - which, the day before, had fought Curtis, but had not moved him-prepared for resistance. The fight opened at 7 A. M., and was maintained with spirit on both sides till 1 r. M., when the Rebels decamped were "routed and fled southward," says Rosecrans; though they would of course use different terms in describing the matter. They went, however, beyond doubt; eagerly pursued by Pleasanton and Curtis beyond Little Santa Fé.

Smith, with 9,000 infantry and five batteries, reached Independence at 5 P. M.; when his weary men were forthwith put in motion for Hickman's mills, where it was hoped he would strike the flank of the flying foe. But it was too late. His false moves (through no fault of his own) to Lexington and to Independence, had opened a door of escape to Price, which he was too good a general not to profit by; and he was too fleet and too far ahead to be henceforth overtaken by infantry.

Curtis, with his Kansas men, took the lead in the pursuit; but soon gave place to Pleasanton's horsemen; who, after a march of 60 miles, struck them about midnight at the Maraisdes-Cygnes, opening upon their bivouac at 4 A. M.," with artillery; setting them at once in motion, and chasing them to the Little Osage, where they turned to fight, display

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Pleasanton at once ordered a charge by Benteen's and Phillips's brigades, which was superbly made, and resulted in the capture of their 8 guns and 1,000 prisoners, including Maj.Gen. Marmaduke, Brig. Gen. Cabell, and five Colonels, beside small arms, wagons, colors, &c.

Sanborn's brigade--which was considerably behind-now came up and took the lead; and, when the enemy again made a stand, a few miles farther south, routed them, and drove them till night stopped the pursuit. The burning wrecks of wagons and other materiel marked their course for miles farther; but most of our nearly broken-down cavalry, with all our infantry, was here judiciously halted: Pleasanton turning to Fort Scott for needful food and rest; and Smith moving to Harrisonville with the same purpose.

Blunt, with his Kansas men and Benteen's brigade, followed by Sanborn, kept the trail of the flying foe; striking" them at Newtonia, near the south-west corner of the State, and, being outnumbered, was evidently getting worsted, when Sanborn-who had marched 102 miles in 36 hourscame up, and changed the fortunes of the cay. The Rebels resumed their flight-having little left to lose but their bodies and their worn-out horses - and escaped into western Arkansas.

Gen. Curtis followed, but did not again overtake them till he reached Fayetteville, Ark., where Col. Larue Harrison, 1st Arkansas cavalry, had been invested" by Col. Brooks, with some 2,000 Rebels; who was held at bay until Fagan's division of Price's