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LIFE
OF
GENERAL NATHANIEL LYON.
BY
ASHBEL WOODWARD, M. D.
HARTFORD:
PUBLISHED BY CASE, LOCKWOOD & CO.,
1862.




Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1862, by
ASHIBEL WOODWARD,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Connecticut.




TO
THIS WORK
IS SINCERELY INSCRIBED,
AS A TRIBUTE
TO PATRIOTISM, INTEGRITY, AND DISTINGUISHED ATTAINMENTS,
AND
A1E MEMOR ILAI
OF OLD AND UNLNTERRUPTED FRIENDSHIP.








PREFACE.
SHORTLY after the fall of General Lyon at the battle
of Wilson's Creek, the writer was requested by the relatives of the deceased to prepare an account of his life and
services for publication. For this purpose journals, letters,
and numerous other papers written by Gen. Lyon, were
placed at his disposal.
The present work, however imperfectly executed, has
been-in all respects a labor of love. Gen. Lyon's purity
of character, his honesty of purpose, and unfaltering devotion to the honor and welfare of his country, will render
his name and memory ever precious to his countrymen.
No one can become familiar with the life of Nathaniel
Lyon, without feeling that in his death the Nation lost one
of her noblest as well as bravest sons.
Lyon began his military career by taking an active part
in the most vigorous and toilsome campaign of the Seminole war. We have described the difficulties and incidents
of the struggle in general terms, as best showing what he
and his comrades were called to endure while hunting the
savages through those pathless wilds.
Gen. Lyon left a large amount of manuscripts relating
to the Mexican war, upon which we have drawn freely.
Numerous extracts have been made from his notes, and
much use has been made of his descriptions of the battles,
the people, and the country.




vi                   PREFACE.
The writer would here tender his thanks to the birothers
and sisters of Gen. Lyon, for the promptitude with which
they have furnished valuable papers and information.
Thanks are especially due to Capt. Miner Knowlton,
U. S. A., and Danford Knowlton, Esq., cousins of Gen.
Lyon, for their zealous and active co-operation.
Dr. G. G. Lyon, now surgeon of the "Lyon Regiment,"
3d Missouri Volunteers, kindly forwarded to the writer
numerous printed documents relating to the campaign in
Missouri during the summer of 1861.
Many others also have furnished valuable assistance, to
whom the writer would here express his obligations.
FRANKLIN, CoNN., March 26th, 1862.




TABLE OF CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Sorrow of the nation at the death of Gen. Lyon —His important services in Missouri.-Moral value of the early Union victories in Missouri.-Obligations of a nation to the memory of
her heroes.-Ancestry of Gen. Lyon.-His paternal grandfather,
Ephraim Lyon.-Anecdote of.-His father, Amasa Lyon.-Anecdote of.-Maternal ancestry.-Col. Thomas Knowlton.-Lieut.
Daniel Knowlton.-Anecdotes of.-Birth of Nathaniel Lyon.His zeal and industry as a school-boy.-Graduation at the Brown
School-house. -Adventures at the Brooklyn Academy. —Remarks
on a newspaper statement.-Lyon enters the Military Academy
at West Point.-Extracts from his correspondence.-The "' Calculus."- " Drawing." —Fancy Ball.-Graduation at West Point.
-Promoted Second Lieutenant, Second Infantry,          13
CHAPTER II.
Lyon joins the second regiment of infantry in Florida.-Nature of the war.-Origin of the Seminoles.-Their character.Causes of Hostilities.-The determination of the settlers to dispossess the owners of the soil.-.Appointment of commissioners.
Interview between the commissioners and chiefs at Fort Mioultrie.-The treaty of September 18th, 1823.-Hardships imposed
upon the Indians.-Treaty of Payne's Landing.-Additional
treaty signed at Fort Gibson.-The immediate consequences.Oceola.-Indian  cruelties.-Mistakes of the government.



viii                 CONTENTS.
Physical aspect of the country.-Indian method of fighting.Protraction of the war.-Causes: contractors, friendly negroes,
Spaniards.-Lyon's company start to hunt Halleck-Tustenuggee. —HALLECK-TusTENuGGEE. — Persisient efforts of the second
infantry to capture this chief. —Powis Fixico: almnost captured
by Lyon.-Battle at Ahapopka Lake.-Halleck  voluntarily
comes to Col. Worth's camp.-Visits Fort King.-Capture of
the gang by stratagem.-Lyon leaves Florida,.      33
CHAPTER III.
Lyon at Sacket's Harbor. —Use of leisure hours.-His views
on the annexation of Texas.-Second infantry sent to Mexico.Lyon's march from Camargo to Monterey and thence to Tampico, with extracts from his journal.-Positions and plans of the
American army at the time.-Sails to Vera Cruz.-Landing of
the troops. —Investment of the city. —Its difficulties.-Bombardment of the town.-Its surrender.-Part taken by Lyon's regiment.-March from Vera Cruz.-Extracts from Lyon's journal.
-BATTLE OF CERRO GORDO,...             61
CHAPTER IV.
Arrival at Jalapa.-Lyon's impressions of the country. —Advance from Jalapa.-Extracts from Lyon's journal.-Arrival at
Puebla.-The city.-Losses of the American army from disease,
&c.-Its perilous situation.-Arrival of re-inforcements.-Advance from Puebla.-Lyon's journal.-The valley of Mexico.Its defenses, natural and artificial.-March around Lake Chalco.
-Defenses south of the city.-March across the Pedregal or
field of lava.-BATTLE OF CONTRERAS.-Cnr.ERUBUSCO.-Comments
of Lieut. Lyon on the action.-Lyon's promotions for meritorious
conduct in these two engagements....  91




CONTENTS.                        ix
CHAPTER V.
The armistice.-Lyon's opinion of it.-Lyon's comments on
the engagement at Molino del Rey.-Chapultepec.-Entry into
the city.-Lyon wounded.-Lyon joins an escort for Vera Cruz.
The route.-Puebla.-Santa Anna's operations there. —Santa
Anna's overthrow.-Lyon's comments on the recklessness of
the Americans; on affairs at Vera Cruz.-Return to the city of
Mexico.-Lyon's account of the quarrel among the American
generals in Mexico.-Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.-PEACE.The army starts for Vera Cruz.-Lyon's comments on the Mexican people,......      121
CHAPTER VI.
Embarkation at Vera Cruz.-Arrival at New Orleans and subsequent movements.-Passage up the Mississippi.-Lyon revisits the east.-Rejoins his regiment at New York.-Departure
for California.-Rio Janeiro.-Hospitable entertainment.-Lyon's description of Rio Janeiro.-Cape Horn. —Valparaiso. —
Fourth of March.-Mr. Polk.-Gen. Taylor. —Arrival in California.-Wonderful development of the territory. —Heterogeneous character of the population.-Struggle in the territory between virtue and vice.-Final triumph of order.-Its lesson of
encouragement.-" Manifest Destiny." —Hardships of military
service in California.-Universality of desertions.-Gen. Smith's
views.-Strength of the gold mania.-Capt. Lyon's company
embark for San Diego.-Hardships to which Lyon was subjected
in California.-His energy and success.-The United States and
the Indians.-San Diego. —Lyon's first experiences at San Diego.
— Is transferred to Benicia and thence to "Miller's Camp." —
Maj. Miller's command returns to Benicia.-Benicia,. 137




x                    CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VII.
Indian outrages. —Efforts to punish the savages. —Fruitless at
first.-Lyon appointed to command an expedition against the
Indians of Clear Lake.-The march.-BATTLE OF CLEAR LAKE.
-Forced march. — ANOTHER BATTLE.-Gen. Smith's report.-Intrigues of Spaniards.-Number and character of the Clear Lake
Indians.-March to the sources of Pitt River.-Anecdotes of
Lyon.-Search for the remains of Capt. Warner.-Return to
Benicia.-Lyon's remarks on the slavery agitation.-Return to
San Diego.-Surveys a new route to Fort Yuma. —History of
this station.-"Vigilance Committee,"..      165
CHAPTER VIII.
Return to Fort Miller.-Political status of the California
dians. -Character and habits of the Indians.-News of his
mother's illness.-Lyon's filial affection.-He starts immediately
for home.-Death of his mother.-Her character.-Travels at
the east.-Return to California.-Political affairs.-Extracts from
his correspondence.-At Fort Miller.-Expedition to Rogue
River.-Lyon's regiment ordered east.-Lyon sent to Kansas.The Kansas troubles.-Compromises made and broken.-Fraud
and violence.-Lyon's opinions.-Lyon ordered to Fort Pierre.
Cholera on the boats.-Trial of Col. Montgonmery.-Extracts
from Lyon's writings.-Character of the Free State settlers in
Kansas,.......  190
CHAPTER TX.
Lyon thinks of resigning. —Goes to Fort Lookout. -Christmas
night. -Forebodings.-Journey to Sioux City. Last visit to the
east.-Capt. M. Knowlton.-Expedition to " Prairie Dog Creek."
-Return to Fort Riley. —His reflections thereon.-Attends two
courts-mlartial.-Lyon commands the garrison at Fort Riley dur



CONTENTS.                        xi
ing the summer of 1860.-Is sent to Fort Scott.-Montgomery
and Jennison.-Lyon's views of the impending conflict in the
autumn of 1860.-Is ordered to St. Louis.-Lyon's views on Mr.
Buchanan's policy.-Its effect at the south.-Mr. Lincoln and
Fort Sumpter......      219
CHAPTER X.
Lyon takes command of the St. Louis Arsenal.-His vigilance
and sagacity. — Desperation of secessionists in the city. —Removal of arms from the arsenal.-Orders from Washington. —
Capt. Lyon and the police commissioners.-Governor Jackson's
treason.-CAMP JACKSON AFFAIR.-Its consequences.-Arrival
of Gen. Harney-Lyon appointed Brigadier-general of Volunteers.-Expedition to Potosi.-Agreement between Gen. HI-arney and Gen. Price.-Lyon's opinion of the agreement. —Seizure
of the J. C. Swan and of iron, at Ironton. —Gen. Lyon takes
chief command of the federal army in Missouri.-Gen. Price's
proclamation.....          243
CHAPTER XI.
Interview between Gen. Lyon and the state authorities.Propositions of the governor and their rejection.-Absurdity of
the governor's claims.-His return to Jefferson City.-Proclamation of Governor Jackson.-Gen. Lyon captures the state
capital.-His proclamation.-BATTLE OF BOONEVILLE.-Gen. Lyon's second proclamation.-Feelings of the citizens toward Gen.
Lyon.-Letter of Gen. Lyon, dated June 28th, 1861.-His pure
patriotism......      264
CHAPTER XII.
Delay at Booneville. —Success of his vigorous policy.-Flight
of Governor Jackson.-March to Springfield..-Peril of Lyon's




xii                  CONTENTS.
situation.-March southward and engagement at Dug Springs.
A narrow escape.-Return to Springfield. -Council of war called.
Night attack planned and given up.-Views of Gen. Sweeney.Movements of the enemy.-Posture of affairs previous to the
battle of Wilson's Creek. -BATTLE OF WILSON'S CREEK.-DEATH
OF GEN. LYON.-Reflections on the battle.-Union losses.-Gen.
Lyon's remains.-Mrs. Phelps and her attention to the remains.
— Retreat of the federal army.-Gen. Fremont's general order.                                                  288
CHAPTER XIII.
Relatives of Gen. Lyon go to Springfield to secure his remains.
-Arrival at St. Louis.-At Rolla.-At Maj. Sturgis' camp.Capt. McDonald of the "confederate" army.-Journey from
Rolla to Springfield.-Gen. Price's reception.-lDisinterment of
the body. —Mrs. Phelps.-Return to St. Louis.-Sorrow of the
city.-Adams' Express Company volunteer to carry the remains
and escort.-Names of the escort.-The feeling manifested by
the people on the route eastward.-Demonstrations in Cincinnati, Philadelphia, New York, and Hartford.-From Willimantic to Eastford.-CEREMaoNIEs AT EASTFORD.-Immense concourse
of people.-The body lying in state at the Congregational
Church.-Eagerness of the people to see the coffin.-Services in
front of the church.-The cemetery at Phcenixville.-The interment..-.,      332
APPENDIX.
[A.] Genealogy of Gen. Lyon.....  349
[B.] Action of the General Assembly of Connecticut.  357
[C.] Obituary Addresses delivered in the U. S. Senate.  358




CHTAPTEIR  I.
ON the 14th of August, 1861, millions of hearts
were saddened as the telegraph announced far and
wide, that Gen. Nathaniel Lyon had fallen in battle,
four days before, while cheering on the soldiers of
the Union. The nation was looking hopefully to
him as one of her stoutest defenders against the
power and purposes of rebellious citizens. From
the inception of hostilities, extraordinary success
had uniformly attended his bold, vigorous, and decisive measures. With a bare handful of men, he
guarded the public property at the St. Louis Arsenal, though ienanced for weeks by strong bands
of open and secret enemies. During the period the
spirit of secession held high carnival in the city,
vaunting itself with the utmost insolence and self,
assurance. But Lyon was not idle. While others
slept, his wakeful brain was devising means to save




14       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
the state from the calamities into which the machinations of the disaffected were rapidly hurrying her.
Around the little nucleus at the arsenal, a strong
force of volunteers was almost noiselessly gathered.
When at length the time for action came, the brilliant exploit at "' Camp Jackson" fell with crushing
weight upon the astonished plotters of treason.
Thenceforth the city of St. Louis was freed from
the outward exhibitions of disloyalty. Enemies of
the country no longer flauntingly displayed the
insignia of rebellion in conspicuous places, but slunk
away into secret corners whence the mutterings of
discontent might not be heard.
a The area of active operations now  widened.
Throughout Missouri, thousands were in sympathy
with the disruptionists of the South.  Gov. Jackson
secretly aided their schemes, endeavoring at the
same time, by craft and fair professions, to circumvent the Federal officers, and thus commit the state,
without molestation, to the fortunes of rebellion.
Men of assured and uncompromising loyalty seemed
to be in a hopeless minority. Surrounded by defection and perfidy, the defenders of the Union
labored under the gravest embarrassment that can
befall the conductors of a military campaign.
In the face of innumerable difficulties, Gen. Lyon
succeeded in organizing a small but effective army.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               15
With this he moved rapidly into the heart of the
State, crushing the growth of treason and raising
the symbol of American Liberty over the homes of
faithful citizens.  On the twelfth of June, Gov.
Jackson published an insurrectionary proclamation
from the capital of Missouri. Ere the close of the
week, he was driven forth a fugitive.  Without
allowing the enemy time to rally, Gen. Lyon swept
over the country with wind-like velocity, making
long marches in the hottest months of the year,
and destroying the germs of rebellion at points
widely distant, almost simultaneously. No where
were the adversaries of the Union suffered to organize or gather strength. In places of supposed
security, they were taken by surprise.  So swift
were the movements of this little army, and so uniform its success, that the country begun to regard it
as ubiquitous and invincible.
Hurrying forward with incredible rapidity, he
reached Springfield, a town of importance in the
south-western corner of the state, one hundred and
twenty miles beyond the terminus of the nearest
railroad. In this vicinity the routed secessionists
of Missouri were joined by large reinforcements
from Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Emboldened
by great superiority in numbers, and anxious to
wipe out the stain of numerous defeats, they pre



16       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON,
pared for battle. Gen. Lyon's small force seemed
entirely inadequate to defend the city against such
overwhelming hordes. But he could not endure
the apparent humiliation of turning back from an
enemy, nor could he abandon the unionists dependent on him for protection, to be insulted, pillaged
and murdered by lawless gangs of banditti. He
determined to hold the position until relieved by
reinforcements. Earnest and reiterated appeals for
aid were sent to St. Louis and to Washington.
The country listened with intense anxiety to the
voice from that remote but important quarter. Yet
the calls brought no response in men. Gen. Lyon,
left to cope with a force quadrupling his own, was
induced, by the desperate posture of affairs, to plan
a night attack upon the enemy. The little army,
full of faith in its leader, went boldly and even
gaily forth to the banquet of Death. On the bloody
battle-field of Wilson's Creek, that leader fell, while
achieving the most brilliant but costly triumph ever
won by American arms.
The interval since the death of Gen. Lyon is so
brief that the sorrow of the nation is still fresh, nor
has the magnitude of the loss diminished in popular
estimation. Devoted patriotism, far-reaching foresight, judicious boldness, and uniform success, superadded to many noble qualities of heart, made




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               17
him the idol of his soldiers and a favorite with the
people.
Our victories in Missouri, aside from local importance, were of great moral value in relieving the
depression consequent on the unfortunate issue of
our efforts elsewhere. In many places a succession
of reverses seemed to attend the Union cause. A
valuable part of our navy had been sacrificed to the
foul hand of treason in the navy yard at Norfolk.
Privateers were preying upon our commerce with
impunity. The magnificent army of the Potomac,
which millions confidently expected was about to
trample the last breath of vitality from the prostrate
trunk of rebellion, had fled in disorder without
accomplishing forty miles of the "road to Richmond."  But in Missouri, as in Western Virginia,
brilliant successes crowned our arms in every encounter, raising the despondent spirits of the loyal,
and despite our disasters, causing the heart of the
nation to beat high with hope.
It is fitting that we remember the heroes who
have placed their lives as voluntary offerings upon
the altar of our country. While we raise the granite shaft to mark the burial spot consecrated by their
dust, we should also strive to embalm the precious
words and glorious deeds which have made their
names immortal.




18        GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
Gen. Lyon* sprang from  a worthy, brave and
patriotic ancestry. Ephraim Lyon, his grandfather,
served for twelve months in the war of Independence, and afterwards became a successful farmer
and lawyer in the town of Ashford, Conn. The
community reposed great confidence in his legal
acumen, which was called into requisition in many
knotty cases. From  the anecdotes handed down
traditionally among the people of the neighborhood,
we select the following to illustrate the shrewdness
and sagacity of " Lawyer Lyon," as he was generally called.
A bag of grain had been stolen from a mill, and the
owner, thinking thilat the sack might be returned in
the course of time with another grist, directed the
miller to keep a look-out for the thief. After a while
a quantity of grain was brought to the mill, inclosed
in a sack exactly corresponding in appearance with
the one purloined several months before. The unfortunate possessor was speedily confronted by an officer, armed with a warrant for his arrest. Being a
quiet, inoffensive, and excessively timid old man,
he was so overcome and confused by the charge
that his perturbation was accepted as a sure evidence of guilt. Public opinion, at least, was convinced. As the day of trial drew near, the accused
* Vide Appendix A.




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             19
became deeply dejected, so that he was in no situaLion to lend personal aid to the refutation of the
charge. But a friend, who believed him innocent
notwithstanding the unpromising aspect of the case,
sent for "' Lawyer Lyon," confident that in his hands
the mystery would be unraveled, if such a thing
were possible.
In those days, all the coarse cloth in use was of
domestic manufacture. The accuser produced several sacks in court and testified that they were all
woven in the same web with the one which had been
stolen. When the bag in dispute was compared
with the others, it was found to correspond exactly
in width, color, and general aspect.  Lyon now
requested the court to adjourn for an hour, and
although the judge objected on the ground that the
guilt of the party was indubitable, the favor was
reluctantly conceded. He immediately employed
three experienced women to rip the sacks in pieces
and count the threads in the warp of each. Those
produced in evidence were found to contain the
same number, but the one alleged to have been
stolen contained thirteen threads more. The women
accordingly testified that this could not have been
woven in the same web with the others, and the
innocence of the man became so clear that the jury




20       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
returned a verdict of "Not Guilty" without leaving their seats.
Amasa Lyon, father of the General, was also a
substantial farmer of Ashford. In early manhood
he took great interest in politics, entering zealously
into the ardent contest which resulted in the elevation of Thomas Jefferson to the presidency. While
that memorable election was pending, and both par-,
ties were making prodigious efforts to muster every
voter, a young man wished to be admitted to the
privileges of an elector in Ashford, but was fearful
of rejection by the board of judges on the ground
that he did not have the property qualification required by the laws of Connecticut at the time. The
town was then controlled by a large Federal majority, which materially damaged the prospects of the
candidate, as he was suspected of sympathizing with
the opposite side. In this dilemma, Lyon advised
him to go without reserve to the leader of the Federalists and solicit his aid, agreeing to cobperato
himself by strenuously opposing his admittance.
The ruse was entirely successful. Objections from
a partisan so well acquainted with the political pro.
clivities of the different members of the community,
seemed to be sufficient proof of the orthodoxy of
the applicant. His claims were acknowledged with



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              21
out further questioning, and he had the satisfaction
of voting for Mr. Jefferson.
In the maternal line, the family of Gen. Lyon
acted a conspicuous and highly honorable part in
the Revolutionary War.
Col. Thomas Knowlton, a brilliant officer and devoted patriot, was uncle to Gen. Lyon's mother.
While yet a boy he became distinguished for sagacity and valor in the struggles of the colonies against
the French. Years later, when the battle-notes of
Lexington aroused the American people to resist the
aggressions of the British crown, he led a company
of stalwart men from Ashford to Boston. This was
the first organized body of troops that went from a
sister colony to the aid of Massachusetts.
At the battle of Bunker's Hill, Col. Knowlton
commanded the left wing of the provincial army,
stationed on a strip of hard upland between the
eminence and Mystic river-the key to the Americall works on the peninsula. He extemporized a
novel kind of breastwork, by planting two rows of
rail-fence parallel to each other, and packing the
interval with freshly mown hay.  Older officers
ridiculed the contrivance as worthless; but subsequent developments showed the superior judgment
of the projector. Gen. Howe twice led the flower
of the British army against this position, and twice




22       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
the British were repulsed with terrible slaughter.
All impassable slough in front protected the breastwork from the approach of cannon, and to musketry
it proved wholly impervious. The casualties behind
the fence, from  both attacks, were trifling.  No
further demonstration was made against the American left. In the third attempt to dislodge the Provincials, Gen. Clinton threw.his force upon the front
and right. Failure of ammunition now compelled
the main body on the hill to retire. As it passed
the position of Col. Knowlton, he joined in with
the four companies under his command, covering
the retreat. Fortunately, they had brought into
action a much larger number of cartridges than the
other troops, and still had a supply left. Retiring
with deliberation, and obstinately contesting every
foot of ground, they prevented the enemy from
overwhelming the other divisions, now almost defenceless, on the retreat.
Col. Knowlton was killed in battle at HIarlem
Heights, Sept. 16th, 1776.  Gen. Washington, in
the general orders of the next day, says: "'The
gallant and brave Col. Knowlton, who would have
been an honor to any country, having fallen yesterday while gloriously fighting, Capt. Brown is to
take command of the party lately led by Col.
Knowlton."




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               23
Thus fell, in the prime of early manhood, one of
the most brilliant and promising of our Revolutionary officers.
Lieut. Daniel Knowlton, an elder brother of
Col. Thomas, was the maternal grandfather of Gen.
Lyon.  Coolness, resolution, and bravery, were
characteristic of the family. Lieut. Daniel served
through the French and Indian wars, participating
in many desperate enterprises. He was often sent
in command of small parties, to scout in the forests, —a kind of service for which his courage and
sagacity eminently fitted him. No duty connected
with the long and bloody wars on the frontier, required more tact or skill than that of reconnoitering among the native wilds of the red man, where
the slightest indiscretion might betray the venturesome explorer to the cruelty of the pitiless savage.
From long practice some of the provincials acquired
a marvelous degree of skill in tracking and eluding
the enemy, almost rivaling the Indian himself in
interpreting the signs which to the ordinary eye are
either invisible or meaningless.
On one of these perilous scouting expeditions,
Lieut. Knowlton captured three men belonging to
a gang of blood-thirsty desperadoes, whose numerous atrocities had made them extremely odious as
well as terrible. With a small force on hostile ter



24       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
ritory, it was unsafe either to retain or dismiss the
prisoners. Duly impressed with the claims of selfpreservation, the captors decided that the crimes of
the miscreants entitled them to halters, and that the
pressing exigences of the case justified no delay.
Halters were accordingly made from the bark of
hickory saplings, from which the culprits were soon
dangling between heaven and earth.
Gen. Putnam, the companion of Lieut. Knowlton
during several of the French and Indian campaigns,
said of him, " Such is his courage and want of fear,
I could order him into the mouth of a loaded cannon.")
When Col. Thomas Knowlton led the Ashford
company to the American Head Quarters near
Boston, shortly after the battle of Lexington, Gen.
Putnam asked the Colonel where his brother Daniel was. Being informed that he had gone in another direction, the General remarked, "I am very
sorry you did not bring him with you; he alone is
worth half a company."
Daniel Knowlton served from the opening to the
close of the Revolutionary war. For about two
years he was a prisoner in the hands of the enemy,
being confined a part of the time on a ship in New
York harbor. On one occasion, when pacing back
and forth, with eyes bent on the deck, a British








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Birt~hlPlace of Gen. I;yon.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.                25
officer impertinently and pompously inquired why
he did not hold up his head, like a man and a soldier. Knowlton quietly replied, " In passing through
fields of grain, I have noticed that the valuable
heads bow toward the earth; only the empty and
worthless stand erect."  The questioner thereupon
showed a proper appreciation of the answer, by
bowing his own head and leaving the prisoner to
pursue- his meditations undisturbed.
Gen. Nathaniel Lyon was born  in Ashford,*
Conn., July 14th, 1818, the seventh child and
fourth son of Amasa and Kezia (Knowlton) Lyon.
Several teachers who instructed Lyon in boyhood
still survive, retaining vivid and pleasant recollections of the amiable and generous qualities, which
even then made him  a common favorite. They all
testify that the early proficiency of the youth gave
abundant promise of success and honor for tie zman.
When very young he formed the plan of going to
West Point, and from that time worked with a steady
and unfaltering purpose.  An intellect naturally
vigorous, was improved by industrious application.
Often while companions of equal years were at play
or asleep, le was bending diligently over books, lay*Ashford was divided in the year 1847, the eastern portion, embracing the homestead of the Lyon family, being constituted a new
town and called Eastford.
2




26       GEN. NATIIANIEL LYON.
ing the foundations for the varied and extensive
information of later life. The study of mathematics was prosecuted with zeal, partly from intense
fondness for the pursuit, and partly from the conviction that the science of quantity afforded the
most efficient means for disciplining the mind. In
numerous ways, the qualities which suddenly blazed
forth thirty years later, attracting the admiration
and love of millions, were foreshadowed then.
Stories of the IRevolution-of the privations and
sufferings patiently endured to achieve national
independence-listened to over and over again from
a mother's lips, produced a profound impression of
the value of our blood-bought liberties. Lessons
of patriotism were daily instilled at the parental
fire-side. In such an atmosphere and under such
training, love of country grew with his growth and
strengthened with his strength, till it became a far
stronger passion than love of life.
Says a teacher, Lyon showed his predilections
when a school-boy, by always selecting for declamation, pieces of a patriotic and martial character,
which he delivered with a degree of heartiness and
effect that attracted universal commendation.
His affections as a son and brother were warm,
rich, and active, and lent a bright coloring to the
whole of his after life.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              2'
Lyon graduated at the old brown school-house in
his native district a few months before entering
West Point, and during a part of the interim that
ensued, attended the academy at Brooklyn, Conn.
Always kind and considerate, he spurned whatever bore the appearance of imposition or cruelty,
and was strongly averse to quarreling, or participating in rude demonstrations of any kind.
Retiring and studious habits do not form the
surest passport to the favor of boisterous youth.
School boys are sometimes disposed "to make
game' of companions of gentler manners, and
occasionally commit grave blunders in the estimate of consequences. When Lyon first went to
the Brooklyn Academy, several old hands at the
sport undertook to play upon him the usual practical jokes supposed to be essential to initiate new
comers into the mysteries of such institutions. For
a day or two the annoyance was borne without
apparent notice.  Inferring tameness as well as
greenness, from the quietude of the " victim," they
ventured beyond the point where forbearance ceases
to be a virtue. As the first intimation of a change
of tactics, two or three found themselves suddenly
prostrate, with a pair of fists vigorously at work in
uncomfortable and dangerous proximity to their
persons.  It is needless to remark that further




28       GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
efforts to expedite the cure of " verdancy" were
dispensed with. Invariably courteous toward others,
his nature rigorously demanded like treatment in
return.
A story has been extensively circulated in the
newspapers, with a view to illustrate Gen. Lyon's
opposition to the dueling code, that he once tamely
submitted to the indignity of a blow on the face,
given for the purpose of either calling forth a challenge or convicting him of cowardice. It is manifestly impossible to disprove a statement, coming
like this one in utter nakedness, with no allusion to
time, place, or concomitants. But if a fact, it is
nevertheless inconsistent with the general character
of the man. It is true that he regarded the duel
as a relic of barbarism, not less absurd than wicked.
A determination, however, never to meet a brother
mortal in single combat, by no means necessitates
the patient endurance of a grievous insult. Nor
does the training of the soldier inculcate a sentimental regard for the precept requiring us to turn
the other cheek to him who smites us on the one.
Gen. Lyon possessed great physical strength and
agility, which no scruples of conscience could have
deterred him from using at the cost of the individual who might venture upon such temerity.
Gen. LIolt, then member of Congress from the




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              29
third district of Conn., procured for young Lyon
the appointment as cadet at West Point, to fill a
vacancy opportunely occurring in the western part
of the state, there being none at the time in his
native district.
He entered the Military Academy in the autumn
of 1837, distrustful of his own abilities, but with
full determination to employ his opportunities and
talents to the utmost. From the first, devoted love
of country was a controlling motive. Whether a
student in academic halls, or a soldier on the field
of battle, it was a cardinal purpose to be ever faithful to her interests.
We give a few extracts, taken almost at random,
from his correspondence during this period.
Writing in August, 1838, he is induced by circumstances of a personal nature, to speak of the
advantages enjoyed by the members of a family
who spend the days of childhood and youth beneath
the parental roof.
"At home one finds an experienced and affectionate father to guide; a loving mother to cheer; and
brothers and sisters to share in the bounteous gifts
of nature. Where it does not conflict too much
with interest, a young man should delight to remain
with his parents, conferring and receiving happiness
from the interchange of kindly offices."




30       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
In March, 1839, lie expatiates on the mysteries
of the Calculus, having, like many others, found
that branch of study to be a grievous stumbling
block in the way of knowledge.
" The inventors of the Differential and Integral
Calculus, have claimed that this branch of so called
science, belongs to the department of mathematics;
and laboring under that delusion have introduced it
into the course of academical instruction for the
torture of students. Such classification is obviously
incorrect, because the principles of mathematics fall
within the scope of the reasoning faculty. The
Calculus, on the contrary, lies without the boundaries of reason, having originated in the vagaries of
some remarkable but erratic genius, who must have
discovered its outlines in the flights of a wild and
disordered imagination.  Enthusiasts afterwards
collected the fragmentary materials thus furnished,
and by an ingenious arrangement, sought to dignify
them with a place in the temple of science. The
imposture being too complicated for easy exposure,
has at length succeeded in establishing its claims,
much to the sorrow of the unfortunate students
thereby made to suffer."
In previous letters to a sister, Lyon had complained of lack of interest and capacity in the art
of Drawing. For the purpose of stimulating him




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.                31
to make more earnest exertions to overcome the
difficulties in the way of success, she urges him to
bring home specimens of his handicraft.  In reply,
he humorously expresses the fear that compliance
will be impossible; because the finest specimens
are retained as models by the teacher, while the
visitors at the June examination are allowed to take
away such as particularly please them. His collection being exposed to diminution from both causes,
to an unusual degree on account of its rare merits,
will in all probability be entirely carried away, to
adorn portfolios and drawing rooms in different
parts of the country.
While a cadet, Lyon engaged as heartily in the
various diversions of student life, as in application
to books, or the acquirement of skill in martial
exercises. The holiday gayeties of senior year are
thus described:
" On Christmas' and New Year's eve we had a
fancy ball, in which cadets alone took part, appearing in such characters as suited their taste, and
acting their respective parts with success. Our
company was graced by the presence of the prince,
the military chieftain, the sage, the scholar, the
peasantt the quaker, the waiter, the beggar, and
even the fool. Every thing passed off in excellent
order, each making such remarks, and acting in




32       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
such manner as the assumed character required.
Had Old Pluto himself been present, it is doubtful
whether he would have diverted the company more
than did the distinguished personage who represented him."
Lyon graduated at West Point June 30th, 1841,
ranking eleventh in a class which numbered fiftytwo at the time of graduation, and over one hundred at the time of entry in 1837.
He was promoted Second Lieutenant, in the Second Regiment of Infantry, July 1st, 1841.




CHAPTER II.
IN ithe month of November, 1841, Lieutenant
Lyon left home to join the Second Regiment of
Infantry, which was then engaged in the prosecution of the war against the Seminole Indians in
Florida.
That contest is one of the most remarkable in
the annals of modern history. A small tribe of
barbarians, comprising but a few hundred adult
males, successfully resisted, for a series of years,
the strength of a large, civilized, and powerful
nation. Many whites on the border had labored
assiduously to provoke hostilities, believing that
the conquest of the natives would be an easy task.
But the days of revenge came quickly; and bloody
and sorrowful days were they for the inhabitants
of Florida.  During the war scores of homes were
laid desolate, and hundreds of victims butchered
by the remorseless savage.
2*




34       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
In carrying out the projects of the United States
Government, for the removal of the savages, and
the punishment of outrages, exceeding in brutality
any that in the previous settlement of the country
had stained the line of demarkation between the
white and Indian races, our soldiers suffered hardships of unparalleled severity. Nor did the nature
of the warfare afford the relief and excitement
incident to fighting in the open field. Few opportunities were presented for the brilliant exploits or
strategy which in a single day may make the reputation of a soldier. Toilsome marches over burning sands, and through dense swamps, in an atmosphere charged with subtle poisons, and in regions
infested with countless hosts of annoying insects
and venomous reptiles, were often wholly fruitless.
Plans skillfully laid and vigorously executed were
baffled by the cunning of the foe. The heroism of
our troops was the heroism of unconquerable perseverance in contending long against obstacles of
the most dispiriting character.
In such a warfare, the history of the individuals
employed, whether in the capacity of officers or
privates, is best given by describing the general
features and difficulties of the contest. All underwent in the main the same experience, and to an
unusual degree the story of one is the story of all.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              35
The war itself was so unpopular at the north, on
account of its apparant injustice, that few only
were interested either in its success or incidents.
But the brave men who. fought on the soil of Florida-many never to return —deserve remembrance
and gratitude from the whole American people.
Our army was in no way responsible for the wrongs
practiced upon the Indian by lawless renegades
of the frontier, nor for the unconscientious measures adopted by the Government. Having gone.
thither in obedience to orders, it toiled long and
faithfully to perform the labors imposed upon it, in
the face of the most vexatious and trying embarrassments.
To understand the posture of affairs in Florida
at the close of the year 1841, it will be necessary
to revert briefly to the causes of hostilities and the
previous progress of our arms.
The Seminole Indians were a branch of the
Creeks. They originally lived on the banks of the
Chattahoochee river, a few miles north and west of
the present city of Columbus, Georgia. In the
year 1750, Secoffee, a Creek chief, endowed, to a
remarkable degree, with the characteristic bravery,
cunning, and vindictiveness of the race, having
had a continued and bitter quarrel with other
head  en of the tribe separated from the parent




36       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
stock. With a large body of followers, he moved
several hundred miles in a south-easterly direction,
settling in the region called Alachua, the central
and by far the most fertile part of the peninsula
of Florida. In the year 1808, another band of
Creeks broke away from their old homes, and descending the Chattahoochee, took possession of the
country in the vicinity of Tallahassee. The Mick-.
asukie tribe, the native owners of the soil, too weak
to repel the hardy warriors from the north, gradually coalesced with the new comers.
On the 17th of July, 1821, Spain ceded the Floridas to the United States. A year later the total
number of Indians occupying the territory was
found to be three thousand nine hundred and
ninety-nine, of whom one thousand five hundred
and ninety-four were men. The belt of country
lying between the Appalachicola and the St. Johns,
as far south as Lake Monroe, was dotted with
Indian villages and fields.
The Seminoles were a brave, resolute, and in
many respects, honorable and chivalric people.
Chiefs of marked ability had governed the tribes
and clans ever since their establishment in Florida,
and seem often to have striven earnestly to promote the good of the people. The English and
Spanish while in possession of the peninsula, also




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.                 37
treated  the  natives with consideration, thereby
heightening their pride, and rendering them impatient of opposition or restraint. Haughty, patriotic,
vindictive, and, withal, cultivated in no mean, degree, they were far from being inoffensive creatures
to bedspurned with safety.
On the cession of Florida to the United States,
the fertile fields of Alachua proved a strong temptation to lure emigrants from the exhausted plantations of the Carolinas and Georgia.  Many families
of wealth and refinement removed from the older
districts in the hope of repairing decayed fortunes
by the wealth of a virgin soil. Another class of
people, of a widely different character, were there
already.  Desperadoes of various nations and com,
plexions, fugitives, often from the hands of justice,
had fled for shelter to the seclusion of these primeval forests.  Alen, exiled by crime from the comr
munion of civilized society, now strike hands with
the new comers, to dispossess the Indian of the
land.  Citizens and vagabonds, ignoring alike the
claims of the native owner, clamor for the expulsion of the Seminoles from the most fruitful part
of the territory.  The Government is induced to
interfere by the importunity of the petitioners.
Commissioners are appointed to negotiate a treaty,
with a view to open the central and northern por



38       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
tion. of the peninsula exclusively to the whites, by
the removal of the Indians. These, at first, meet
the proposition of the Commissioners with mingled
feelings of astonishment and indignation. Possessed of broad hunting grounds, that for three generations have securely descended from  father to son,
they keenly feel the hardship of subscribing to the
conditions of a compulsory sale, and surrendering
precious homes forever to the cupidity of strangers.
But beset more and more by the innumerable difficulties contrived for their coercion by the ingenuity
of a superior race, and influenced by the specious
arguments of men professing to be friends, the
majority of the nation at length reluctantly consent to meet the Commissioners at a suitable time
and place. Fort MIoultrie, a few miles south of St.
Augustine, is selected for the interview. On the
18th of September, 1823, a portion of the headmen, in the absence of the most influential chiefs,
signed a disadvantageous treaty in the vain hope of
escaping further molestation. The coils of destiny
are tightening around the doomed race, and no
kindly hand is interposed to rescue it from the
fatal embrace.
In consideration of certain moneys, gifts, annuil
ties, and guaranties from the United States Government, the chiefs relinquished a large area of




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               39
territory, and agreed that the tribes should be
confined thereafter within metes and boundaries
that forever excluded them from the northern and
middle regions of the peninsula. They also stipulated to be active and vigilant in preventing absconding slaves or fugitives from justice from passing through or harboring in the district assigned
them; and further, to use all necessary exertions
to apprehend and deliver the same to the Government agent, who was to compensate them  for the
trouble and expense.
The Indians at once began to suffer the greatest
injustice from the avarice and villainy of the whites.
If a native was found straying among the old habitations and cherished haunts of the tribe hlie was
often treated with brutal indignity to prevent a
repetition of the visit. Bad men, pandering to the
unhappy thirst of the race, recklessly sold them
spirituous drinks-the most prolific source of demoralization and crime. Often, while lying in a
state of senseless intoxication, the victim was robbed of rifle, money, or whatever valuables the dealer
could steal.  On returning to consciousness and
making search for the missing articles, he would be
told that the gun or the horse had been sold for a
drink.  Notwithstanding the palpable falsity of the
tale, recovery or redress were equally hopeless.




40       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
Such wrongs, being of daily occurrence, naturally
prompted the Indian to retaliate. As the only
feasible method of obtaining compensation for the
stolen property, he learned to appropriate the cattle
and utensils of the whites.
Another fruitful source of fraud arose from the
clause of the treaty requiring the rendition of absconding negroes. Many slaves belonged to the
tribes both by birth and purchase. But the owner
was often despoiled of his property by force and
perjury, because unfurnished with a written title
and without rights in a court of law.
Numerous thefts and villainies were perpetrated
on the border by miscreants from the States, all of
which the heated animosity of citizens attributed to
the hand of the red man. He bore the blame and
the odium of all the crimes that cast their dark
shadows over that dark land. Even where suspicion was rightly directed, not an offense was extenuated on the ground of grievous provocation, or the
drunken insanity occasioned by the cupidity of the
whites. Hundreds far inferior to the Seminole, ill
the noble and generous impulses that should belong
to humanity, were appealing to the Government
for protection against the outrages of the Indians!
Those who had been instrumental in taking from
the owners the fairest fields of Florida, were ready




G IEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              41
to provolke a war of extermination for the double
purpose of grasping the residue of the territory,
and holding the whole secure from intrusion.  M[utual distrust and mutual illjuries rapidly ripened
into bitter hate.
For a long time the chiefs seemed disposed to act
with integrity and honor. In some of their " talks"
with the different United States agents, they dwelt
eloquently upon the magnitude of their wrongs,
as contrasted with the rectitude of their own actions.  Humiliated at the deplorable condition of
the people, they strove long to roll back the waves
of intemperance  and violence, and to preserve
friendly relations with  the whites.  Now  these
efforts became more ineffective every day. Hostilities were imminent.
At this juncture, after much persuasion and delay, the chiefs were induced to meet James Gadsden, Esq., United States Commissioner, at Payne's
Landing, where a second treaty was signed on the
9th of Miay, 1832. This instrument provided for
the removal of the Seminoles, within three years
from the date of its ratification, to the country of
the Creeks, west of the Mississippi river.  A delegation fronm the tribes was to be sent, under conduct of the United States agent, to ascertain from
inspection the eligibility of the country proposed,.




42       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
and whether the Creeks were favorable to a reunion
with the Seminoles as one people.
The chiefs selected for the mission appear to have
been indifferently pleased with the appearance of the
lands, and averse to the relinquishment of Florida.
Yet, for reasons not well understood, they signed
an additional Treaty at Fort Gibson, Arkansas,
March 28th, 1833, in which they declare themselves
well satisfied with the location provided by the
Commissioners, and agree that their nation shall
commence the removal to their new home as soon
as the Government will make satisfactory arrangements for their emigration.  Assuming that the
Seminole delegates had authority to bind the rest
of the tribe, the United States Senate ratified the
treaty in April, 1834, thus making it a part of the
"supreme law of the land."  When the people at
home heard of the proceedings at Fort Gibson,
they were deeply incensed at the presumption of
their agents. All insisted that the first duty of the
delegation was to disclose to themn the results of its
examination, so that national action might be taken
on a measure so vital to their future happiness,
before removal to a remote and unknown region
was irrevocably decided on. Under the leadership
of the famous Oceola, the Indians rallied with
fierce enthusiasm to oppose the fulfilment of the




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              43
treaty. At the same time the United States Government was decided and peremptory in the adoption of measures for enforcing obedience to the
terms of the agreement. A clash was inevitable.
The purposes of the anti-emigrating party were
soon sealed with blood. Oceola, though of humble
origin, by the magic of eloquence inspired the people to a wonderful degree with purposes of cruelty
and daring. Hatred, long nurtured in secret, suddenly burst out in fiend-like and revengeful deeds.
Charley E. Mathlar, a chief of importance and one
of the delegation sent to the Mississippi, was murdered for favoring emigration.  No one openly
uttered a word of disapproval. On the 28th of
December, 1835, Gen. Thompson, United States
Indian agent for the Seminole tribes, and Lieut.
Smith, while taking an afternoon stroll from Fort
King, were literally riddled with balls. At the
same time the savages, rushing from  ambush,
burned a sutler's shop within a mile of the fort,
after shooting and scalping the inmates. On the
28th of the same month occurred the massacre of
Maj. Dade's command, consisting of over a hundred men, two privates alone escaping, severely
wounded, to tell the tale. The day ensuing, Gen.
Clinch, with a strong detachment of regulars, was
attacked, on the banks of the Withlacoochie, by




44       GEN. NATHAINIEL LYON.
Oceola, at the head of two hundred and fifty-men.
After a spirited fight of over an hour the enemy
fled to the cover of a neighboring hammock.
Fiery passions, that had been gathering power
for years, now found vent in acts of appalling
atrocity. Florida became the scene of wide-spread
desolation and ruin. In vain did the helplessness
of women and children appeal to the vindictive
heart of the savage. Almost the first intimation of
war appeared in the flames of burning houses, and
the death-shrieks of unpitied victims. Plantation
homes-the favorite abodes of plenty, peace and
tranquility-disappeared in volumes of smoke, leaving only blackened ruins and charred bones to
mark the pathway of the destroyer. Fields, once
cultivated, were left to waste. Citizens, stript of
the means of support, fled for shelter to distant
villages. Suffering and sorrow, in manifold forms,
overspread the land.
Our government greatly underestimated the
number, resources, and determination of the enemy. Having made a grievious mistake —to use no
harsher term-in commencing the war, it erred
again in the manner of its prosecution. Small
detachments of the regular army were sent successively into the territory, under the delusive imp
pression that the conquest of the natives would




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON,              45
prove an easy task. A moderate volunteer force
was also called into service. But year after year
the war dragged on.  Many of the savages perished in battle; many, despairing of success, voluntarily surrendered, and were moved to the region
beyond the Mississippi.  As they diminished in
number they ceased to give battle in the open field,
and confined themselves to operations of a cunning,
stealthy, aud disconnected character.  Thorough
knowledge of the country, and the difficulty of
penetrating it, compensated for deficiency in men
and munitions.
On entering the forests of southern Florida the
United States troops plunged into a terra incognita.
The face of the country is made up of pine barrens, hammocks, and swamps. The piney regions,
though free from underbrush, are covered with a
dense growth of low palmetto and saw-grass, whose
sharp, serrated edges tear the clothing and lacerate
the flesh of pedestrians. After heavy rains the surface is often inundated for miles on account of its
uniform level, subjecting an army to extreme discomfort in marches even to the most accessible
points. But the difficulties of traversing' the pine
barrens, tbough  sufficient often to indicate the
course of troops by numerous blood-stains, are
mere trifles when compared with the obstructions




46       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
to be encountered in the hammocks.  Here the rich
soil produces a dense and tangled mass of vegetation almost impervious to the foot of man. So
thick is the growth that it is the work of hours to
cut a path of a few feet in length, and after all the
labor, the sides of the path form a perfect barrier
against tile vision as well as the step. Frequently
intersecting the country in long spurs, the hammocks intercept the progress of civilized troops,
and at the same time afford secure retreats whence
the savage might sally forth, under cover of night,
to perpetrate deeds of cowardly malice.  Deep,
sluggish creeks are numerous, and often bordered
by impenetrable morasses. Many parts of Florida
are also covered with cypress swamps which had to
be crossed repeatedly in pursuit of the fugitives.
The cypress has a broad funnel-like base, the main
roots appearing to join the tree at a distance from
the base, and throwing out their sharp edges on
every side, so that little space is left on the surface
between contiguous trees.  The scanty intervals
are thickly studded with " cypress knees," rising in
sharp cones, and varying in height from two or
three inches to as many feet. Festoons of moss
hang in heavy arches overhead, obscuring the sun
and almost shutting out the light of day. The
swamps are generally covered with water, which




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               47
conceals beneath its cloak countless inequalities,
roots, holes, and spurs.  Upon the surface floats a
green scum, ancl when disturbed fills the air with
noxious effluvia. The incautious soldier is liable,
at any moment, to be submerged and buried in
treading the precarious pathway. Through such
places he is obliged to carry provisions and equipage upon his person.
It will be seen what rare facilities a country like
this afforded for the concealment of the enemy.
Relinquishing systematic operations, after the first
year or two of the war, the Indians broke up into
small gangs, and dispersed everywhere to act independently, as opportunity might offer, or impulse
suggest. Often venturing into the immediate neighborhood of the whites, and stealthily watching for
victims, they only left their coverts when sure of
success. In this way the unguarded traveler mysteriously disappeared.  Small detachments were
overpowered and murdered. Sometimes an isolated
family was aroused by the midnight yells of the
savage, and allowed a momentary interval of awful
consciousness between the sweet repose of life and
the long sleep of death. By the time the flames —
a sure attendant of the Indian's blow-raised the
signal of alarm  and brought avengers to the scene
of woe, the assassins were far away. Broad sheets




48        GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
of water covered their footprints as they hurrieci to
distant jungles.  Our brave men, taking the fresh
trail, would plunge into the trackless forests and
hunt for days without discovering a trace of the
invisible and intangible perpetrators of the crime.
People in the States, and even the Government,
were at a loss to account for the ill-success of our
arms.  Congress became impatient; the country
clamorous. One officer superseded another between
the beginning of the year 1836 and the close of
1841, till Generals Clinch, Scott, Call, Jesup, Taylor, Armistead, and Col. Worth had successively
commanded the army of Florida.  Every new appointment brought a fresh flourish of trumpets,
and a fresh revival of hope.  Notlhing more forcibly
illustrates the impracticable nature of the war, than
the ineffectual efforts of such an array of skillful
officers to bring it to a speedier end.
In the autumn of 1841, extrinsic causes were
potently at work to thwart the successful issue of
military measures. A large class of civilians, in
the capacity of clerks, traders, mechanics, and general laborers, were drawing the means of support
from the presence of the army.  The discontinuance of the contest would throw many out of lucrative employments.  Patriotismu  ulnder the bias of
gain, was too often sacrificed at the shrine of cupid



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               49
ity.  Yielding to the suggestions of avarice, the
vile sought occasions to give secret aid to the
enemy.
But tile most pestiferous mischief-makers were
the negro interpreters and guides.  Passing by
night between the camp and hiding places of the
Indians, they sold them  ammunition and repeated
the stories of designing whites.
Besides, a number of degraded Spaniards living
on the gulf coast, industriously furnished the Semlinoles with the means of continuing the war, and
fomented the hatred of the savage by the circulation of shameless falsehoods. If any, disheartened
by intolerable hardships, were about to surrender,
these mongrels terrified them  from the purpose by
spreading the belief that the Federal officers were
to show no further quarter.
From this hasty review can be seen what difficulties our commanding  generals had to contend
against-the impracticable nature of the countrythle covert opposition of a large body of civilians
who were feeding at the public crib —the treachery
of friendly negroes-and the interference of foreign
out-casts.
Early in January, 1842, the Company of Lieut.
Lyon started with others to hunt the Indian chief
iHalleck-Tustenuggee.  This eminent warrior tow3




50       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
ered high above the rest of the natives niow left in
Florida, both in physical and mental endowments.
Hle was six feet two inches tall, well formed, erect,
allnd sinewy. An intellect of deep native subtilty
had been developed by the experience and vicissitudes of a remarkably eventful life.  Savage,
haughty, and self-reliant, he spurned the counsels
of the whites, and asked not the advice of friends,
trusting in lofty isolation to the resources of his
own matchless craft.  The dense hammocks and
pathless swamps, whence he sallied forth as opportunity for mischief invited, were perfectly familiar
to him. A band of thirty-five desperate followers,
blindly devoted to his fortunes, and reposing implicit faith in the wisdom and certainty of his plans,
were always ready without a question to do his
bidding. The scene of their operations extended
over a wide area, from Lake Monroe to the neighborhood of St. Augustine, and thence westward to
the Oclawaha and Withlacoochee rivers.
For seven months practiced guides followed, unweariedly, the trails of this vindictive and dangerous gang. Large detachments, aided by the sagacity of friendly Indians, overcame almost insurmountable obstacles in exploring the country far
and near. Efforts, conducted on a scale so extensive and thorough, at length baffled the ingenuity




GENo NATHANIEL  LYON.              51
of the chief. It was ascertained that the band was
hidden on the southern shores of D)unn's lake, and
in the swamps bordering on Hawk creek. The spot
was selected on account of its great seclusion and
the ease of emerging upon the highways from St.
Augustine to the south and west. The warriors
were armed with rifles carefully selected from the
spoils of murdered citizens and soldiers. Ammunition, and many necessaries of life, were procured
in the same way.
With such skill and success were the forays of
Halleck-Tustenuggee conducted, that the name became a word of terror throughout the settlements.
Strong guards were stationed at Piccolata, on the
St. John's, and even at St. Augustine, while a
patrol kept continually crossing by the main road
from the river to the Atlantic coast, in order to
guard habitations from surprise, and save solitary
travelers from an arm that never spared. Notwithstanding these precautions, the sudden and stealthy
blow of the savage often fell upon remote points
and left the evidences of his brutal work.
Elaborate preparations for capture were made on
the discovery of the dread hiding-place. A body
of sixty men, belonging to the second infantry,
moved up and down the St. Johns to cut off retreat
westward.'Three companies of the same regiment,




52       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
under command of Maj. Plympton, pl-ulged into
the forests with a determination to persevere in the
hunt until every Indian was slain or captured.
The party explored hammocks and swamps, penetrating where it was difficult for a snake to crawl.
No hardships or perils deterred them from scrutinizing every place that could conceal an enemy.
Abandoned huts and fields were occasionally found
and destroyed. At length, having followed a solitary trail for several days, the troops overtook the
savages posted in a hammock. They here made a
stand, contrary to their usual custom, in order to
cover the flight of the women and children who were
a short distance in advance. For a few minutes
the enemy fought resolutely, filling the air with
terrific yells and whoops. After a volley the pursuers moved rapidly forward, when the Indians fled,
leaving two wounded on the field. Of the regiment
one was killed and two wounded.
From the scene of encounter a strong detachment followed the trail of the fugitives, as rapidly
as was practicable to the river St. Johns, which
was struck at the southern extremity of lake
George. But the enemy had already crossed, the
rafts and canoe employed for the purpose being in
sight on the opposite bank. When the news reached
Pilatka, Capt. Casey, -also of the second infantry,




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              53
and one hundred men proceeded in boats to the
place of crossing, with orders to disembark there and
follow the trail to its termination. Lieut. Wessels,
second infantry, ascended the Ocklawahla with fifty
men to intercept the enemy should he attempt to
cross. While this force were lying in ambush at
different fords on the stream, in hourly expectation
of the Indians, IHalleck-Tustenuggee, suspecting
the trap, passed over the river ten miles south of
any known ford into a swamp hitherto considered,
by experienced guides, altogether impassable. Capt.
Casey's party, who resumed the trail on the west
banks of the St. John's, met with success very disproportionate to the severity of their labors. The
course of the Indians brought them to a swamp
several miles wide, and covered with water varying
from one to three feet in depth.  Through this
officers and men laboriously struggled, carrying
necessary provisions and equipage on their backs.
After great hardship, upon reaching the opposite
side, not a trace of the enemy was visible. Scattering in small parties to meet at some distant rendezvous, and putting the torch to the dry vegetation
and other combustibles strewn upon the earth, they
left no vestige to betray to the guides and trailers
the direction of their flight. Thus the band of
iHalleck-Tustenuggee eluded the various detach



54       GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
ments of pursuers that for two months exerted
every energy to effect his capture. Though unsuccessful in the immediate object of the enterprise,
the efforts of our patient and heroic troops were
by no means fruitless.  A powerful chief, who
reveled in carnage and conflagration, was effect,
ually dislodged from a stronghold extremely dangerous on account of its proximity to the settlements.
Associated with i:Ealleck-Tustenuggee was an
Indian named Powis Fixico or Short Grass. He
had a small number of followers, and was noted for
activity and cruelty. Some time before he acted
as leader in the massacre of women and children
at the village of Mandarine. Tommy, a son of
Powis Fixico, having ventured to Fort Melon with
petitions for food, was detained by Maj. Plympton.
This officer, suspecting that Indians were secreted
in a certain swamp, proceeded thither with a strong
force, taking Tommy also. The boy disclosed the
fact that Short Grass lived here, and gave assurances
to the commanding officer that he could induce him
to surrender if permitted to go on the mission.
Accordingly, when advantageous positions had been
taken about the swamp, Tommy was sent to his
father with assurances of kind treatment if he
yielded voluntarily, but of certain death if cap



GEN. NATHAxNIEL LYON.             55
tured in arms. The youth soon came back accompanied by his father and four warriors.
As subsequently appeared, Lieut. Lyon, at one
time, came very near taking Powis Fixico prisoner.
A detachment of the second infantry was marching
through a dense body of undergrowth where an
Indian had been seen as they approached. On
emerging into the comparatively open tract on the
opposite side, not a trace of him could be found.
Others thought that the Indian had hurried forward, but Lyon was convinced that he lay concealed
somewhere in the thicket. So firm was this belief
that he personally commenced a diligent search,
only relinquishing it when compelled to move on
by the command of the superior officer. After the
Indian entered the camp he recognized Lyon as the
"red faced" man who came close to his hiding
place, and said that he had given up all hope of
escape, when Lyon was called off just in time to
save him.
On the 19th of April, Col. Worth surrounded
Halleck-Tustenuggee, in the vicinity of Ahapopka
lake, completely routing his forces. When the
chief saw the superior number of the whites, and
the folly of further resistance, he directed the warriors to disperse in squads of four or five. The
women and children left the night before in the ut



56       GEN.. NATHANIEL LYON.
most haste, not even waiting to take needles, thread,
or ornaments. The camp, bountifully supplied with
meat, deer skins, implements of husbandry, and
articles of clothing, fell into the hands of the assailants.  Its position was remote and difficult of
access. None but the trailer, whose sagacity in
detecting signs of human presence had been sharpened by long experience in tracking the wily Indian, could have found the way to its deep seclusion.
Tracks leading from the hammock were followed
by the guides till lost in the surrounding waters.
One Indian alone was taken in the pursuit, and he
proved to be the father-in-law of IHalleck. This old
man plead earnestly for the privilege of carrying a
" talk" to his son, and that the troops might desist
from  further pursuit. As the warriors were dispersed, and the intervention of the prisoner seemed
the only way of reaching them, he was sent to invite Tustenuggee to come to Col. Worth's quarters
for a *talk."  The crafty chief, stript of his possessions by the recent loss of the camp, concluded
to accept the offer of a parley, hoping by false proffers of friendship to replenish his stores and escape.
But the duplicity which had successfully deceived
so often, in this instance failed.
On the 29th of April, to the great astonishment




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              57
of all, Halleck rode into the American camp accompanied by two wives and two children. Gracefully
saluting the sentinels, and minutely observing every
object, he proceeded with perfect self-assurance to
the tent of the commander. Col. Worth, through
an interpreter, held a long conversation with him.
Before night the chief left, but returned the next
morning with five warriors. For the next day or
two the demands of the Indians for food and drink
Were exorbitant; yet unless immediately complied
withy the language of the chief assumed a tone of
overbearing insolence.  The annoyance was endured with good grace, since the day of retribution
was surely and rapidly approaching.
Col. Worth invited Halleck to visit Fort King.
The chief readily complied, expecting to purchase
a supply of ammunition at that point, while the
rest of the tribe procured provisions at the camp.
Thus furnished afresh with the sinews of war, they
hoped to renew the contest with better success, in
the meantime greatly amusing themselves, as was
subsequently learned, in laughing at the credulity
of the whites.
I;eut. Col. Garland, upon whom the command
devolved during the absence of Col. Worth, was
directed to devise measures for the capture of the
entire band, and to send the prisoners securely
52*




58       GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
bound to Tampa Bay. Several experienced officers
visited the Indian encampment under pretext of
showing attention to the aged, but for the real purpose of reconnoitering the position and ascertaining
the feasibility of taking them forcibly by surprise.
The location of the ground and the watchfulness
of the savages were found to reAder the use of
violence impracticable.  Stratagem was accordingly
resorted to. Our officers spent the first two days
in zealous efforts to overcome the suspicions of the
Indians-a work much easier from the absence of
the chief.  On the third a sumptuous feast was
prepared in honor of Halleck-Tustenuggee, who
was then to return, as they thought, and grace the
banquet with his presence. Every member of the
band assembled at an early hour, and all were
highly delighted with the grand preparations for
their entertainment. At an appointed time the
guests were kindly informed that they were prisoners, and of the necessities which dictated the step.
An express at once conveyed the news to Fort
King.  Col. Worth and Tustenuggee were seated
together in front of the enclosure as the messenger
galloped up on a foaming horse, and delivered the
important package. When the haughty chief was
informed that the band, which for many years had
faithfully followed his fortunes through inconceivw




GEN. NATHANIEL' LYON.              59
able hardships and tribulations, were now lying
powerless in the grasp of a hated enemy, and that
his own swift foot and strong arm were no longer
free; his excitement and anguish were fearful to
witness.  The proud  frame quivered; the eye
blazed with impotent rage; and the breast heaved
as if the heart within were about to break in ag.ony.
To this intrepid chief the land of nativity was
more precious than life. A Mickasukie by birth,
he represented the ancient owners of the soil. Generous souls, remembering that the savage fought to
repel the invader from a country which his ancestry had possessed for immemorial ages, will palliate
the blood-thirstiness that was stimulated by wrong,
and the treachery that weakness compelled him to
employ in contending against the strong. The fact
that this ill-starred warrior, after months of unwearied pursuit, was captured at length, not in the
field, but by imposition and craft, heightens our
estimate of his kingly qualities.
Henceforth the portion of Florida, north of lake
Monroe, was freed from the permanent presence of
the Indians. At the fatal banquet the net of the
white man imprisoned in its folds the scourge and
terror of the settlements. Not a man, woman, or
Child escaped to return to the former haunts of the
t IMI)C




60       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
The company of Lieut. Lyon took an important
part in the severe but patient efforts which resulted
in the capture of Halleck-Tustenuggee. Lyon was
ever at the post of duty; faithful, active and vigilant.  Many returned  home with  constitutions
hopelessly broken by the insalubrity of the climate
and the hardships of the service, but he enjoyed
vigorous health uninterruptedly.
Novelty of scenery and warfare rendered his
first campaign a pleasant one despite its fatigues.
On the 27th of tMay, 1842, the second regiment
of Infantry left Palatka, Florida, for Savannah,
Georgia, to proceed thence to the Niagara frontier.
During the period of its service in the Seminole
war, since Julne, 1837, one hLundred and thirty-three
officers and privates had perished from disease and
the hand of the Indian.
The long, expensive, and bloody contest with the
natives of Florida, drew toward a close. The band
of Halleck-Tustenuggee embarked on the 14th of
July for New-Orleans; and thence proceeded to
Arkansas.
Shortly after a general cessation of hostilities
was agreed upon, a few Indians being allowed to
plant their fields temporarily in the southern part
of the peninsula.




CHAPTER III.
LIEUT. Lyon was now stationed, for several years,
at Sackets Harbor, on lake Ontario. Here was
spent the easiest portion of his life. From the time
he was ordered from this post to the close of his
eventful career, he was called to endure, in the
service of his country, an unusual share of depri.
vations and discomforts.
He enjoyed keenly his residence at Sackets Harbor, dividing the time between military duties,
study, and the pleasures of general society. Of
the place and people he writes,-" We are well situated here with many respectable and intelligent
citizens around us. Of our officers and their fanmilies I can not speak in too high terms of praise.
We have balls occasionally in town and parties in
garrison." The gayeties of social life were tempered by regular attendance at the house of wor



62       GEN. NATHANIEIJ LYON.
ship. "I always go to church twice on Sunday
and sometimes at evening in the week."
During this interval many leisure hours were
devoted to the study of law, and the legal knowledge and acumen thus acquired were often very
serviceable to friends. We have before us an unpretending communication, written from Sackets Harbor to a relative, then engaged in the settlement of
a complicated estate, which skillfully sifts the mass
of evidence connected with the matter in dispute,
and renders perfectly clear the naked point of obligation. Moral Philosophy, and the broad field of
metaphysics claimed a share of his attention. He
also took delight, as occasion offered, in investigating the phenomena of Mesmerism and kindred subjects which now and then obtrude themselves persistently upon the attention of the public. With a
disposition to examine impartially different systems
of belief, he was disinclined to accept of any unless
established upon a basis of unanswerable reasoning.
In political matters he was always deeply interested,
and though in the heat of partizan excitement
sometimes prone to extremes, no one ever doubted
the honesty of his opinions.
To the annexation of Texas, a question then
uppermost in the public mind, Lyon was earnestly
opposed, believing the project to be impolitic and




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              63
unjust, ailnd often expressing the conviction that
such an outrage upon the rights of a sister republic
could not fail to bring its own bitter punishment in
the end. He writes in May, 1844,-"-'ohn Tyler has
virtually declared war with Mexico by sending
troops to the Texan Frontier, and a naval force into
the Gulf to oppose the operations of that State, in
anticipation that our Senate will confirm his treaty.
Such high-handed proceedings are not likely to
affect us at present, but, in the final issue, will inevitably involve the United States in hostilities.
It is to be hoped that the originator of these rash
movements may receive a suitable reward for his
madness and folly."
When the Mexican war opened, bringing the
necessity of a large increase in the rank and file of
the army for the purpose of filling up old regiments
and creating new, Lieut. Lyon found constant occupation in recruiting and drilling fresh troops. At
the outbreak of hostilities the second regiment of
infantry was still stationed at different posts on the
northern frontier and the Atlantic coast. During
the summer of 1846, the companies were withdrawn
from various garrisons and sent to Mexico. It was
late in the season before they reached the Rio
Grande. Already the victories of Palo Alto and
Resaca de la Palma had been won. The strongly




64       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
defended town of Monterey, after a bloody defense,
had succumbed to the valor of our troops. But the
gravest hardships were yet to be suffered, and the
severest battles yet to be fought. In the coming
drama the second infantry acted a conspicuous and
honorable part. In numerous engagements it won
the nation's praise for the intrepidity of its bearing,
and the glory of its success.
On the 8th of December, 1846, Lieut. Lyon left
Camargo, a town at the confluence of the San Juan
and Rio Grande rivers, for the scene of active operations. The march was performed by companies
E, G, H, and I, of the second infantry, under Capt.
Waite, accompanied by the second regiment of Tennessee Volunteers, under Col. Haskell.
As it may interest some, brief notes are given.of
their progress, and of the appearance of the country
as it presented itself to the eyes of Lyon.
Leaving Camargo early in the afternoon, on the
8th of December, the detachment proceeded eight
miles and encamped for the night in a thick chaparral. The next day they marched fifteen miles
through an undulating country. Various points on
the road commanded landscape views of extraordinary beauty. The eye rests upon gracefully blended
vallies and hills, that stretch away for many a
league till lost to sight in the dusky distance. The




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              65
region was evidently depopulated, as hardly a habitation was to be seen.
On the night of the 11th, the company encamped
on the banks of a cool stream which afforded the
first palatable water the men obtained after leaving
New York.
The following day the command reached China,
on the San Juan, sixty miles from Camargo- "a
small town having a good church and other public
buildings-all of stone.- The houses are narrow
and one story high."
They reached Mont Morelas the 17th, having
passed for the last twenty miles "through a cultivated and populous country, abounding in luxuriant crops of corn and sugar cane. The inhabitants
are industrious, and for that reason comfortable,
well dressed, orderly, and courteous. Mont Morelas is a pretty Mexican town of two thousand people, with many fine dwellings built in the Spanish
style of architecture. It contains a small church
and large cathedral, which is still unfinished."
A report from Gen. Worth that Santa Anna was
approaching 3Monterey with a large force, caused
the reinforcements on the road to be hurried rapidly
forward. Gen. Twigg's division, comprising the
brigades of Colonels Harney and Smith, left Mont
Morelas for Monterey the 18th of December, acconm



66       GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
pantied by Gen. Taylor. The 20th found them in
the immediate vicinity of the city, when it was
ascertained that the rumor was false.
Lieut. Lyon took the earliest opportunity to examine the celebrities of Monterey. After inspecting
the singular architecture of the city, the construction of the Black Fort, and the splendid cathedral,
he repaired to Arista's Garden-a favorite resort,
on account of its extent and the elegance of its arrangements. Here the atmosphere was laden with
fragrance, and the eye wandered with delight amid
the rich profusion of tropical flowers.
The stay of the second infantry in this vicinity
was destined to be short. A change in the plans of
government caused a large body of troops to be
detached from the force of Gen. Taylor and transferred to the Gulf Coast. Gen. Scott Was to take
immediate command of the army of invasion, and
establish the principal base of military operations
at Vera Cruz. In a communication to Gen. Taylor
dated Washington? Oct. 22d, 1846, the Secretary
of War apprises him of the project and directs-him
to have four thousand men, fifteen hundred or two
thousand of the number to be regulacrs, in readiiness to embark for Vera Cruz or such other destination as may be given, at the earliest practicable
moment; provided his own plans are not materially




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              67
interfered with, or his position too much weakened
by the withdrawal of so large a force. Gen. Scott,
in a letter to Gen. Taylor written at New York,
November 25th, after deprecating the imperious
necessity of the measure, says: "I shall be obliged
to take from you most of the gallant officers and
men, (regulars and volunteers,) which you have so
long and so nobly commanded."
The administration agreed to raise and forward
ten new regiments as soon as possible after the
meeting of Congress; to provide at once the requisite number of transports and surf-boats; and to
have a suitable train of siege ordnance ready for
use against the defenses of Vera Cruz.
At the beginning of the year 1847, Gen. Taylor,
with a force of eighteen thousand men, occupied
the long line from the mouth of the Rio Grande to
Camargo, and thence to Monterey and Saltillo.
GCen. Scott was in the neighborhood of Brazos Santiago, working with tireless energy to perfect arrangeluents for a successful attack upon the coimmercial emporium of Mexico. Santa Anna held a
force of more than twenty thousand men at San
Louis Potosi, a strongly fortified city of sixty thousand inhabitants, situated among the mountains
about half way between Monterey and the Mexican
capital. From this central position the command



68       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
ing general could either precipitate his legions upon
the army of Gen. Taylor, should its weakness invite
attack, or send large reinforcements to repel attempts upon the coast.
Nor was Santa Anna left in the dark respecting
the designs of the Americans. Gen. Scott attempted
to acquaint Gen. Taylor with the details of his plan.
Lieut. Richie, the bearer of despatches, was assassinated on the road, and the important documents
entrusted to his care apprised the enemy of the
purposes of our commander.
The embarrassments of Gen. Scott were further
complicated as it became evident that the administration was lukewarm in efforts to provide Pmeans
for a vigorous prosecution of the war. Ambitious
politicians had conceived the mad project of placing
a partisan at the head of the army, with the rank
of Lieutenant-General.  The bill for raising ten
additional regiments, which ought to have passed
Congress at once, dragged. along till near the end
of the session.  Yet the Commander-in-chief determined to commence operations according to the
original plan with the resources at his disposal. In
obedience to orders, Gen. Taylor forwarded a goodly
part of his own troops to- reinforce the army then
concentrating for the capture of Vera Cruz.
On the morning of December 23d, after a rainy




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               69
night, Lyon's regiment with others began to retrace
their steps over the same road along which they had
so recently passed. Gen. Taylor accompanied the
division for some distance.  "a He encamped at all
times with the troops in unceremonious style; his
habits, dress and manners being off-hand and informal. He does not repair to towns and cities to
luxuriate, leaving the army at a distance, but as far
as possible keeps with the men and in the country."
As the troops passed through Cardareta, Christmas bells were pealing merrily, as if no dark clouds
of anarchy and war shut out the light of heaven
from this afflicted land. The next day they left the
Camargo road, reaching Linares on the 28th, where
they encamped onl the opposite banks of the stream
that skirts the south side of the town. The place,
like many others was deserted by the principal inhabitants, and presented an aspect of desolation.
It is the custom  of the people to plant crosses
wherever a murder has been committed or a death
occurred by violence. On this route they were
erected thickly by the roadside-melanchloly tokens
of the depravity and lawlessness which corrupted
the land.
Reaching Victoria the 4th of January, they remained till the 14th, when "1 in obedience to orders
from  Gen. Taylor, the division began to move in




70       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
the direction of TamZpico, where it arrived tile 23d,
and encamped nlear the town."
From Lyon's imeuloranda:'" The country adjacent to Tampico is low and
profusely covered with vegetation.  Lemons of good
quality grow plentifully in the woods. The banana,
the cocoa, the plantain, and other fruits of a tropical clime are found here.  The inhabitants of the
place are generally foreigners, civil, orderly, and
more intelligent than we have met with elsewhere
in Mexico. Nearly all of the houses are in the
American style; while the principal streets are wide
and well paved."
Gen. Scott arrived at Tampico the 19th of February, and ordered the immediate embarkation of
all the troops for the rendezvous at Lobos island, a
small body of land near the coast, about one hundred and twenty-five miles north of Vera Cruz.
Lieut. Lyon reached the island on the 26th, where
he found Gen. Scott with a fleet of fifty sail waiting
for further reinforcements.
lMcrcch 4th.  "After a detention in the offing for
thirty-six hours from head winds, a Nortlher sprang
up at two o'clock this morning, taking us down
opposite to Vera Cruz by sunset.  We passed near
enough to see the town and castle, and anchored
under the lee of Verd Island, south-east of the city.




GEN. N A T HANIEL LYON.            71
March 5thA' Late in getting under way. Thllere
being little wind, we moved slowly till the U. S.
war steamer Princeton took us in tow and, conducted us to the harbor of Anton Lizardo.
Mcarchl 6th. "Harbor very quiet.  Gen. Scott
passes along the shore on board the Spit-Fire to
examine the appearance of the enemy and discover
a suitable place for landing the troops.  On approaching the castle, he was fired upon. The third
shot came near the boat, and the fourth, (a sixtyfour pounder,) flew directly over it. News arrived
to-day, through the M~exican papers, of a hard
fought battle between Gen. Taylor and Santa Anna,
south-east of Saltillo, in which the enemy retired.
Marcth 9th. " Preparations are all made for disembarking. The steamers and war vessels take on
board most of the men, and all move up under the
island of Sacrificios. Gen. Worth's brigade disembarked about six P. Mi., without opposition from
shore. The other brigades immediately follow and
the landing of troops continues till midnight. Our
regiment reached shore about ten P. M., stacked
arms, and lay by them. About one o'clock in the
morning a few men, in looking for water, fell upon
the pickets of the enemy, who fired for some time,
but without effect."
The landing was effected in sixty-seven surf




72       G EN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
boats, each conducted by a naval officer, and rowed
by sailors from the squadron.  Two steamers and
several vessels of light draft flanked the boats with
a view to cover operations by their cross-fire. All
expected to encounter vigorous opposition.  But
the Mexicans, supposing that the debarkation would
be attempted at a distant point, were collected there
to repel it, leaving other places comparatively defenceless.  Three divisions, consisting in all of
twelve thousand men, were transferred from the
shipping to tile shore without a casualty or accident.
The scene and circumstances were admirably suited
both to excite and exhilarate our troops.  A small
army, proudly conscious of infinite superiority in
manhood, energy, and military skill, were knocking
with hostile arms at the strongest gate of an empire
that counts its people by millions.  It seemed like
the realization of the dreams and fables of ancient
poetry, in the midst of the cool, well-balanced,
statistical civilization of the present hour.  Before
this little band of hardy warriors, armies were to
be scattered like chaff in the breeze.  Neither temporary fortifications nor battlemented castles could
obstruct their victorious march,
The landing was made on the south side of the
city, and the line of investment occupied as rapidly
as the difficulties to be overcome would permit.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               73
On the 10th, Gen. Worth's brigade took position
on the right of the line, and Gen. Patterson's
in the center.  Gen. Twiggs' brigade remained
at the place of landing till the 11th, when it
began to march for the position assigned it, on
the north-west side of the city.  Lieut. Lyon
thus describes the events of the day. " The firing
from town commenced early with eighteen and
twenty-four pounders, just reaching our column.
One shot came into Gen. Worth's line, but did no
harm. Our advance encountered the enemy in the
chaparral, and had something of a skirmish, in
which a few were wounded. Balls continued coming from town, one of which passed through our
ranks, killing Brevet Capt. Alburtis, and also shattering the foot of a private."
Several skirmishes occurred during the day, in
which the enemy were invariably repulsed with
loss. The brigade bivouacked at night, occupying
the line in the direction of the Jalapa road as far
as its strength would permit.
On the morning of the 13th the march was resumed. Making a detour to the left to avoid several ponds of water, the brigade, about twelve
o'clock, reached the great National Road leading
from Vera Cruz to the City of Mexico. A party
of hostile cavalry  drawn up at this point were
4




74       GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
quickly dispersed without loss to the Americans.
Several were taken prisoners and, what was not
less acceptable to the soldiers, two hundred beef
cattle and thirty casks of good wine fell into their
hands. Shortly after noon the head of the column
arrived at the village of Vergara, on the beach,
two and a half miles north of the town, where Gen.
Twiggs fixed his head-quarters. The line of investment was now complete.
The movements of the brigade from the place of
landing were attended with severe toil and exposure.  The guns of the enemy were admirably
served, and kept up a well directed fire upon our
troops whenever they ventured within range. At a
safer distance from the city, beyond the reach of
shot and shell, the country is studded with sand
hills varying in height from twenty to two hundred
and fifty feet. Dense and almost impassable forests
of chaparral occupy the valleys and interspaces.
During the period of investment, violent " northers"
prevailed with few intermissions, filling the air with
clouds of light, loose sand. The fervent rays of the
sun not only rested upon the troops, but were reflected with dazzling brightness from the banks of sand
beneath and around them. Water along the route
was very scarce, so that the pangs of insupportable
thirst were superadded to the other annoyances.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              75
Of the means of land transportation expected
from Tampico and the Brazos weeks before, only
fifteen carts and one hundred draught horses had
arrived. At the time there was but one depot for
provisions and military stores, and this was located
on the beach, several miles south of the town.
Men were obliged to carry food, equipage, and
munitions, for the distance of five miles over the
sand and through the chaparral.
On the morning of the 14th, printed safeguards
were sent to the Spanish, French, British and Prussian consuls connected with Vera Cruz, to'protect
as far as practicable the houses and property of foreign residents.
The operations of the siege were much delayed
by the prevalence of northers and the lack of mortars and heavy ordnance. Gen. Scott, writing to
the Secretary of War the 18th of March, complains
that but two-tenths of the guns originally required
had reached him.
*Meanwhile an irregular fire was kept up from
city and castle upon the lines of investment. M]exican rancheros made nightly attacks upon the American rear, but were always driven back with ease.
Occ-asional skirmishes between reconnoitering parties took place within the works, and gave abundant
evidence of the superiority of Saxon steel.




76      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
The north winds, which had aggravated the difficulties of the siege, on the other hand brought into
the anchorages unumerous transports laden with
munitions and food. Reinforcements also arrived,
and during the intermission of the gale, troops and
material were rapidly transferred to the shore.
Several batteries of heavy armament were planted
within twelve hundred yards of the city, magazines
were arranged, and other preparations for the bombardment pushed with great rapidity. On the 22d
of March, seven ten-inch mortars being in readiness
to open fire, the Comimander-in-chief summoned
the Governor of Vera Cruz to surrender. The
capitulation of the castle was not demanded, as
Gen. Scott was in no condition to threaten it from
want of heavy ordnance. Gen. Morales, who commanded city and castle both, promptly refused,
assuring his excellency in reply to the demand, that
he should defend both points at all cost and to the
last extremity.
On the return of the flag with the response of
the Governor, the bombardment was commenced.
A litle later two steamers and five schooners belonging to the squadron, took position under Point
Hornos, where they were partially protected from
the guns of the castle, and with their heavy metal
opened on the city. The enemy responded vigor



GEN,  NATHANIEL LYON.             77
ously upon the fleet and the intrenchments. Their
firing, though well directed, proved quite ineffective, for the shot grazed harmlessly over the sunken
batteries, and the trenches offered too small a mark
for the mortars.  One of the shells, however,
killed Capt. John R. Vinton, a brave and highly
accomplished officer. A single private was killed
and several were wounded.
During tile next two days, heavy mortars and guns
were added to the batteries. Large quantities of ammunition were sent from the beach in the night time,
to the fortifications.  Wagons loaded with powder
moved to their destination within range of the enemy's guns, but no accident occurred. Meanwhile
the firing was slackened, because a norther again
sprung up, cutting off communication with the
fleet, upon which the batteries depended for the
supply of shells. On the 24th the wind abated and
the lull was vigorously improved in landing ammunition of all kinds.
On the morning of the 25th, the heavy armament
of the besiegers, now plentifully supplied with powder and missiles, opened a rapid and terrific fire.
Shot and shells fell with frightful effect upon the
habitations and defenses of the doomed city. Conflagrations broke out wherever the buildings were
combustible and raged till every thing that would




78       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
burn was consumed.  Many hurried frantically
through the streets seeking in vain for places of
safety. Now the supply of food was almost exhausted and inll many cases the pangs of hunger
were added to the other horrors of the scene.
Women and children emerged from the haunts of
poverty, and with looks famished and terror-stricken,
clamored for bread. Not a few of the unfortunate
creatures perished in fruitless efforts to procure the
means of life.
Meanwhile the guns of the enemy responded vigorously. The men continued bravely at their posts,
fighting with a degree of obstinacy and resolution
that excited the admiration of the besiegers. For
hours the cannonade was incessant, neither side
evincing the slightest disposition to yield.
Blut the foreign element at Vera Cruz, which embraced a large and influential share of the population, overcome by the hardships of the bombardment, through their consuls obtaine.d permission to
send a flag of truce to Gen. Scott. The accompanying petition prayed that hostilities might be
suspended for a sufficient time to allow foreigners
and Mexican women and children to leave the
place.
The American commander, having previously
sent safeguards to the consuls, and allowed every




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              79
facility for the departure of foreigners to the neutral vessels of war under Sacrificios until the 22d,
replied to the consuls that a truce could only be
granted on application of the Governor of Vera
Cruz, and that too accompanied by a distinct proposition of surrender.
On the return of the flag to the city, the bombardment was resumed and continued through the
night, while the Mexican batteries remained silent.
So great had become the distress in town, that the
enemy was at length convinced of the futility of
further resistance. Accordingly, early on the 26th,
Gen. Landero, who took command on account of
the feigned sickness of Gen. Morales, the Governor,
made overtures of surrender. Articles of capitulation were signed and ratified the 27th. Two days
later the Stars and Stripes were planted in triumph
on the far famed castle of San Juan d'Ulloa.
By the agreement of the commissioners, the
city and castle, with all the materidl of war and
public property were relinquished to the United
States. Officers and men were allowed to march
out of the town with the honors of war, and retire
on parole.  Among the trophies of victory were
four hundred pieces of ordnance, five thousand
stands of arms, and a large quantity of military
stores. Her chief commercial emporium was lost




80       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
to Mexico, and became the base of successful operations against the national capital. All this was accomplished with small loss of life on the part of the
Americans.
The regiment of Lieut. Lyon was stationed at the
Jalapa road-a position which might readily have
become the most perilous along the whole line of
investment. Several times it was rumored that the
Mexicans were advancing in force down this thoroughfare for the relief of the beleaguered city, and
as often the second regiment of infantry was deputed to receive them. No one knew how formidable a force might be in the immediate neighborhood. But the enemy failed to make the attempt,
so that the troops who guarded the main avenue of
approach from the interior to Vera Cruz; had no
opportunity to incur extraordinary danger, or win
extraordinary praise.
The army delayed for several days to leave the
coast, now insufferably hot and insalubrious, from
want of the means of transportation. Cannon,
ammunition, provisions, and equipage were to be
conveyed for a long distance, while the principal
part of the necessary wagons, horses, and mules
had not yet arrived.
On the 8th of April, the advance division, under
Gen. Twiggs, left Vera Cruz for the Mexican capi



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               81
tal. The other divisions were to follow rapidly so
as to be ready to lend speedy aid in case serious
obstacles were encountered. As Lieut. Lyon belonged to the leading column, brief extracts are
given from his memoranda.
April 8th. "We started for the interior at eight
o'clock and marched twelve miles. For the first
half of the distance the road was made by deep cuts
through the sand hills, and its sides and bottom were
intensely heated by the rays of the sun. Afterwards
open, sandy plains succeed, where we encountered
a slight but hot breeze. Officers and men suffered
greatly from the heat, and more than half the
number failed. Camp in a thicket to the left of
the road, and just east of a fine stream and
bridge.
April 9th. "lMarch twelve miles to another fine
bridge-day excessively hot, but not so severe as
yesterday. The country along the road shows signs
of cultivation at some former period, but is mostly
neglected at present.
April 10thlI.  " Marched only six miles, to the
National bridge. At the left is a fortification built
with the design to command the passage. It was
expected that the Mexicans would here make a
stand and contest our further advance. There were
some evidences of such an intention, as the first
4*




s2       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
bridge appeared as if mined recently, and obstructions were found in the road.
April 11th. "Advanced twelve miles to a fine
bridge in a gorge of hills, and protected like the
National bridge by an old military work on a high
hill to the left. An outpost of about fifty Mexican
lancers was found here, who fled and were pursued
by the dragoons of Col. Harney. He afterwards
reconnoitered and found the enemy intrenched in
a strong position on the road some four miles in
advance. He was fired upon by them. They are
therefore expected to make a stand and give us a
hard fight to-morrow.
April 12th. 1" Gen. Twiggs having called all his
officers together yesterday, and announced his intention of attacking the enemy in advance at all
hazards, we started at daylight with the full expectation of storming the heights. On approaching,
reconnoitering parties were sent to the right and left
of the road, when the outposts of the enemy fired
upon our engineers and the guard. Capt. Johnston, of topographical corps, was badly wounded, as
were several riflemen. Just before this a report
came that fifteen hundred of the enemy were advancing upon the rear to attack the train.  The
dragoons and third infantry were sent back to meet
them. Additional reports being received that a




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              83
still greater number were threatening the rear, the
second infantry was ordered back, and found everything quiet with no appearance of the enemy. Instead, however, of returning to join the advance,
we kept our position. The head column returned
to us and we all remained at the encampment of
the previous night. Gen. Pillow arrived to-day in
time to assist but was not called upon.
April 13th. "Did not start this morning, but a
reconnoitering party was sent out to get information in regard to tile enemy. Their report was
favorable to an immediate attack. In consequence,
however, of the fatigue of Gen. Pillow's command,
and its need of rest, an order was issued by Gen.
Twiggs delaying the forward movement till tomorrow, when we are to advance, the regulars
taking  the right of the road and the volunteers the left. Orders were also given to move in
silence at midnight; but all this was countermanded
by Gen. Patterson, who, having arrived the previous
day, did not assume command till now in consequence of sickness.
April 14th. " Gen. Patterson, being in command,
has ordered no movement. Gen. Scott arrived at
evening.
April 15th. "The engineers, with Gen. Scott,
went to-day to reconnoitre. I was in command of




84       GEN. NATH INIEL L-YON.
a camp of the escort. VWe proceeded to the rear of
the enemy's left, but the reconnoissance was incomplete and unsatisfactory.
April 16th. "' Remain in camp, and nothing important occurs.  Serg't Day, a faithful soldier and
Orderly Serg't of Company'G,' having died last
night, is buried. Received my promotion to-day as
First Lieutenant, and assume command of Company'D."'
Lyon was promoted to the First Lieutenancy
February 16th, 1847.7
The next day (April 17th) commenced the battle
of Cerro Gordo.  The American Camp rested on
each side of the National road at Plan Del RPio,
the termination of the tierrcas calientes, or the level
country below. From this site the road winds circuitously among  lofty hills whose  commanding
points had all been strongly fortified by the enemy.
Along the whole length of the Mexican right,
flowed the El Rio del Plan through a deep ravine,
the precipitous sides of which afforded a perfect
barrier to the approach of troops.  The highway
crosses this stream at the "Plan del Rio, and after
numerous windings passed to the right of the outb
ermnost batteries of the enemy. These were planted
* Register of the Officers and Graduates of West Point, by Capt.
George W. Cullum, New York, 1850.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               85
on the salients of three high and rocky ridges
branching out from a common center in the rear.
Seventeen guns were mounted here. A mile in the
rear, at the point where the road approaches nearest
to the river, a battery of six pieces swept almost
the entire pass. A little further on, the cannon
planted on the heights and tower of Cerro Gordotile loftiest eminence of all-commanded the whole
field. The main body of the Mexicans were encamped on the Jalapa road, west of Cerro Gordo,
and protected by a battery of five pieces. Six hundred yards east of Cerro Gordo, and about the same
distance north of the road, stands another hill that
became the scene of important operations during
the progress of the battle.
It was obvious that such a succession of strongly
fortified heights could not be carried except at a
frightful sacrifice.  Gen. Scott, accordingly determined to cut a new road to the left of the Mexican
defences, and partially out of reach of their guns,
by which a force could debouch upon the national
highway in the rear. Reconnoissances were daily
pushed, and the road built, with great difficulty,
over chasms and along precipitous hills, till the
further prosecution of the work, without coming to
an engagement, was interrupted by the proximity
of AMexican batteries. The desired point of de



86       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
bouchure, though not reached, was believed to be
quite accessible from the position already secured.
According to the plan of attack, Gen. Pillow was
to assault the batteries in front, while Gen. Twiggs
was to march by the new route and fall upon the
enemy in the rear. On the morning of the 17th
the division of Gen. Twiggs moved forward from
Plan del Rio, and turning to the right, a short distance from the entrance of the pass, advanced for
some time through the thick chaparral without
molestation. As soon, however, as the movement
was observed from the batteries, the guns opened a
heavy fire upon the flank of the column. Owing
to the distance, and the protection afforded by the
inequalities of the ground, the troops suffered little
injury.
A little in advance and on the left of the route
was a ridge, which Lieut. Gardner, with a company
of the 7th infantry, was directed to ascend, for the
purpose of watching the movements of the enemy.
In executing the order he encountered a large body
of Mexicans, holding them in check till relieved by
reinforcements. After a sharp struggle the enemy
were repulsed and pursued to the hill east of Cerro
Gordo, where they rallied. But the Americans
carried the height by storm, notwithstanding a destructive fire upon their flank from the battery




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             87
located where the National road approaches nearest
to the river. Three successive charges were made
to retake it, but without success.
Meanwhile, the rear of the division, embracing
the company of Lyon, was ordered to hurry forward
under cover of the advance, with the view of gaining the Jalapa road, and thus cutting off the retreat
of the Mexicans.  In attempting to execute the
manceuvre, the column gained an aivance position,
when it was discovered by the enemy, who at once
gave it their undivided attention, in order to prevent the consummation of a plan so fatal to their
safety. Without responding to the musketry, it
hastened onward till the tented field was in sight.
There the enemy appeared in large numbers. An
attack was top perilous to be ventured, and accordingly the detachment was ordered to retreat. It
fell back "with alacrity, and as little confusion as
could be expected, considering the shower of bullets," to a position covered by the Americans. The
men slept on their arms during the night. Meanwhile, others were laboriously engaged in dragging
cannon over the rugged way and up steep acclivities
toward the summit of the height east of Cerro
Gordo. Early the next morning two howitzers and
a twenty-four pounder opened a brisk fire upon the
enemy from this position. Col. Hiarney. who com



.88      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
manded here, organized a storming party to carry
Cerro Gordo. Col. Riley's brigade, to which Lyon's
regiment belonged, under the guidance of Capt.
Lee, of the engineers, again started for the seizure
of the National road at the site of the Mexican
camp, in the rear of their other defences. As the
regiments moved from behind the eminence, which
had screened them during the darkness, it was
necessary to cross a ravine swept by hostile batteries. From this time the column was also exposed
to a heavy fire from infantry, who swarmed in increasing numbers upon the sides of the ridge to the
left of the route. Wlhen the second infantry reached
the foot of the hill, two companies, belonging to the
regiment, A and I, were detached to drive in the
skirmishers of the enemy. This force proving inadequate, two additional companies, B and H, were
ordered to their support, and shortly after the residue of the regiment.  Company D, commanded by
Lyon, hurried up the slope, attaining the crest in
time to share actively in the conflict. The fight
was hot and spirited. Unable to withstand the
steady valor of our troops, the Mexicans soon fled
in hot haste and utter confusion, after suffering
severely in killed and wofnded.  The advance of
the second infantry thus gallantly stormed the reverse of Cerro Gordo, gaining the summit from




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               89
behind,  at the same time that Harney's brigade
reached it from the front.
Another battery of five guns in the plain below,
half a mile west of Cerro Gordo, had greatly annoyed the Americans, and was still playing vigorously. At the same place also a large body of
lancers were stationed. This was a strong position
in the rear of all the other fortifications here planted
Upon the National road, and was designed to cover
the retreat of the Mexicans in case the defenses in
front should be carried by storm. Col. Riley ordered the advance of the second infantry to move
down and capture this battery, and the rest of the
brigade to follow as soon as possible, for the purpose
of occupying the Mexican camp. The companies
of Capt. Canby and Lieut. Lyon hastened to execute
the apparently perilous charge, and took the three
guns on the right, the other two being taken by the
volunteers of Gen. Shields.  So panic-stricken were
the enemy by the ill success of the day, that after
two ineffective shots they abandoned this important
post to the small but terrible handful of assailants.
From the inability of the Americans to reach the
Jalapa road at an earlier stage of the battle, many
escaped, the cavalry taking the highway and the
footmen fleeing into the woods. Here was found
the carriage of Santa Anna, containing valuable




90'      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
documents and other curious articles. The unfor.
tunate chieftain escaped on a mule, by fording the
river and breaking through a narrow and difficult
pass on the southern bank, whence he gained the
road to Orizaba.
Lieut. Lyon pushed on, the same afternoon, in
pursuit of the fugitives, as far as the village of
Encerro, eight miles from the field of Cerro Gordo.
While these events were occurring in the rear,
Gen. Pillow, according to the original plan, assaulted the, eastern fortifications, but was repulsed
with considerable loss. The works were defended
by old troops of the line, and commanded by generals of unusual spirit and courage, considering
their nationality. But after the capture of the batteries on the west, being completely hemmed in,
they were forced to surrender.
The American force, in action and reserve, was
not far from eight thousand five hundred; the
Mexican about thirteen thousand. Our loss was
sixty-three killed, and three hundred and sixtyeight wounded; that of the enemy much greater.
Forty-three pieces of artillery, several thousand
stands of arms, and many prisoners were captured.




CHiAPTER IV*.
THE day after the battle of Cerro Gordo, Lieut.
Lyon, and indeed the main body of the army,
elated by success, hurried on unconscious of fatigue,
to Jalapa.
At this town the main body of the army remained
for more than a month. During the interval, Lyon
wrote an extended sketch of the physical appearance of the country, and of the institutions and
character of the people. He notes the fact that in
previous marches through the northern part of
Mexico, our troops found no carriage roads. Different towns were connected by simple mule-paths,
upon which no labor was expended to promote the
convenience of travelers. But the highway from
Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico is of the most excellent and substantial character. When new, it
was paved with stone the whole distance. It was
built by Spain at the cost of Government, while




92       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
Mexico was her province, as the great national thoroughfare from the seaboard to the interior.  Whatever public structures in Mexico bear marks of good
taste or great expense, are the fruits of Spanish
enterprise. Since the revolution no new improvements have been undertaken, and the grand old
works of the past have been suffered to fall into
decay.
The experience of Lyon in M3exico leads him D" to
feel for the people, their customs, laws and religion,
all the contempt and disgust that a heritage of puritan instructions naturally inspires for institutions
and practices so much at variance with early teachings."
At Jalapa, charity prompts the candid observer to
relent somewhat in the severity of his judgment,
and to pity rather than loathe an unfortunate race.
Elsewhere "the depravity of the people seemed
the natural fruit of a corrupt priesthood and lordly
aristocracy; but here many individuals of pure
blood, education and refinement, are blindly devoted to their pagan worship."
Under a healthful state of religion, morals and
government, Jalapa might become a prosperous and
delightful city, for its natural advantages are of the
rarest quality.  Though lying within the tropics,
its altitude is such that the climate is uniform and




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.                93
salubrious. Rains descend in due proportion, the
verdure is rich, and the growth of vegetation luxuriant.  At all seasons the fields are clothed in the
beauties of spring. Here one avoids alike the raw
blasts of winter and the heat of summer.  Eastward the eye rests upon plains of arid sand, westward upon the heights of Arazala, white with an
eternal crown of snow.
From the position of the town, between tropical
plains and frost bound mountains, its market is plentifully supplied with the fruits and vegetables of
every clime. Here, for the first time in Mexico,
Lyon saw lots divided by stone walls, and variety in
the cultivated products of the field, which continually reminded him of the choicest rural districts of
New England.'" The town has a population of ten thousand, and
many fine residences. The churches are massive
edifices, elegantly finished within, and ornamented
with pictures and statues, the most costly and beautiful.  The Virgin-Mother is often presented in
every attraction of female loveliness."
At Jalapa the privates were quartered in barracks and the officers found accommodations in the
comfortable homes of the natives, the shelter of a roof
being a luxury that Lyon had not enjoyed before
since leaving New York the previous September.




94       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
Gen. Worth occupied the strong castle and town
of Perote the 22d of April, without opposition.
Col. Valasquez, the Mexican commissioner, turned
over to the Americans the entire armament of the
castle, consisting of fifty-four guns and mortars,
besides a large amount of ammunition. None of
the materiel of war had been removed by the enemy
in the hurry of flight. The fortress itself contained
ample accommodations for two thousand troops,
with quarters for officers, store-houses, hospitals,
and other appointments.
Lieut. Lyon remained at Jalapa with the main
body of the army till the 22d of May. Gen. Worth
had already pushed forward with the advance and
taken possession of Puebla.  The other divisions
were delayed by the necessity of procuring supplies
from Vera Cruz. On the 22d of May, the march
towards the city of Mexico was resumed by the
army, which was now furnished with an immense
train.
From the memoranda of Lyon.
May 23d. "March to a pass called La Hoyua,
where extensive preparations had been made by the
Mexicans to oppose us; but the pursuit from Cerro
Gordo took them by surprise, and these important
works were left, with seven guns spiked. The position was very strong and would have been difficult




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON. o            95
to be carried.  The country along this road is
thickly populated, and the scenery varied, grand
and beautiful.
May 24th. "Marched ten miles to Las Vegas, an
old dilapidated town of no importance. Road ascending and rough, with scarcity of water. Here
first meet the Maguey plant.
liay 25th. "Enter Perote and encamp on the
north side of the famous castle, which is not a
castle but a fort, with four bastions,-each front
being about two hundred and eighty yards in length.
The parapet is pierced with embrasures for one
hundred guns. The ditch is very deep and wide;
the masonry of good brick; and the whole work
very strong. The fort is about half a mile from
the town of Perote, a small, old and ruinous place."
During the next three days the army advanced
fifty miles over an immense plain, unlimited in
many directions by any salient boundaries.  In
other quarters, the broad level tract is skirted by
distant hills, at the foot of which are seen villages
of considerable size. The first half of tile route is
thinly inhabited, presenting no evidences of enterprise or thrift; but further west, the country becomes more populous and the fields show abundant
indications of diligent and successful culture.
JfMay 29th. "March twenty miles to Puebla, and




96       GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
passing to the central part of the town, take up
quarters in tile San Augustine monastery.  The
great object of attraction here is the numerous
churches-one hundred in number-all large and
massive. To nearly every one is attached a convent. The cathedral on the Plaza is an immense
structure of basaltic rock, with its interior richly
finished and gorgeously decorated.  Vast wealth
is also piled up in every church in the form of
pictures, images and other ornaments. The city
contains about seventy thousand inhabitants. It is
well laid out, with wide streets intersecting each
other at right angles."
The city of Puebla is situated seventy miles southeast of the valley of Mexico, at an elevation of
seven thousand feet above the level of the sea. In
the  coldest season the Fahrenheit thermometer
ranges between 55~ and 70', and in sunzmmer the
mercury seldom  rises above 75~, in the shade.
While the lands under high cultivation, yield grains
of the choicest quality, and other productions in
abundance, vegetation, owing to the rarity of the
atmosphere, does not spring up so luxuriantly as
upon a soil of less altitude.
At the time of Cortes' invasion, in the early part
of the sixteenth century, the province of Puebla
was perhaps the most populous, wealthy and highly




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON,               97
civilized of the Mexican States. Here were found
some of the most laborious monuments of human
toil, reared either from sentiments of heathen veleration, or from the ambitious desire of the ancient
race to bequeath to future ages enduring memorials
of their grandeur and skill. Six- miles from the
city of Puebla stands the pyramid of Cholula, rivaling in magnitude the great pyramid on the Nile.
Its base covers an area of forty acres, and it rises
in terraces to the height of one hundred and
seventy-seven feet. On the top once stood a magnificent temple dedicated to the worship of their
principal God.  At its base were the towers of
hundreds of minor temples, and an immense city
whose streets swarmed with throngs of devotees from
every quarter of the empire. But the glory and
the folly have departed forever. The pyramid rises
alone amid the ruins of the past, for the deity once
worshipped there with such lavish profusion of sacrifices and rites, failed to save from destruction the
homes of his followers.
The long delay of the American army at Puebla
gave the curious among our officers abundant time
to make acquaintance with the wonders —latural
and artificial-of this remarkable province.
This delay extended through the months of June
and July till the 7th of August. Meanwhile the
5




98       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
efforts of the administration to negotiate peace
through its agent, Mr. Trist, had proved abortive,
leaving no alternative but to carry the war to the
gates of the capital.
On reaching Puebla, the number of effective men
in the army of invasion did not exceed five thousand. Mlany causes aside from losses in battle had
been active in thinning the ranks. Insalubrity of
climate in the low regions near the Gulf proved a
hundred fold more destructive than the arms of the
enemy. The country was sprinkled with the graves
of brave men who perished, not amid the roar of
artillery, but from disease, in hospitals and by the
road side. Others survived the malaria and pestilence to gain the mountainous districts with constitutions much shattered by exposure. The sallow
complexions and cadaverous features of the Americans, on entering Puebla, showed that the subtle
poisons of the air had battled fiercely with the
strongest. The natives viewed them with wonder.
They could not believe that these troops, so wan and
way-worn, were the terrible men who had repeatedly
routed their own proud armies, and charged resistlessly upon their forts and fastnesses.
It must be remembered that this small force was
two hundred miles from the sea, in the heart of a
hostile empire.  All reinforcements and supplies




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             99
from home must come this long distance, over a
road that was commanded in many places by hills,
and wound often through dangerous passes. Guerrilla bands ranged over the country, watching for
opportunities of robbery or murder. Hence it was
necessary to garrison cities and fortifications on the
route, or leave them to be occupied by the enemy.
These causes, it would seem, were sufficient to restrain our army from advancing further, till greatly
strengthened by the accession of fresh troops.
The interval of delay was occupied in perfecting
the drill and discipline of the men.
Reinforcements arrived at Puebla in various detachments, until on the 6th of August, 1847, the
American army numbered fourteen thousand men.
On the 5th of the same month, at a council of war,
an immediate advance was determined upon. —
Twiggs' division, preceded by Harney's cavalry
brigade, again led the way, followed successively
by the divisions of-fQuitman, Worth, and Pillow,
on the three days subsequent.
Says Lieut. Lyon:
August 7th. " Having remained in Puebla since
the 29th of May for the arrival of more troops, and
also with the hope that some pacific arrangements
might be made with Mexico, and the first object
being obtained and the latter givsuwip. it is decided




100      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
to advance upon tile capital. Gen. Twiggs' division starts to-day and marches over a slightly undulating country, for ten miles. The district is not
much inhabited, though the lands are susceptible
of high cultivation. In many places the fields contain fine crops of grain of various kinds.
August 8th. " March eleven miles to St. Martins
through a level and well tilled country. The extensive valley of St. Martins is very beautiful, and
mostly surrounded by mountains. The town contains two large churches and numbers about fifteen
hundred inhabitants-chiefly robbers.
August 9th.  "Advance thirteen miles to Les
Melucos, a short distance up the highlands that
separate the plain of St. Martins from the valley of
Mexico.
August 10th. "Pass over the highlands to Cordova, leaving lofty mountain peaks to the left.
This part of the road is elevated and cold. Pass
the Rio Frio, where some preparations had been
made by the Mexicans for defense; but they were
abandoned.  The only water on the road is the
Rio Frio. Come in sight of the plain of Mexico,
but not of the city."
In the march from Puebla to the crest of the
mountain range, the army gained an elevation ten
thousand feet above the surface of the sea. The




GEN. NATH-ANIEL LYON.            101
beauty and grandeur of the scenery-the memory
of recent victories-and the hope of fresh triumphs,
produced a general feeling of exhilaration.
The route was full of interest to poet or scholar.
Here were monuments of ancient civilization, carrying back the thoughts through many centuries of
time, to the days when the arts and culture of the
continent were confined to the homes of the Aztec.
In the distance lofty mountain tops reposed in the
region of perpetual snow, filling the air for miles
around with the chill of their frozen mantle. The
eye swept over a landscape of vast proportions, and
from those towering heights seemed to penetrate
further than ever before into the wonders of space.
Before the invaders lay the valley of Mexico, a
deep basin of oval form, surrounded by a continuous ridge of mountains. On the south the Cordilleras separate into two chains, which, after circling
to the right and left, again unite on the north,
leaving an extensive and richly varied plain in the
center. The length of the valley is sixty-three
miles and its breadth forty-three.
The city of Mexico is admirably situated for
defense. An environment of lakes and marshes
presents insuperable obstacles to the approach of
troops, except by the few causeways which diverge
from the common center. One road only, the great




102      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
national thoroughfare from Vera Cruz, enters the
capital on the east. Descending into the plain it
passes at first through a well improved district,
sprinkled with occasional villages. Further on, at
the distance of twelve miles from the city, it strikes
an extensive and desolate waste, bare alike of vegetation and dwellings. In the midst of the flat, a
solitary hill rises menacingly beside the causeway.
This height, known as El Pe-ion, stands on the
south side of the road, eight miles from the capital.
On the opposite side, extending several miles east
and west, are the marshy borders of Lake Tezcuco.
HIere the Mexicans had constructed elaborate fortifications. Battery rose above battery on the eastern
and southern sides which were armed with twentysix pieces of artillery.
El Pefion, defended by the valor of Americans,
would have been impregnable.  Careful reconnoissances convinced our generals that its capture, even
from Mexicans, would involve a great and ruinous
sacrifice of life. Days were spent in efforts to ascertain whether it were possible to reach the city
without encountering the fire of its guns. To turn
the position by the right, would require a detour of
more than thirty miles around Lake Tezcuco, over
a difficult route, and through strongly defended
passes. On the left a road branched off from the




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             103
main causeway a few miles east of E1 Pefion, and
after passing through the village of Mexicalcingo,
and across the canal from Lake Xochomilco, tapped
the principal highway leading from Mexico southward. The country on both sides was covered by
inundations, leaving only the narrow causeway for
the advance of troops. The interspace, between
Mexicalcingo  and El Pefron, was traversed by
ditches and buried under water. On the south was
the barrier of Lakes Xochomilco and Chalco, which
extended in a south-easterly direction to the spurs
of the mountain range, that inclose the valley of
Mexico. At the commanding positions about Mexicalcingo, was an almost impregnable system of
defenses armed with more than thirty guns.
While reconnoisances, not less skillful than daring, were bringing these facts to light, parties were
also engaged in exploring the southern borders of
the lakes to ascertain the feasibility of a new route
in that direction. Their reports were highly favorable. Gen. Scott, therefore, countermanded the
orders he had previously given for the attack of
Mexicalcingo, and directed the army to march at
once around Lake Chalco.
On the 15th the march was commenced, Gen.
Worth's division taking the lead. Twiggs' division
having remained at Ayotla since the 11th, started




104      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
from that place on the 16th in charge of the train.
Owing to the retrogressive movement of the troops,
the order of the columns was reversed, and Twiggs
was left to bring up the rear. As he approached
the vicinity of Buenavista, a force of six thousand
Mexicans, a fourth of whom were cavalry, moved
forward, in gaudy uniforms, with the obvious design
of intercepting the train. The advantage of position and numbers would have inspired any but the
basest of poltroons to make a vigorous attack.
Taylor's battery was placed in position and a few
shots sufficed to clear the field.
On the 19th the division reached San Augustine,
having successfully conducted a cumbersome train
over a route hitherto deemed impracticable by the
enemy.
When Santa Anna discovered that Gen. Scott
did not intend to attack El Perion or Mexicalcingo,
he withdrew the greater part of the artillery and
troops from that quarter, and strove with all possible haste to establish strong lines of defense on the
south and west. He threw up intrenchments and
planted formidable batteries at the hacienda of San
Antonio, on the Acapulco road, six miles south of
the city. To guard against possible reverses, he
also fortified the bridge and convent of Cherubusco,
two miles further north, having determined to rely




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             105
chiefly on these positions for the protection of the
capital.
From the American head quarters, at San Augustine, Worth's division, with Harney's cavalry, were
sent forward to reconnoitre, and, if practicable, to
carry San Antonio. The position was found to be
defended by a heavy armament and numerous garrison. It could only be approached in front on a
narrow causeway flanked by deep ditches. On the
right the ground was too wet and boggy to allow
military movements, and on the left was the Pedregal, or field of lava, thought to be impassable for
troops.
Gen. Worth was accordingly directed to threaten
the place and keep the attention of the garrison
occupied, while the engineers were active in explorilg the Pedregal. The only way over it was a rugged mule-track winding westward from San Augustine, to the road from Magdalena to Mexico. On
or near this road are several villages which will
always be remembered from their connection with
the events of the next few days. A little north of
Magdalena was the factory of Contreras, and further on the hamlets of Ansalda and San Geronimo.
Two miles north-east of San Geronimo was San
Angel, a short distance beyond which this highway
joined the network of roads south of the city. As
5*




106      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
will readily be seen the intervening space was occupied by the field of lava with its masses of broken
rocks.
Capt. Lee, of the engineers, having gained the
heights of Zacatepec, a commanding eminence in
the midst of the field of lava, became convinced,
from observation, that a way could be constructed
over it, though with great difficulty. Gen. Scott
accordingly directed the division of Gen. Pillow to
undertake the task; and the forces of Gen. Twiggs
to occupy the advance and keep the enemy in check
during the progress of the work. On the morning
of the 19th of August, Gen. Pillow marched west
from  San Augustine. Having accomplished the
first two miles, which were comparatively easy, he
sent forward working parties under the guidance
of engineers to open the new route. In the afternoon the Americans came within range of the lMexican guns.
Gen. Valencia had planted a battery, mounting
twenty-two pieces of artillery, on the slope of a hill
west of the road from Magdalena, and opposite to
its junction with the mule-path already mentioned.
In front, between the position and the Pedregal,
was a deep ravine, the bed of a mountain torrent.
Half a mile north was the village of San Geronimo.
No preparations had been made for the defense of




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             107
the crest of the hill in the rear of the Mexican
camp, for Valencia, relying upon the difficulties of
the ground, had no thought that the position could
be turned. Here was assembled a force of about
six thousand men, which could be easily reinforced
from the capital.
It was afternoon before Twiggs' division reached
the Pedregal, from its encampment beyond San
Augustine. The road was already completed as far
as the hill of Zacatepec, where it emerged in sight
of Valencia's battery. Twiggs' forces now moved
forward to the front with the view of bringing on
an engagement. Smith's brigade was ordered to
advance along the mule-path directly towards the
position of the enemy, and so soon as the conflict
had commenced in that quarter, Riley's brigade
was ordered to make a detour to the right, so as to
fall upon San Geronimo and cut off the communication between Valencia and the city. The route
taken by Riley's command was extremely difficult
and toilsome. Rocks of every form were thrown
together in every variety of confusion. Here were
broad fissures to be crossed by leaping. A misstep
might thrown the soldier down to the hard and
dangerous bed below, imperiling limb and life.
Here masses of stone were so arranged as to form
an almost insuperable barrier. But over the rugged




108      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
footing, up perpendicular walls, down steep descents, and across chasms, the men slowly and cautiously picked their way.
Having at length succeeded in traversing the field
of lava, the brigade crossed two streams coursing
through rugged ravines, and came upon the village
of San Geronimo. The fourth regiment of artillery
was left to search the place, while Col. Riley, with
the second infantry, moved further on to gain a
position from which he could study the country in
the rear of the Mexican camp. Officers with small
escorts were sent out to reconnoitre the grounds.
These encountered squads of cavalry who at once
communicated the alarm, and received strong reinforcements from head quarters by the narrow and
difficult paths that wound westward among the gullies and hills. Augmented by constant arrivals of
fresh troops, the Mexican lancers menaced the separate squads of the second infantry with destruction; but, notwithstanding the disparity in numbers,
were kept at bay till the regiment was reformled and
put in readiness to withstand any force that Valencia might send against it.
In speaking of the transactions of this part of
the day, Lieut. Lyon says:
"We came in contact with large numbers of lancers who advanced and fired upon us, and in one




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.            109
case charged energetically, but were repulsed with
loss, Gen. Frontera being killed. One of our men
was killed and several wounded. At this time
there appeared, in the rear toward the city, a force
of about ten thousand men, in cavalry and infantry,
accompanied by a small battery. This opened on
us while the guns of the fort kept up a constant
fire. We were now in danger of being cut off from
our other forces, and fell back upon the village of
San Geronimno, through which we had passed; and
bivouacked in the lanes without cover, though exposed to a constant rain."
Santa Anna, in personal command of the large
army which was seen approaching from the direction
of the city, for the purpose obviously of forming a
junction with Valencia, advanced to the high open
ground north-west of San Geronimo, where he deployed his troops. Meanwhile Cadwalader's brigade
having crossed the Pedregal and gained the road,
formed in line of battle, and marching through the
village took up an advantageous position on the
borders of a ravine which separated the hostile
armies.
Gen. Smith's brigade, which at first moved directly across the Pedregal to attack the intrenched
camp in front, found that the project involved many
and grave difficulties. The heavy guns of the bat



110      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
tery commanded the way, and were admirably served
by the artillerymen of the enemy. The depth and
ruggedness of the gorge which it was necessary to
cross in order to carry the position by storm, would
expose the assailants to severe loss, even if the attempt proved successful. He accordingly withdrew
the principal part of his forces, and moved northward over the field of lava, following the general
course taken previously by Riley's brigade. Having
reached the village of San Geronimo, he formed his
forces on the right of Cadwalader, and assumed
command of the whole. Gen. Shields reached the
main road soon after dark, but did not advance to
the village till midnight.
Santa Anna, foreseeing the inevitable destruction
of Valencia's division, ordered him to spike the guns
of the encampment, destroy the military stores, and
draw off the troops under cover of darkness, by the
circuitous paths in the rear. But that General, vain,
arrogant and boastful, not only treated the command
with contempt, but was so besotted with conceit as
-to imagine that he had already won a glorious victory. On the morrow he confidently expected to
annihilate the " miserable remnant of North Americans," and to be acknowledged ere nightfall as the
hero and deliverer of Mexico. The President, disguisted by the numerous and gross acts of insubor



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.            111
dination on the part of Valencia, left him to his
fate. Althoug'h his own army had been reinforced
by masses of men till it numbered more than twelve
thousand, Santa Anna showed no disposition to
attack the American lines.  Having stationed a
corps of observation on the hill north of San Geronimo, he quietly retreated, soon after dark, with
the main body of his forces, to San Angel.
Before daylight the next morning, the brigades
of Riley, Cadwalader and Smith, were forming for
the purpose of attacking the camp of Valencia in
the rear. Gen. Shields remained at the village to
guard against interruptions from Santa Anna who
was supposed to be still hovering in the immediate
vicinity. Reconnoissances commenced by officers
of the second infantry in the afternoon, had been
diligently prosecuted during the interim.  With
singular and inexplicable stupidity, the Mexican
commander had taken no precautions to defend the
approaches to his position from the west. At an
early hour Riley's brigade marched by the flank in
advance of the other troops, over the rocky, narrow
and muddy way, without encountering either outpost or sentinel. The brigades of Cadwalader and
Smith followed in succession. Riley gained the
ravines at the foot of the hill on the opposite slope
of which were the intrenchments to be stormed.




112      GEN. NATHANTIEL LYON.
The men were formed in two columns and clambered as cautiously as possible up the ascent. The
enemy did not discover them till they had nearly
gained the summit. Here, while still screened by
the crest of the hill, the lines, much disordered
from the difficulties of the ground, were reformed
for the assault. When everything was in readiness,
the order for advance was given. The Mexicans,
aroused at the last moment to an apprehension of
the impending danger, prepared hastily for resistance. But their efforts were feeble, and they themselves were swept away like straws in a mountain
torrent. The Americans, having discharged a single volley, rushed with terrific shouts into the intrenchments.  The enemy opened a rapid and
irregular fire of musketry which was delivered in
the midst of too much confusion and alarm to be at
all effective. For a brief interval, in the hand to
hand encounter which followed, the clash of steel
and the blows of gun-stocks mingled in sound with
the cheers of the assailants. The struggle was very
brief. Overwhelmed by the resistless charge, the
Mexicans gave way to the frenzy of panic and despair. Seventeen minutes from the commencement
of the fight, the stars and stripes, amid deafening
shouts, were planted triumphantly on the parapet.
The enemy now sought to secure safety by a wild




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             113
and precipitate flight. Valencia mysteriously disappeared, no one knew where or how. For the
mass now huddled together in inextricable disorder, escape was no easy matter, as the Americans,
despite numerical inferiority, had encircled the position. In front among the rocks of Pedregal, were
the volunteers of Col. Ransom; on the right the
brigade of Gen. Cadwalader; on the left the brigade of Gen. Smith, while the forces of Col. Riley
occupied the intrenchments. Small squads, indeed,
stole hurriedly through the broad spaces between
the American lines, and gained the mountains on
the south. But the great body in a dense crowdhorsemen trampling on infantry, and the whole
utterly demoralized by fear-plunged down the
main road towards San Angel. Passing under a
destructive fire from Smith's brigade, the remnant
ran by the hacienda of Ansalda, and many who
were fortunate enough to be in advance managed
to escape; for Gen. Shields, left in charge of this
part of the field, was occupied at the time with
Santa Anna's corps of observation. When, however, this force saw the rout of the garrison at the
camp, it retreated.  Gen. Shields immediately
moved his men so as to obstruct the passage of the
road, compelling the fugitives, now hemmed in on
every side, to surrender.




114      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
The whole number of Americans engaged in the
battle did not much exceed four thousand men, of
whom sixty were killed or wounded. The lMexican
force, in and about the intrenched camp, was estimated at seven thousand, while Santa Anna, with
twice as many more, was hovering within striking
distance. Seven hundred of the enemy were killed
and large numbers wounded. Over eight hundred
prisoners were captured, including four generals.
Among other trophies were twenty-two pieces of
artillery, a large quantity of ammunition, and a
valuable transportation train.
Thus was won the victory of Contreras-the first
of the three brilliant achievements of our arms on
that eventful day. One regiment of Riley's brigade,
the fourth artillery, was left in charge of the captured camp and prisoners, while the rest of the
troops pushed on in hot pursuit of the fugitives.
Santa Anna abandoned San Angel immediately
after the overthrow of Valencia, and retreated to
the works at Cherubusco.  The advance of the
Americans entered the town just as the rear of the
enemy left. At this point Gen. Pillow assumed
command, and ordered the troops to move forward
to Coyacan, a village about a mile south-west of
Cherubusco. Here, in obedience to orders from
head quarters, a halt was made to await the arrival




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              115
of the general-in-chief. As he rode past the men
he was greeted with prolonged and hearty cheers;
for the bright sun-shine and the flush of victory,
succeeding a night of rain and gloom, inspired the
army with tumultuous exultation. All were eager
to continue the struggle so auspiciously begun, confident that, ere the close of the day, the last army
of Mexico would be hopelessly broken.
Meanwhile, on the north of the Pedregal, Gen.
Worth was making vigorous preparations to carry
the position of San Antonio. Clarke's brigade and
Col. C. F. Smith's light battalion were directed to
march over the field of lava, south of the hacienda,
and cut the line of retreat.  Garland's brigade and
Duncan's battery approached by the causeway in
front, so as to strike in that quarter, when Clarke
had gained the rear. But Gen. Bravo, the commander of the garrison, did not wait for the development of these plans. On learning the fate of Valencia, the main body retreated two and a half miles
northward, to join the grand army then collected
and collecting for the defense of Cherubusco. The
rear guard fled from the fire of Clarke's brigade
across the marshes and ditches, east of the causeway, in the direction of Mexicalcingo. Gen. Worth
pushed forward through the abandoned works at the
hacienda of San Antonio, and neglecting the fugi



116      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
tives in the fields, took the main road to Cherubusco.  Although possessed of little information
respecting the position or strength of the Mexican defenses he commenced the attack immediately.
Santa Anna's forces were drawn up a few hundred yards north of the village, on the opposite side
of a stream that ran almost due east. Its banks
were artificially raised to prevent overflow in time
of freshets, and planted with rows of the maguey
plant, affording an excellent shelter to screen the
movements and guard the safety of troops.
At the bridge, on the highway from San Antonio
to the capital, was the Tete de Pont, a fortification
solidly and scientifically built. It was defended in
part by one hundred deserters from the American
army, who fought with the energy of despair.
Near the western edge of the village stood a stone
convent of massive proportions and great strength,
now temporarily converted into a fort. It was surrounded by a field work, and its guns completely
swept the whole field on the south and west. Here
was stationed Gen. Rincon with three thousand
men. The reserve, composed of troops continually
arriving from the city, took position in the road
north of the Tete de Pont, at right angles with the
lines of Santa Anna.




GEN. NATHANIEL LON.             117
The accompanying description of the battle is
from the pen of Lieut. Lyon:
" The battle of Contreras having been gained on
the morning of. the 20th, Gen. Worth, who had not
taken part in it, now hurried forward to bring on
an engagement with his own division, and blundered
upon the tete du pont, near the convent of Cherubusco. Here his division were drawn up and exposed to a murderous fire from the strong defences
of the tete du pont, and to a flank fire from the
works at the convent.
"The troops at Contreras having advanced toward the city, were sent to the assistance of Worth,
and made an attack upon Cherubusco. These fortifications were surrounded by a dense growth of
maguey, outside of which were large fields of corn.
Our advance through the corn was necessarily blind
and confused, so that, when within range of the
enemy's guns, we were too much disordered to
make a charges and were compelled to stand exposed to a fire from men concealed among the maguey plants, behind breast works, and in tle convent.
Their volleys were very destructive to our ranks,
which suffered many and severe casualties. Our
own fire upon them was also effective.
"After retaining their position for more than an
hour, the enemy were on the point of retreating,




118      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
when the work (the convent) was stormed and carried. Here were secured about eleven hundred
prisoners, among whom were over a hundred deserters from our army. The tete du pont was carried about the same time by Worth's division.
"A considerable force had been sent around to
the rear of these works to cut off the retreat of the
enemy. Before reaching the Augustine road leading to town, they were met at Portales by a large
body of Mexicans, who engaged them  warmly,
and did not retire until the surrender at Cherubusco.'"This retreat was sharply followed by a small
party of dragoons, who dashed boldly forward and
entered the garita of San Antonio. Had our infantry and artillery now pushed forward, five lives
would not have been lost in gaining entire possession of the city of Mexico.
"The attack upon Cherubusco, and consequent
loss of life, was wholly unnecessary. Infantry could
readily pass by the place to the right or left. Artillery, without going one iota out of the way, could
have found an easy and practicable road by La Piedad. But Gen. Worth, having no share in the glory
of Contreras, was determined to bring his division
into action under whatever disadvantages.  He,
therefore battled against the works at Cherubusco,




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              119
and having become engaged it was necessary to
support him with additional force.
" Night now set in with rain and everything became quiet."'
Never has the bravery of American soldiers, or
the skill of American officers been more conspicuously displayed, than in the battle of Cherubusco.
The enemy, on familiar ground and behind strong
fortifications, outnumbered the assailants more than
three to one. On the other hanld, the Americans
were obliged to advance over a field entirely unexplored, against defences of unknown character, il
the face of a destructive fire from cannon and musketry.  Different commands fought almost independently.  Communication between the separate
divisions was extremely difficult.  The incessant
roar of ordnance and crash of fire-arms, near and
far, were the only messages of comrade to comrade.
But the voice was mighty in inspiration. Every
man acted the hero. The lines closed steadilv and
resistlessly upon the enemy, till the works were all
carried, and the Mexican host annihilated as an
army.
Dear, however, was the price of victory. One
thousand of the Americans, of whom  seventy-six
were officers, were killed or wounded.
Capt. T. Morris, acting commander of the regi



120      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
ment, in his official report of the part taken by the
second infantry in the events of the day, says,'" Capt. Casey, among the first to enter the works,
(at Contreras,) captured two pieces of the enemy's
artillery, driving him from them, and then pushed
forward with a detachment of the regiment, accompanied by Capt. Wessels and Lieut. Lyon, and
pressed hotly upon the rear of the enemy, who
soon raised a number of white flags, and their surrender was immediately accepted, when about two
hundred prisoners, together with two pieces of artillery, were taken."
Lieut. Lyon aided in turning several guns upon
the Mexicans, but, from want of proper materials,
these could not be discharged.
Capt. Morris continues,'"I here take the opportunity of recommending these two officers, (Captains Casey and Wessels,) together with Capt. J. R.
Smith and First Lieut. Lyon, to the special notice
of the Colonel commanding tihe brigade.
Lyon was promoted Brevet Captain August 20th,
1847, "' for gallant and meritorious conduct in the
battles of Contreras and Cherubusco, Mexico."
He was made Captain in full, June 11th, 1851, by
regular promotion.




CHAPTER V.
ON the morning of August 21st, the army was
distributed among the various villages in the vicinity of the capital, in a manner that indicated the
suspension of hostilities. Gen. Scott was induced,
by the representations of intelligent foreign and
American residents in the city, to pause in the midst
of victories in order to offer again the olive branch
of peace. He no doubt acted from the humane
desire of avoiding further bloodshed and of putting
an honorable end to-the war. But he under estimated the ridiculous vanity of the Mexican character, and the profound artifice and duplicity of the
Mexican President. An armistice was agreed upon,
and negotiations were commenced. The step was
strongly condemned by many officers.
Lieut. Lyon thus expresses his views of the matter —"An armistice is determined upon to allow the
6




122      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
American minister, (Mr. Trist,) to propose terms
of peace, without any security of success, or any
compensation for consenting not to take the city
when fairly within our grasp. From the attitude
inwhich the parties stand, Mexico appears as conqueror, and as magnanimously consenting to listen
to the humble terms of our minister. He proposes
terms involving such a sacrifice of the advantages
obtained by the arms and funds of the United
States, that he feels sure Mexico will eagerly embrace the offer.
"Encouraged by the imbecility shown in the
transaction, Mexico affects indignity at the idea of
losing a small portion of the large conquests we
have made, and taking advantage of time, perfects
her fortifications,, reorganizes her distracted forces,
and prepares for a fierce encounter which she expects to sustain successfully, from the reduced condition of the American army, and from the belief
that it is near starvation."
September 7th, 1847. "The negotiations having
terminated, as also the armistice, our brigade, (Col.
Riley's,) started from the village of Coyacan, where
it had been quartered since the 20th of August, and
moved towards the city, till we came upon the ene.
my's picket near La Piedad. Here remained during
the night.




G'EN. NATHANIEL LYON.            123
September 8th.' During the armistice, Gen.
Worth's division was quartered in the village of
Tacubaya, near Molino del Rey, which was supposed
to be a foundery for ordnance. On the morning of
the 8th, Gen. Worth was ordered to destroy the
work. It might easily have been done by bombardment with heavy artillery, of which there was
abundance.  But he pushed forward his infantry
against the stone walls of the position, and into the
mouths of the cannon. The consequence was the
loss, in killed and wounded, of nearly a thousand
men, without any advantage, as the position was
abandoned as soon as gained. A proper use of
heavy artillery would have obtained all that was desired, without the loss of a single man.
September 12th. "The serious loss on the 8th
dispirited the army very much, and made it incumbent to be cautious about unnecessary exposure of
life. Consequently, demonstrations upon the city
were suspended.  After close reconnoissances, it
was decided to open batteries upon the works at
Chapultepec, and also from La Piedad, where Gen.
Twiggs' division now lay.  The bombardment of
Chapultepec continued through the day.
September 13th.  "The height of Clhapultepec
was stormed about eight o'clock in the morning and
carried.  This successful enterprise was rapidly




124      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
followed by the advancement of our troops on the
causeways leading thence to the city. Our heavy
ordnance was brought forward with good effect, and
the arches of the aqueduct afforded cover for the
advance of our infantry, who, with the aid of the
artillery, were soon in front of the gates of the city.
There a severe and protracted struggle ensued,
which, however, resulted favorably.  Our troops
entered the city at the gates Belin and San Cosme,
just at night. Col. Riley's brigade having done little since the termination of the armistice, we were
now moved forward to storm some of the positions
inside of the city, still occupied by the enemy. We
moved round to the north-west of the city, and having arrived at the gate, stopped for the night.
September 14th.' The city authorities having
announced that Santa Anna and his army had left
the place, we started forward, expecting a peaceful
entrance. Soon after entering the town, we were
fired upon in all directions from the tops of houses,
windows, balconies and street corners. Our troops
were sent to different parts of the city, and advanced
from place to place over the tops of buildings.
Many Mexicans were destroyed during the day.
Our loss was not great, nor inl proportion to that of
the enemy."
During the street fight on the 14th, Lyon was




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             125
struck in the leg by a musket ball. Although the
wound was slight, it became inflamed from his con.
stant exertions, and disabled him for several days.
The dangers and hardships of the campaign were
virtually ended by the triumphal entry of the American army into the Mexican capital. The series of
brilliant victories which it achieved during the previous month, seem dream-like and marvelous. On
the seventh of August, ten thousand five hundred
men marched from Puebla to capture a city of one
hundred and eighty thousand inhabitants, environed
by a formidable array of defenses, and garrisoned
by thirty-five thousand troops. How armies were
routed and driven with excessive carnage from positions deemed impregnable by their defenders,
before the little band of invincibles, will remain a
wonder of history. On all occasions our officers of
all grades displayed consummate skill and valor.
The soldiery, under such guidance, learned to look
upon victory as inevitable, and every where fought
most obstinately till the victory was won.
On the first of November a large train was to start
from the city of Mexico for Vera Cruz. The escort
required to guard it calling for an officer from the
second infantry, Lyon volunteered his services.
Delaying one day (the fifth) in Puebla, the train
reached its destination the 15th. Numerous bands




'126     GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
of guerrillas were ranging through the country and
hovering about the National Road, who subsisted by
robbery and plunder. Want of men rendered it
impossible for Gen. Scott to garrison isolated strongholds on the long line of march. A hostile country,
exposed in many places to the incursions of large
troops of banditti, lay between the army of invasion
and the port which formed the only avenue of communication with countrymen at home. Mexicans,
demoralized by overwhelming defeats in battle,
sought revenge in punishing weak detachments.
The escort in this case, being very small for the
length of the train, expected"that the guerrillas
would muster sufficient courage to seize upon some
of the passes, and perhaps retard its progress. During the whole journey, however, not a gun was
fired or hostile demonstration attempted, though
Mexican cavalry were several times descried in the
distance.
Lyon found Puebla sadly changed. Gen. Scott
left there a large number of invalids under the care
of Col. Childs. His effective force numbered about
five hundred. Santa Anna, having gathered a few
fragments of his broken army, appeared before the
town on the 22d of September, and three days later
summoned the commander to surrender. The invitation was politely declined. Col. Childs occupied




126      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
of guerrillas were ranging through the country and
hovering about the National Road, who subsisted by
robbery and plunder. Want of men rendered it
impossible for Gen. Scott to garrison isolated strongholds on the long line of march. A hostile country,
exposed in many'places to the incursions of large
troops of banditti, lay between the army of invasion
and the port which formed the only avenue of communication with countrymen at home. Alexicans,
demoralized by overwhelming defeats in battle,
sought revenge in punishing weak detachments.
The escort in this case, being very small for the
length of the train, expected'that the guerrillas
would muster sufficient courage to seize upon some
of the passes, and perhaps retard its progress. During the whole journey, however, not a gun was
fired or hostile demonstration attempted, though
Mexican cavalry were several times descried in the
distance.
Lyon found Puebla sadly changed. Gen. Scott
left there a large number of invalids under the care
of Col. Childs. His effective force numbered about
five hundred. Santa Anna, having gathered a few
fragments of his broken army, appeared before the
town on the 22d of September, and three days later
summoned the commander to surrender. The invitation was politely declined. Col. Childs occupied




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON..    127
the  ights in the vicinity of the city. Santa Anna,
from the town proper, began to bombard the American intrenchments.  The fire was returned with
spirit, and though the artillery on both sides did
little harm, the enemy were held in check.
Meanwhile the Mexicans, sorely distressed for the
means of subsistence, showed symptoms of insubordination. The general was forced to procure supplies at once, or desist from further efforts. It was
now reported that a valuable train was approaching
from Vera Cruz, and on the first of October, Santa
Anna withdrew the troops from Puebla to intercept
it. Before coming, however, to any general engagement, they nearly all deserted him, and this child
of checkered fortune was again left a homeless and
friendless wanderer.
Thus ingloriously and sadly ended the political career of Santa Anna in Mexico. Recalled from exile
a few months before, and hailed as the deliverer of
the nation, he applied all the powers of his remarkable
genius to the task before him. Three large armies
he raised and lost. At Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo,
and in the valley of Mexico, were dissipated the
legions with which he battled in vain to crush the
invader. Amid discontents, treachery and revolutionary movements at home, he had long managed
to retain ascendency by his wonderful skill in the
arts of intrigue.




128      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
No one, either friend or foe, who took part in that
eventful drama, at all approached the  Mexican
chief in far reaching and over reaching diplomacy.
Seldom has genius of so rare a quality been so uniformly unfortunate. Raised at once from seclusion
to the height of popularity and power, he sunk
down in a few months, despite prodigious efforts to
stem the current of fate, into the depths of disfavor and humiliation.
Had a general so thoroughly acquainted with the
resources of the country, and so regally endowed
with the essential attributes of a leader, commanded
brave men, far different would have been the issue
of the war. But Santa Anna stood alone. Domlestic revolutions had debauched the nation.  Subordinates of high rank, in the midst of public calamities, were engrossed with the intrigues of political
factions. Thus his masterly efforts were frustrated
by the poltroonery of the army, and the groveling
ambition of party leaders..
Lyon makes interesting comments on the state of
affairs along the National road.
"' The siege of Puebla, by Santa Anna, after his
services at the city of Mexico were dispensed with,
though vexatious from its obstinacy, was much less
damaging to our troops than is usually believed;
for they held possession of a large portion of the




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             129
city on the northern side, and did not suffer in the
least from want of food or water. They would
also have escaped injury from tile enemy's fire, but
for their own voluntary and reckless attacks. Our
troops often showed their characteristic rashness
and folly, by charging upon stone walls and other
works defended by Mexicans.
"The affair of Capt. Walker at HIuamantla, by
which he lost his life, was also rash in the extreme,
and like many other blunders in this war, would
never be overlooked or excused, (even by a people
as enthusiastic as ours,) were it not for the uniform
and brilliant success of our arms. We could never
hope for such results by fighting in like manner
against any other than a Mexican foe.
"The inhabitants of Puebla are now returning
home and manifest mluch chagrin and disappointment at the conduct of the troops under Gen. Lane.
Being raw, reckless and undisciplined, their manners are highly offensive to one accustomed to the
courteous bearing of regulars.
In Vera Cruz a great change has taken place
from the removal of natives and the establishment
of Americans in their place. Some merchants and
tradesmen still remain and drive a profitable business; but office-holders, drovers and nondescripts
have been obliged to leave in large numbers. Amer6*




130      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
icans are rapidly taking the vacant places, and
Yankee signs of all sorts are stuck upon most of
the windows and doors. Yankee enterprise is also
rebuilding the portion of the city destroyed by the
bombardment, and indeed the place begins to
wear the appearance of a thorough going Yankee
town.
"Gen. Lane has at Puebla between three and
four thousand men; Gen. Patterson about the same
number at Jalapa; the 15th infantry is at the National Bridge; a battalion of Georgia volunteers at
San Juan; and a small detachment of Pennsylvania
volunteers at the castle of Perote. Within a few
days Gen. Butler has started for the interior with
six thousand men and more are soon to follow.
There are now over twenty thousand U. S. troops
in the country, and others still arriving. Unless
Uncle Sam levies upon Mexico, his pockets will be
sorely drained to support the wild and wasteful boys
whom lhe has sent here."
The train and escort under command of Col.
Johnston of the voltigeurs, left Vera Cruz for Mexico, November 29th, and reached its destination the
20th of December, having stopped two days at Jalapa and one at Puebla, to allow the forces of Gen.
Butler to get out of the way, as he persisted in
keeping ahead.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              131
Lyon gives a brief epitome of events at the capital since his departure nearly two months before.
" On arriving at the city of Mexico, I find many
rmilitary changes have recently been made. Generals Worth and Pillow, and Bvt. Lt. Col. Duncan
are in arrest; Gen. Twiggs has gone to Vera Cruz
to take command of the post; Gen. Pierce has
resigned; and Generals Quitman and Shields have
left the country. In consequence Col. Riley, second infantry, has become third in command, and
has been sent with a separate brigade to Tacubaya,
a beautiful village about three miles south-west
from the city.'The Pittsburg Post having published a letter,
purporting to be from the pen of an officer, which
described the operations of Worth's column in the
valley of Mexico, and noticed Worth, and other
officers of his division, favorably, while it reflected
upon Gen. Scott's armistice; the Commander-inchief availed himself of an order from the President, directing officers not to write from the seat
of war for publication, nor allow their letters to
become public. Having reiterated the order, Gen.
Scott characterized the letter as " scandalous," and
said it required a good deal of charity not to believe
that the persons most conspicuous in it were the
aut hors of it, or at least procured it to be written.




132      GEN. NATHA NIEL LYON.
This insulting imputation required Worth to inquire
if he was pointed at by this order-. Gen. Scott replied that it pointed at the authors of the letter.
Gen. Worth responded that his question was not
answered, and Gen. Scott again replied it was all
the answer he should give. Hereupon Gen. Worth
perferred charges against Gen. Scott, for ungentlemanly and unofficer-like conduct. These, together
with the accompanying letter addressed to the Secretary of War, Gen. Scott considered disrespectful
to himself, and Worth was accordingly arrested.
In the meantime Col. Duncan acknowledged himself to be the author of the "'scandalous" letter,
and was arrested for violation of the President's
order. Gen. Pillow was arrested for some disrespectful communication addressed to Gen. Scott.
" Generals Butler, Patterson and Lane are in the
city. Gen. Cushing has a separate brigade and is
stationed at San Angel, six miles south."
The fighting in Mexico was over and Peace at
hand. Pefia y Pefia, President of the Supreme
Court of Justice, assumed the reins of government after the compulsory resignation of Santa
Anna. He addressed eloquent appeals to the different states, urging them to send deputies to Queretaro, with a view to put an end to the war by
negotiation. The old congress was dissolved on the




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              133
1st of January, and the next congress, composed of
recently elected members, organized on the 8th.
Meanwhile, the powers of Mr. Trist, the American commissioner, had been withdrawn by President
Polk. This man, however, did not permit either
the total want of authority, or the suggestions of
modesty, to restrain him  from volunteering his
services as agent of the United States.  Since his
advent in the country he had been conspicuous in
numerous intrigues, and having acquired a taste
for Mexican negotiations, found it impossible to tear
himself away from the delightful field. He strove
to justify his assumption of power, on the ground
that the necessities of the case were imperative.
The treaty that grew out of this unauthorized mediation, was signed February 2d, 1848, at Guadalupe Hidalgo, by Nicholas P. Trist, on the part of
the United States, and three commissioners on the
part of Mexico.  It was formally submitted, by
President Polk to the American Senate, notwithstanding its spurious birth, and after some discussion, and several important amendments, was ratified by that body the 10th of March.
The President appointed Nathan Clifford, Attorney-General, and Ambrose Sevier, United States
Senator, to carry the treaty, as modified, to Mexico. The congress of that country met, after some




131      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
delay, and, by a large majority, ratified the instru.
menit.
The two nations were now at peace, and the vic.
torious army was at liberty to return home.
On the 30th of May, the advance, under Gen.
Patterson, left Mexico for Vera Cruz. Other divisions followed at short intervals.  The second
division of regulars, to which Lyon belonged, now
under the command of Gen. Kearney, started, on
the 6th of June, and reached Perote, one hundred
and sixty miles distant, on the 14th. Having remained there five days they moved on to Jalapa.
Gen. Worth commanded the rear. tie left the
city of Mexico on the 12th of June, when all authority was transferred to the Mexicans. On the
24th of the same month the last of his forces
reached Jalapa.
Writing from Jalapa, while his division was waiting there, Lyon says:
" On leaving the large city of Mexico, where our
army has remained for nearly nine months, scarce
an American feels the slightest regret, or can call
to mind a single attraction for which he would wish
to stay longer. On the entrance of the American
Army into the city, the whole Mexican population
were not only cold and repulsive in their conduct,
but either felt, or affected, a haughty superiority




GEN. N ATHANIEL LYON.             135
and frowning contempt. This arose, in part, no
doubt, from a preconceived notion, natural to all
Spaniards and their descendants, and now artfully
encouraged by designing men, that they are superior
to every people, and particularly to the Americans.
These were represented as a horde of Vandals, descending in savage ferocity upon their innocent and
unoffending neighbors, to desecrate their holy temples, destroy their pure religion, and to degrade
and enslave their people.
"'A short experience, however, served to dissipate,
in part, these various illusions. Many of them, particularly the ladies, evinced a strong desire to become acquainted with American Officers.  From
this they were long dissuaded by priests and others,
who threatened persecution, both from neighbors
and the government, against such as showed favor
or countenance to the invader. But threats did
not entirely avail, for, on observing the friendly
disposition of the  Mexican ladies, our officers
evinced their appreciation of the compliment byendeavoring to render themselves agreeable in turn.
This led, in some cases, to a very favorable understanding, and nothing but the dread of persecution,
on the withdrawal of our troops, prevented an extensive and pleasant acquaintance.
"Among the women of the upper classes in Mexico




136      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
there seemed to be many of excellent character and
disposition. They are beautiful in form and features, transcendently graceful, and appear every way
worthy of a better race than the one around them.
"'But you will conclude from these remarks that
I am justifying your apprehension that I might fall
in love with some Mexican Sifiolita. Even had I
been so indiscreet, you must remember that I am
now returning to our own good country, there to
behold the fair faces of American ladies, so pure
and bright, so beautiful and lovely, that if I do not
lose my senses altogether, I shall certainly lose all
recollection of the ladies of Mexico."
Speaking of the desires and prospects of the officers, he continues, "Most of us would like to go
back to the north, where we came from, but all depends on the pleasure of our excellent president,
and his pleasure, I fear, will conduce very little to
our OWnl."
Lyon's regiment reached Vera Cruz the 2d of
July. Finding no transports in readiness it encamped on the beach near the city, where all suffered greatly from the intense heat. There were
numerous cases of sickness, caused, partly by the
insalubrity of the place, and partly by the excessive
fatigue of recent marches, which, by order of Gen.
Kearney, had been long and rapid.




CHAPTER VI.
Six companies of the second infantry, including
Lyon's, embarked for New Orleans the 8th of July,'48, on board the ship Robert Parker.  Having
arrived at that city the 17th of the same month,
the regiment left the next day for Pascagoula, a
fashionable sumlller resort on the Gulf, in Jackson
County, Mississippi. Here they landed and encamped, on the 20th, expecting to remain several
months to discharge war men, recruit and reorganize. But orders soon came to repair with haste to
St. Louis, Missouri. Accordingly, the wearied
troops broke up the encampmenit, on the 25th, and
the next night were again in New Orleans. The
evening of the 28th, the entire regiment left on the
steamer Sultana, for St. Louis, and reached its des.
tination the 3d of August, when the men were
transferred to Jefferson Barracks.
Lyon says of the passage:




138      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
"Good company and fine accommodations con.
tributed to render our trip up the Mississippi pleasant. But in passing along this great outlet of the
glorious and thriving West, I was disappointed to
find so few settlements on the banks of the river,
and the towns all small. The whole margin of the
stream, for a great distance from the banks, is a
rich alluvial bottom, with the immense vegetable
growth of many past ages still undisturbed."
But the regiment was not destined to enjoy a
lengthy period of repose, or remain long amid the
comforts and refinements of the older states.
Some time before, California had been designated
as the next theatre of its operations. Gen. Kearney, commander at Jefferson Barracks, was vested
with wide discretionary powers as to the time and
manner of forwarding the troops to that territory,
since his ample knowledge of the country, derived
from personal experience, well fitted him for the
direction of the matter. As the officers were desirous of going by sea, he recommended that course
to the Secretary of War.
During the month of August, Capt. Lyon was
busily engaged in drilling recruits, with which the
regiment, greatly reduced by fighting and disease,
was filling up to the required standard, preparatory
to its departure. Having obtained leave of abse:




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              1~39
lie started the last day of the month to revisit the
East and the home of childhood.
Being a close observer of society, and of the
effects of different social systems upon the prosper,
ity and general development of communities, he
compared, as carefully as opportunities would allow,
the cities and villages on the route with those which
he had recently seen in the passage from New Orleans to St. Louis.  His mind had been early
impressed with the conviction that servile labor
afforded an inadequate basis for genuine and permanent growth. Economists, reared amid northern
institutions, assume, as an axiomatic truth, that free
competition, under a liberal form of government,
presents the prime requisite of a prosperity at once
self-sustained, self-reproducing, and, therefore, perpetual. With regard to questions of this character,
opinions generally come as an inheritance, and are
cherished through life as precious heir-looms. But,
in this case, the contrast between the stagnant
towns, ruinous habitations and neglected acres on
the banks of the Mississippi, and the exuberance of
thrift and culture, so common at the north, were
certainly suggestive of radical differences in the
organization of the two sections.
Lyo'n, on the way home, turned aside to spend
a few days at Sackets Harbor, where he was sta



140      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
tioned for four years previous to the campaign in
Mexico.  The visit was extremely satisfactory.
He lingered with delight amid scenes that brought
to mind the social enjoyments, the communings
of friendship, the tranquil hours of study and
thought, which were then unbroken by the din of
war. But the most eloquent appeals to his warm
heart, were the greetings of the friends of by-gone
days.
He arrived home the 15th of September, finding
his "good mother in tolerable health, and not suffering from the weight of years as much as, in her
advanced age, might be expected."
After a pleasant visit among relatives and friends,
he rejoined his regiment at Fort Hamilton, in New
York harbor. It had been sent forward from St.
Louis with the view of going to California by sea.
Companies C, G, and I, with Bvt. Brig. Gen.
Riley, sailed on the "Iowa;" companies A and F,
on the "Mary and Adeline;" companies D and H,
on the "Rome."  The three remaining companies
were left behind to procure additional transports.
The embarkation took place on the 5th of November, and a few days after the ships started on the
voyage.
After a somewhat tempestuous passage, the two
hills on Cape Frio appear in sight on the morning




140      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
tioned for four years previous to the campaign in
Mexico.  The visit was extremely satisfactory.
He lingered with delight amid scenes that brought
to mind the social enjoyments, the communings
of friendship, the tranquil hours of study and
thought, which were then unbroken by the din of
war. But the most eloquent appeals to his warm
heart, were the greetings of the friends of by-gone
days.
He arrived home the 15th of September, finding
his "good mother in tolerable health, and not suffering from the weight of years as much as, in her
advanced age, might be expected."
After a pleasant visit among relatives and friends,
he rejoined his regiment at Fort Hamilton, in New
York harbor. It had been sent forward from St.
Louis with the view of going to California by sea.
Companies C, G, and I, with Bvt. Brig. Gen.
Riley, sailed on the "Iowa;" companies A and F,
on the " Mary and Adeline; " companies D and H,
on the "Rome."  The three remaining companies
were left behind to procure additional transports.
The embarkation took place on the 5th of November, and a few days after the ships started on the
voyage.
After a somewhat tempestuous passage, the two
hills on Cape Frio appear in sight on the morning




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              141
of December 23d, and by nightfall the light at the
entrance to the harbor of Rio Janeiro glimmers in
the distance. The next morning the ship was standing in toward the mountain chain that here skirts
the coast of Brazil. Passing through a narrow inlet
between two lofty cones, the ship was anchored in
the majestic bay of Rio Janeiro, to await the inspection of the custom house and quarantine officers.
Many gentlemen of the U. S. navy came on board
during the day to welcome their fellow countrymen,
and discuss the news from home.  They were
mostly connected with the -Brandywine and Brig
Perry, which were then in port, having been stationed on the coast of Brazil for the suppression of
the slave-trade.  The traffic was carried on boldly
by direct importations from Africa, and notwithstanding the vigilance of the cruisers, many of the
piratical miscreants eluded capture. A little before
two slavers had been taken while sailing under the
American flag, and the crews sent to the States for
trial.
On the 25th, the'" Rome " floated up the bay and
came to anchor near the city. In the afternoon the' Iowa " entered the harbor.
The stay at Rio Janeiro was delightfully occupied
by the officers of the regiment in visiting the celebrities of the place and enjoying the hospitalities




142      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
which were profusely extended to them by their
countrymen. nMlembers of the navy, numbers of
whom were comparatively at home in the city, were
unwearied ill efforts to make the time pass agreeably.
Several elegant entertainments were provided where
the songs of the Union carried home the thoughts
of soldier and sailor, making them doubly proud of
their own sweet land of liberty. When the day of
departure came, those who had met as strangers a
few days before, separated with the mutual feelings
which are usually reserved for the tried friendships
of years.
Capt. Lyon explored the town quite thoroughly,
and made a record of his observations.'"The harbor of Rio is very capacious, being
twenty miles in length and three in width. The
city, which is on the south side of the bay, is built
on islands, hills and valleys, into which the shore is
everywhere broken. It is much scattered and can
not be well seen from the harbor. The Spanish
style of architecture prevails, the buildings being of
stone. Granite is abundant and much used. It is
this rock which composes the mountains around the
harbor, that rise in succession as they recede, making an amphitheatre at once beautiful and majestic."
A fresh breeze from the land carried the "' "Rome"
gaily out of the harbor of Rio Janeiro the 2d of




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             143
January, 1849, and in a few hours the lofty mountairi tops'were lost to view.  Favoring breezes
wafted her swiftly onward into the boisterous seas
that beat upon the southern shores of the continent.
Here they found a disagreeable climate, and werb
much delayed by adverse winds.  But strange
sights and experiences afforded ample compensation
for the annoyance of cold and tempest. At morning and night the sun skirted along the horizon, as
if afraid to venture far toward the zenith, or to
plunge beneath the waves. The twilight continued
through the night. The heavens were studded with
ilew constellations and glowed with unfamiliar lights.
Cape Horn was at length doubled and the ship was
pointed toward a more genial clime.
As the heavy fog rose from the sea at midday on
the ninth of February, the entrance to the bay of
Valparaiso was seen twelve miles ahead.  The
Rome came to her anchorage about four o'clock in
the afternoon, and found the Iowa two days before
her.
Lyon, in describing the appearance of the city,
writes: " The harbor of Valparaiso is an indentation into the mountain ridge, which here rises like
a steep wall along the coast. The city is built on
the southern extremity of the bay, and consists of
one, and in some places of two streets extending for




144      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
a great distance from east to west, near the water's
edge. Here the principal part of the business is
transacted, and here, also, are many fine residences.
The streets, though narrow, are clean and well
paved. Above and behind them  rise almost perpendicular hills, on which the dwellings of the
lower classes are built. The town contains fifty
thousand inhabitants, who seem well behaved and
polite to strangers, and compare favorably with
other descendants of the Spaniards in America.
" During our stay in Valparaiso, the American
residents were exceedingly attentive to us, entertaining us with rides, dinners, and parties-courtesies peculiarly grateful to one in a strange and
distant land."
The Rome left Valparaiso the 16th of February.
Entertainments were given on board, the evenings
of both the 3d and 4th of March, to celebrate the
events of Mr. Polk's administration, and honor the
advent of Gen. Taylor's.  Capt. Lyon placed a
much higher estimate upon the skill which the
retiring  President had  shown in the management of state affairs, than upon his rectitude in the
distribution of political favors.  4' Mr. Polk's administration has been engaged in many important enterprises, and has managed all with distinguished
ability, firmness and perseverance- and has been




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYONo              145
eminently successful in every measure of national
policy. But in that prerogative of the executive
most liable to abuse-political patronage —Mr. Polk
has been grossly selfish, short-sighted and corrupt;
both degrading his office and doing mischief to his
country.
c Gen. Taylor, from natural integrity of purpose,
will honestly and perhaps firmly pursue the course
which he believes to be for the national good. But
defective education and the want of experience will
render it dangerous for him to modify the policy of
government in material matters, unless guided by
advisers of marked ability."
The Rome arrived at Monterey, California, April
6th, 1849.  On the 12th the Iowa entered the harbor, and the following day Gen. Riley entered upon
his duties as Governor of the territory.
Less than three years before, the American flag
was first raised at Monterey and San Francisco. In
the course of a few months a small detachment of
United States marines and soldiers succeeded in
establishing the supremacy of their government
over an immense area of country on the coast of
the Pacific. At that time California was almost a
terra incognita, and seemed likely to remain so for
many years to come. But in the swift march of
events, the eyes of the world were soon centered upon
7




146      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
this long neglected region. Suddenly the tidings
went forth over mountain and over sea, that treasures of untold value lay buried in her bosom. Ill
the olden days empires shook with the trumpetblasts that summoned the people to reclaim  the
Holy Sepulchre. The footsteps of high-born and
lowly alike, throughout the broad domain of christendom, were turned reverently towards the Orient
to deliver the sacred fields of Palestine from the
rule of the infidel. If the modern crusades to the
land of gold be less disinterested and less poetical,
they will probably prove more important in their
influence upon the progress of civilization.
Here, at last, a nation was born in a day. From
four continents and from distant islands, men flocked
to the new El Dorado by thousands. The rapid
growth of the successive tiers of states that already
occupied half the breadth of the North American
territory, ceased to excite astonishment, now that
another commonwealth, rich in all resources of
empire, had attained the stature of manhood almost
at the moment of birth. California, like Minerva,
leaped forth inll panoply from the brain of her sire.
The second regiment of infantry reached Monterey when the frenzy of the gold excitement was
at its height. The tide of emigration was rapidly
pouring upon the shores of the country the waves




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             147
of population. Never before was such a heterogeneous mass of humanity thrown together in close
and intimate contact. Men of all religions and no
religion-of every grade of moral and social development, from the unkempt savage to the polished
gentleman, were digging in the same pits and mingling freely in the intercourse of daily life. Among
a population composed of elements so incongruous,
it was reasonable to expect numerous delegations
of villains and desperadoes.  California offered a
tempting field for the operations of cut-throats,
gamesters, and scoundrels of every variety of attainments. Here was an asylum from the consequences
of past crimes, and here were hosts of unsophisticated adventurers, seemingly ready victims for entanglement in the artfully contrived snares of cunning and duplicity.
Nor was an expectation so natural at all in fault.
California became the rendezvous of felons, malefactors, convicts who had graduated in the prisons
of other lands, drunkards, vagabonds, adepts in all
elaborate systems of iniquity, pirates, land-sharks,
and other classes innumerable and nameless, who
plunged without scruple into schemes of fraud,
robbery and plunder. Nearly every city of Europe
and America, not to mention Asia and the islands
of the sea, yielded its quota of abandoned wretches




148      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
to swell the flood of emigration to the land of gold.
Friends of religion, order and civilization, who
anxiously watched the westward progress of the star
of empire, as it followed the course of the sun
around the earth, trembled for the new State on the
shores of the Pacific. Thousands of good citizens,
with hearts loyal to justice and right, had also, it is
true, gone thither to seek homes and fortune. Elements so powerful and so radically at variance,
could not long live side by side in peace. Another
of the ever recurring battles between good and evil,
justice and iniquity, was to be fought. Upon the
issue hung the fate of a territory bounteously endowed with the richest gifts of nature; and in that
fate was involved the destiny of millions unborn.
Many circumstances seemed ominous. The unorganized condition of affairs threw together the
well disposed and the vicious in promiscuous association. Evil communications corrupt good manners. Garments, hitherto unsoiled, might now be
stained by the thick pollution which flourished
everywhere. Emigrants were separated, too, from
the most precious and potent influences that in
years agone had served both to restrain and ennoble.
Men herded together in large crowds with no mothers, wives, or sisters near to point them heavenward.
Few churches if any, had been established at the




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              149
mines, so as to embrace the neglected laborer within
her kind and sheltering fold.  While the most
effective agencies for the preservation and diffusion
of virtue were dormant, all the machinery of the
Power of Darkness was driven to its utmost capacity. Disorder and riot, corruption and violence,
bore sway as never before within the jurisdiction of
the United States.
Yet, notwithstanding the complexity of evils
which at first cast ominous shadows athwart the
future pathway of California, she happily emerged
soon from the gloom, and now, after the lapse of
a decade, compares favorably with the best of her
sisters in the qualities that give assurance of a noble
and glorious destiny. Crime, once so open and
insolent, has been crushed with iron hand. Vice
has withdrawn from market-places and street corners, to skulk timidly in by-ways. Speedy retribution overwhelmed the cohorts of wickedness that
vainly strove to make the future temple of civilization a den of thieves. Guilt, in many ways, stung
itself to death. As the original crop of renegades
disappeared, fresh hordes were intimidated by tilhe
vigorous administration of justice, from rushing in
to fill their places.
Such progress, in the right direction, in the face
of innumerable obstacles, should give us confidence




150      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.,
in the inherent strength of our Government. A
self-organized society sprung up amid the chaos of
lawless, greedy and discordant elements, which, in
a short period, without assistance from armies or
navies, succeeded in asserting its supremacy over
all. This was a severe but most satisfactory trial of
the formative energy of free institutions. No campaign of martial conqueror ever equaled in magnitude the peaceful triumph of order and virtue,
though left to fight the battle alone. If civil
liberty, as understood by the founders of our constitution, be a vapory mist that can hang upon the
hills only at the early dawn of national existence,
without coherence to withstand the fiery trials of
the meridian, we should never have witnessed the
rapid and sure reforms effected under its banners in California. The wonderful record of that
State ought to assure us that neither foreign power,
nor domestic discontent, can avail to overthrow a
fabric reared upon the foundations planted by the
wisdom and consecrated by the blood of the patriots
of the Revolution.
At the time when the second infantry landed at
Monterey, the army officers were naturally apprehensive that their services might be called in requisition for the discharge of most unpleasant duties.
Americans at the mines, profoundly impressed with



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             151
the conviction that the "Manifest Destiny" of the
race justified any claims, however extravagant, regarded the gold as their own exclusive property,
and looked wit~h evil eye upon the crowds of semibarbarous interlopers who flocked thither to share
the spoils. These feelings of dislike, finding expressions in acts of annoyance and derision, were, at
first, heartily reciprocated. Frequent and bloody
broils seemed imminent. Had the United States
forces been sufficiently strong, large detachments
would probably have been stationed in the mining
districts as a precautionary measure. Fortunately,
perhaps, the troops at Col. Riley's disposal were too
few to permit the arrangement. Chinamen and Yankees, Sandwich-Islanders and Europeans were left to
dig in company without interference or supervision
from the soldiery of their affectionate Uncle at Washington. And, as the issue proved, the authority of
the civil magistrate, aided by the good sense of the
miners, was found adequate to the preservation of
peace. Indeed the very prodigality of nature, after
a while, served to reconcile dissimilar races, and
inaugurate an era of mutual forbearance and good
will. Perhaps the auspicious change was hastened
by the fact that the incomparable and somewhat
unscrupulous shrewdness of emigrants from  the
States had gradually devised many ingenious devices




152      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
for transferring the dust of tawny skinned diggers
into their own capacious sacks. Finding it easier
to live by wits than by work, they made a great
convenience of Sonorans and Asiatics, in carrying
the idea into practical operation.
Military service in California was, under its best
aspects, laborious and wearisome. A frontier, extending hundreds of miles, was to be protected
against the incursions of the Indians. Some of the
stations were buried in the depths of the wilderness,
and almost entirely secluded from intercourse with
the world. The comforts of life were scarce and
costly. There were no daily newspapers or telegraphic dispatches, and very few altercations with
the savages to break the heavy monotony.
Gen. Smith, commander of the Pacific Division,
believed in the policy of keeping the troops as far as
possible from the mines. The extravagant price of
labor in the ordinary departments of industry, when
compared with the pay of the soldier or sailor,
caused, among these classes, intense dissatisfaction
with services which now appeared to the last degree
contemptible. Tales of the wondrous wealth of the
gold region produced a general mania, that seized
irresistibly upon mariners the moment their feet
touched the enchanted soil. Vessels, on coming to
anchor in the bay'of San Francisco, lost their entire




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             153
crews. Captains and mates barely withstood the
temptation to abandon ship and follow the impetuous throng. Many of the oldest and most reliable
mariners, with non-commissioned officers, deserted
in a body from British men-of-war, a thing before
unknown in the royal navy. The few companies
of United States troops in the territory were reduced to mere skeletons from the same cause. In
the morning the commanding officer would find that
the sentry, with a band of confederates, embracing
perhaps a third or fourth of his force, had left the
camp under cover of night. There was no difficulty
in discovering their course. Whether going singly,
or in groups, they took the nearest way to the mines.
Sometimes, until experience taught another lesson,
pursuit was made with strong detachments. But
this plan of procedure was soon abandoned, for the
malady was found to be, not only deep-seated, but
contagious. Nine times in ten the pursuers would
join the fugitives, when, with fresh courage, the
whole band hurried on in company. The officer in
command could do nothing better than smother his
chagrin, and, while riding homeward, ponder upon
the insecurity of human power. So universal was
the demoralization, that Gen. Persifor F. Smith, the
experienced head of the Pacific Military Division,
writing to the war department at the beginning of
7*




154      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
1849, expressed regrets that any troops were on the
route to California. He was confident that the men
would all desert at the first opportunity.  It was
his opinion that the peace of the territory could be
safely entrusted to emigrants, from the United
States; acting through the civil authorities. The
experiment of establishing the troops at a distance
from the mines, in order to prevent desertions, after
a thorough trial, proved signally ineffectual. The
further the men were removed from the center of
all thoughts and longings, the more intense became
the gold mania.  Dragoons, stationed at the extreme southern border, with  sublime  audacity,
appropriated, to private use, the horses, arms and
outfit furnished by government, and then unceremoniously seceded from the service. Infantry took
the long road on foot. As it was impossible to carry
provisions, deserters subsisted by plundering the
inhabitants along the route. All opposition to these
extortions was silenced by brute force. The troops
sent thither for the protection of the people against
Indian outrage, became far more terrible than the
savages themselves.
After a brief interval at Monterey, Captain Lyon's
company having been filled up by recruits to the
standard of sixty-four privates, embarked April 16th,
1849, for San Diego.  Company H sailed for the




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             155
same destination ten days later. Lyon's force was
subsequently instructed to remain and garrison the
town of San Diego, while the other company was
detached to form a part of the escswt for the commissioners appointed to run the boundary line between the United States and Mexico.
Gen. Riley, taking a view of the military necessities of the territory quite different from  that
adopted by Gen. Smith, wished to keep the troops
concentrated, and was averse to the establishment
of posts on the distant frontiers. After furnishing
a suitable guard to escort the commissioners, he was
in favor of retaining the government supplies at
Monterey and San Francisco, and of stationing at
the mines all the army not required for the protection of the depots. This policy would expose the
people of southern California to the unrestrained
incursions of the Indians. But it was thought that
the inhabitants would suffer less from the depredations of the natives than from the lawless violence
of the fugitives sure to desert from any force sent
thither.  Dissimilarity of language and customs
among the tribes, rendered any general combination
against the whites highly improbable. Subsequent
developments, however, occasioned material clanges
in the original programme of the General commanding.




156      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
For the next few years Captain Lyon was subjected much of the time to extreme hardships and
privations. Short periods of repose, at different
military statiomp, were interrupted by campaigns
against the Indians, and long journeys, often performed alone, over the dreary mountains and deserts of the country. The sweets of quietude were
seldom tasted. A disposition fearless, adventurouse
and uneasy, except amid the excitement of incessant activity, kept him continually on the wing.
The same rapidity and decision characterized his
movements then, which ten years later carried dismay and overthrow into the camps of traitors in
Missouri,  Whenever he guided the affairs of an
expedition, the blow was struck at once and effectively. Before the insolent savage heard even the
faint premonitory rumblings of the distant thunder,
the fury of the storm was upon him. If Lyon started
forth on an errand of vengeance, his little band
swept like a hurricane over plain, marsh and mountain. If called to accomplish a given work, he
adopted plans with the quick intuition of genius,
and always carried them into immediate execution.
Our national career has been so peaceful that few
of the present generation of military commanders
have had the opportunity to prove the qualities of
leadership on the field. A martial people like the




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             157
Americans must, in the nature of things, contain a
fair proportion of men fitted to guard her liberties
and defend her honor by leading armies both to
battle and to victory. In the dark hours of our
history, generals equal to every emergency have
sooner or later invariably appeared. Often, indeed,
the lesson of wisdom was taught by painful reverses.
Men taken from the common pursuits of life could
hardly be expected to cope, at first, with officers
carefully instructed in the schools, and trained by
long experience in the camp. In the early years of
the Revolution, the enemy gained many advantages
over our badly equipped and poorly fed armies. An
insolent foe occupied our towns and wasted our
fields. But
"Sweet are the uses of adversity."
Every encounter, rich in instruction, strengthened
the arm and steadied the purpose of those who had
staked all for liberty. Before the close of the war
our self-taught generals were fully the peers of the
most accomplished British officers. But for nearly
forty years no worthy foeman has tempted the keen
edge of American steel. The blades of American
soldiery have been unsheathed only against imbecile Mexicans and unskillful savages.
WTlerever Lyon held control of military affairs,
(and a respectable share of experience certainly fell




158      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
-to his lot,) he was signally successful. Men are
great, not absolutely, but relatively. We judge of
their abilities by placing them side by side with
others who have been eminent in the same callings.
We can not compare Lyon with the distinguished
warriors of the past, for he was stricken down at
the threshold of a career, of which the brilliant
opening is but the prophecy of what might have
been. Yet it is safe to say that he everywhere exhibited the very qualities of generalship that have
shone most conspicuously in the first of military
chieftains.
Officers like Lyon, of vigilance, zeal and skill
were soon needed on the frontiers of California.
By the XI. article of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States government pledged itself
to restrain the Indians within its jurisdiction from
hostile incursions into the territory of Mexico.
Good faith required the establishment of competent
garrisons along the border.
Gen. Riley's hope that friendly relations would be
maintained between the settlers and the natives,
proved ill-founded. The United States, through
both civil and military authorities, have for the most
part shown a laudable anxiety to preserve peace
with the primitive owners of the soil. But from
the first the kind intentions of government have




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             159
been continually frustrated by the rascalities'of a
certain class of whites that have ever hovered, vulture-like, on the border line of the settlements.
For fourscore years, as the- natives have retired
before a civilization they were powerless to oppose,
the same dark blood-stains have marked every step
of the way. Wrongs perpetrated by the "sovereigns" of unbought acres have stung to madness
the vindictive spirit of the savage, and provoked
retaliatory blows. The frenzy of bad passions once
aroused, pauses not. in the thirst for revenge with
the punishment of the guilty. Too often the hand
of the now cruel and pitiless destroyer has fallen
heavily also upon the habitations of the innocent.
The crime startles and appals the community, while
the provocation is forgotten.  Government, besieged
by the clamors of the populace, is forced from its
position of protector, and is compelled to hunt
down the Indian as if an irreclaimable enemy of
the race. In the contest thus commenced, he either
perishes in fight, or is driven from his heritage to
find temporary repose in the seclusion of still more
distant wilds. But like the traveler imprisoned between precipitous rocks and the rising tide, he finds
no escape. Every moment the surging flood renders the foothold more precarious. With terrible
and measured certainty the doom approaches, and




160      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
no struggles can avert it. Sooner or later the waters close over him and he disappears forever from
the haunts of men.
San Diego, where Capt. Lyon first found a resting spot on the western shores of the continent, and
whither he more than once returned during his stay
in California, is one of the garden spots of earth.
Standing on the same parallel of latitude with
Charleston, S. C., it enjoys a climate surpassing in
salubrity and loveliness any to be found on the
Atlantic coast. Further north, ocean-winds at certain seasons cover the coast with chill and disagreeable mists. Here, however, the air is pure and the
sky brilliant. In summer the atmosphere is cooled
by the sea-breeze, and tempered in winter by the
warmth of ocean-currents. The order of the seasons is marked more by the varied succession of
flowers, fruits and grain, than by abrupt changes in
the temperature. Here, too, flourish the vine, the
fig, and other lucious fruits of the tropics, in the
same fields with the hardier growths of the North.
To manifold advantages of climate and soil, is added
a spacious and land-locked harbor. In the course
of time, this new Eden on the Pacific will be the
center of a peculiar civilization, blending the charms
of repose with the grandeur and beauty, for which
the materials are destined to float thither over thi



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               61
seas and descend in golden sands from the moun,
taills.
Capt. Lyon's first experiences at San Diego were
of the kind to be expected in a new country where
all ordinary methods of procedure were swept away
before the sudden irruption of thousands. Bricks
were to be made without straw, and almost without
food for the sustenance of the laborer. Supplies
ordered for that post from Sai Francisco the pre.
vious winter, had failed to arrive. This was particularly unfortunate, as the stores for the escort
detached to accompany the commissioners for running the line of division between California and
Mexico were to be drawn from the depot at San
Diego. Lyon was untiring in efforts to ascertain
the wants of the service, and the best means of
relieving them.  The first part of the task was
sufficiently easy, for deficiencies thrust themselves
upon the sight at every turn. To the more laborious work of rendering his command comfortable
and effective, he unweariedly devoted the powers
of his fertile mind.
In accordance with suggestions from the southern
department, the supplies at San Pedro and Los
Angelos were transferred to San Diego. The post
at San Louis Rey, forty miles farther north, was
abandoned and the public property forwarded to the




162      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
same place. All the means of transportation at
the above-named stations, except such as were absolutely necessary for the conveyance of the troops
returning to Monterey, were likewise consigned to
the care of Capt. Lyon, then acting as assistant
quarter-master.
But at that time Lyon did not long remain at
San Diego to enjoy the improvements introduced
by his energy. He was soon ordered to Benicia,
where he was detained on duty till the middle of
September, from the fact that several officers had
been detached from the post for reconnoitering service among the mountains. So soon as others arrived to assume the responsibilities of command, he
left for Major Miller's camp on the Stansilaus river,
in the valley of the San Joaquin.
A military station had been established at this
place for the purpose of preventing altercations
between the Indians and whites, and for the maintenance of peace and order among the heterogeneous population then gathering in large numbers
about the waters of the Stansilaus, Tualumne and
Merced rivers. A large proportion being foreigners, the authorities were apprehensive that jealousies between them  and the Americans might
ripen into contentions and riots destructive to the
best interests of the territory.  But like other




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             163
gloomy forebodings, apparently justified by the
assemblage of such tumultuous elements in close
contiguity, this fear happily proved groundless also.
Chinese, East-Indiamen and  Sandwich-Islanders,
from wholesome feelings of awe for the AngloSaxons, behaved remarkably well and were highly
prosperous. The good order voluntarily preserved
among the miners, and the general prevalence of
peace with the Indians, left little for the garrison
to do.
On the approach of cold weather, Maj. Miller's
command was ordered to Benicia, as there were no
winter quarters at the post on the Stansilaus. Says
Lyon, writing the last day of the following February:
"We have spent here a very pleasant winter.
But you are not to suppose our pleasure consists in
dashing sleigh rides, or blustering through the
drifted snow. Snow is rarely seen on the distant
hills, and our cold wet weather is much like the
April storms at home, followed by the same beautifully bright and sunny days. Not a night is so cold
as to interrupt the constant peeping of the frogs, or
the growth of grass and other vegetation.
"1 We have at Benicia a fair proportion of ladies,
both native and from our own country. Indeed,
all things, considered, this is the most pleasant




164      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
place for a residence in California. It is not, however, much of a business town, nor is it rapidly
improving.
"I was in San Francisco the other day, and was
surprised at the vast rapidity of its growth. Within
one year, on the spot has arisen from nothing, a city
twice as large as Hartford or New Haven."




CHAPTER VII.
DURING the summer of 1850, Capt. Lyon conducted a brilliant campaign against the Indians living
in the neighborhood of Clear Lake, and among the
fastnesses of Northern California.  The outrages
that provoked the expedition were singularly revolting and inexcusable-the punishment that overtook
the guilty, unexpected and terrible.
Capt. Warner, of the topographical engineers,
had been sent the previous season to the head waters of the Sacramento, to collect information relative to tile resources of the country, to select the
site for a military post, and to ascertain the practicability of a railroad route through the northern
passes. While engaged in the duties of the mission,
he was brutally murdered by the savages. In the
autumn a number of tribes about Clear Lake having formed a kind of league, and still farther trust



166      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
ing for security to the inaccessible character of their
retreats, killed several whites.  Lieut. Davidson,
with a company of dragoons then stationed at Sonoma, made prompt pursuit. The way was difficult, offering many impediments to the approach of
troops. Having at length, after much difficulty,
come in sight of the enemy, the detachment had the
mortification of finding itself without the power to
inflict any injury. The savages took refuge on the'
islands in the lake, whither it was impossible to pursue without boats, and emboldened by the safety of
the position, amused themselves with taunting the
whites. As there were no means at hand for reaching the islands, the force was obliged to return
without accomplishing its mission.
Although the lateness of the season rendered
further operations impracticable for the time, the
determination to chastise the offenders was by no
means relinquished. Preparations were made to
invade the haunts of the savages with a strong force
in the spring. Major Seawell was first selected for
the command of the expedition. An order from
the President for a court martial in Oregon, took
him away from the theatre of operations, and it became necessary to appoint a substitute.' The lot,"
says Gen. Persifor F. Smith, "fell most happily on
Brevet Captain Nathaniel Lyon, second infantry,




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             167
and he marched immediately."  Several months
had been occupied in getting the equipments for the
campaign in readiness, and on the arrival of Lyon
the men were prepared to start. With customary
promptitude he caused the troops to be put in motion at once.
Lyon was at Monterey when the order came appointing him to the position vacated by the departare of Maj. Seawell for Oregon. He hurried immediately to Benicia, where he arrived on the night of
May 4th. The next morning he assumed command
of the expedition. Having spent the day in perfecting arrangements for alleviating as far as possible
the discomforts of the men on the march, and for
securing the highest degree of efficiency, he started
from Benicia on the sixth. The plan of the campaign was to rout the Indians on Clear Lake, and
then proceeding northward to Pitt river, the principal continuation of the Sacramento, to punish the
outrages committed in that quarter. There was no
difficulty in ascertaining the guilty parties, for the
offenders gloried in their acts and boldly defied the
whites. Reposing implicit confidence in the security
of their island-retreats, inclosed by mountain ranges
impassable for carriages, they had become very insolent, giving way unreservedly to the impulses of
brutal passion. The region which they occupied, so




168      GEN, NATHANIEL LYON.
impenetrable and picturesque from the blending of
mountain, lake and valley, has been called the
" Switzerland of California."
Captain Lyon with habitual celerity pushed forward the column. Three boats capable of carrying
a strong detachment of men, were taken from Benicia on wagons. When the troops reached the base
of the alpine barrier, all the wagons except those
expressly prepared for the conveyance of the boats
over the height, were left behind.  The entire
strength of the teams was now employed to draw
up the vehicles separately, while the men lent assistance at the wheels. In this manner the toilsome
ascent was slowly gained. The column descended
the difficult way on the opposite side, and without
the knowledge of the Indians, concealed the boats
in the marshes on the southern edge of the lake.
The entire march from Benicia was accomplished
in less than six days. From  the position thus
reached, the waters stretched away in a north-westerly direction for nearly thirty miles.
On the 12th, Lieut. Davidson, with a company of
dragoons, was sent around the western shore to cooperate with the infantry who were to ascend ill
boats. When the Indians discovered the approach
of the whites, they began to congregate oil an island
not far from the northern borders of the lake. As




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              169
information respecting the invasion reached the different haunts of the natives, they sought with all
dispatch the common rendezvous. Canoes and a
kind of craft made of tuld, kept plying between the
main and the strong hold, which with childish conceit they imagined impregnable. Once there,-all
apprehensions vanished.
On the 14th, Lieut. Davidson and Lieut. Haynes
with a mountain howitzer came upon a rancho, killing four warriors and capturing a chief. Dispositions for a final and decisive attack were arranged
the same day, to be carried into effect the following
morning.
A strong force was extended along the shores
nearest to the position of the enemy, in order to intercept any fugitives who might attempt to escape.
Three sides were thus closed by a cordon of troops.
Yet the Indians looked upon these preparations with
derision. Still ignorant that the invaders were provided with means of transportation across the water,
they grew bold in the confidence that the island was
inaccessible. Once already, dragoons, after riding
over the same. ground, and apparently threatening
them in the same manner, had gone away without
inflicting any injury. The sight of the soldiers and
the manoeuvering, afforded the savages infinite delight, for they fully expected that the whites would
8




170      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
be obliged to return home, thwarted and chagrined
as before. Some in broken Spanish taunted the
men with the distance, and challenged them to wade
into the water, at least, if they came for a fight. A
variety of coarse expedients and coarse insults in
familiar use among the Indians, were employed to
indicate their enjoyment of the supposed mortification of the troops. All at once the train of selfgratulation was turned to dismay. Suddenly as the
three boats hove in sight around a point, howls of
rage and despair arose from all parts of the island.
Yet the savages opened the battle manfully and
with showers of arrows strove to dispute the landing. As the distance lessened, however, the well
directed fire of the infantry made frightful havoc,
destroying many before the men reached the shore.
The ground was already thickly strewn with the
bodies of the slain, when the Indians, disheartened
by the comparative worthlessness of their weapons,
and the futility of the defense, sought to avoid the
fatal discharges of musketry by hiding among the
tula in the neighboring waters. On the east and
north the growth was very dense, extending from
the island to the shore. But they were not destined
to escape thus, for their punishment was not yet
sufficiently severe.  A less resolute commander
than Lyon would have been satisfied to treat the




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             171
fugitives to a few random volleys, and then leave
them in their slimy concealments to reflect on their
follies and misfortunes. But he wished to make
thorough work, and teach the savages what kind of
punishment to expect thereafter for the murder of
whites. The men were directed to sling their ammunition around the neck, and follow into the tula.
The order was eagerly obeyed. Notwithstanding
the novelty of the warfare, and the embarrassments
of fighting when entangled among rushes, and in
water up to the arm-pits, the troops were highly
successful. The pursuit was rapid and the search
thorough. Nearly a hundred of the enemy perished,
while not a single casualty occurred among the assailants to mar the pleasure of the triumph.
The rancheria extending about half way around
the circumference of the island, was destroyed, together with a large amount of stores.
Having now satisfactorily chastised this band of
2avages, and made them realize that no spot, however remote or inaccessible, could afford shelter
from the sure and fatal consequences of violence,
Lyon turned his attention at once to other tribes
upon whom rested the guilt of like offences. Not a
moment was lost either in rejoicings over the victory, or even in resting from the fatigues of the laborious march over the mountains.




172      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
Believing that the Indians on Russian river had
participated in the recent murders, Capt. Lyon hastened toward the sources of the stream in the expectation of finding there the warriors of the chief
Chapo. But the wigwams were deserted. A careful and extensive search discovered no one. Scenting the danger from afar, the wretches had fled to
the shelter of distant fastnesses. Lyon then descended the river twenty miles to pay his respects
to the Yohaiyaks, who at the time were harboring
Preesta and his followers-a gang particularly notorious in connection with the atrocities that provoked
the war. Night and day the circuitous march from
Clear Lake was vigorously pushed, and the enemy
were again taken by surprise. Aware, however,
that an expedition was in the neighborhood, and
from the consciousness of guilt apprehensive of a
visit, they had retired to a dense jungle and made
some preparations for defense. This position on an
island in the midst of a slough, formed by water
from Russian river, was well selected and formidable. Thick undergrowth covered the surface to a
great extent, while in the part where the savages
mostly sought concealment, trees both dead and
alive lay horizontally in all directions, with the interspaces blocked up by a net-work of vines. A
small number of well armed and determined men,




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             173
familiar with the locality, could have held the place
against a greatly superior force.
On the morning of the 19th, the troops discovered
the Indians. Arrangements were immediately made
for the fight. The position being entirely surrounded by mud and water, the attack was much embarrassed. But the difficulty of reaching the enemy
only rendered his destruction more sure and signal.
There was no avenue for escape so that "the island
soon became a perfect slaughter pen." Yet its defenders proved themselves no cravens for they fought
bravely and obstinately till driven from the last
thicket. Arrows flew thick, but the veteran infantry heeded them no more than if the harmless toys
of children. The other weapons of the enemy were
equally useless. And yet in the midst of the carnage which they saw it was impossible to avenge,
they continued to fill the air with shouts of encouragement, giving up the conflict only when a hundred warriors lay dead and dying on the ground.
None of the troops were killed. Two were wounded.
After the battle the dragoons were sent to Benicia
by way of Sonoma, in order to have the horses
shod. Lyon crossed the mountains between the
valley of Russian river and the lake, reaching An.
derson's Rancho at the end of a two day's march,
on the 21st of May. Gen. P. F. Smith writes re



174      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
specting the management of the campaign, that he
has learned the facts " from the officers who have
returned this day, (May 25th;) they all unite in
awarding to Capt. Lyon the highest praise for his
untiring energy, his zeal and skill, and attribute his
success to the rapidity and secrecy of his marches,
and skillful dispositions on the ground."
The veteran general can not let the mail leave
without expressing his "' highest praise of Capt.
Lyon's conduct."
During the passage down Russian river, an Indian was taken prisoner, who made certain disclosures, interesting, because confirmatory of suspicions prevalent among the well informed. The
captive asserted that Spaniards in the vicinity had
industriously instigated the crimes for which the
immediate perpetrators were then suffering terrible
retribution. A variety of circumstances coming to
the knowledge of the officers in different ways, pointed to the same conclusion. But the low intriguers
cunningly covered the footprints of mischief so as
to screen themselves from detection. The penalty
was paid by the victims of their duplicity. While
there may be many noble exceptions to the rule,
the Spanish living on the American frontier have,
too often for the credit of the blood, proved selfish,
crafty and treacherous neighbors. In the Florida




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              175
war they did infinite harm by inflaming the passions
of the Seminoles through the circulation of shameless falsehoods, and by supplying the means for continuing hostilities. Members of all other civilized
communities, at least in times of international
peace, seem impelled by the voice of a common
humanity to aid one another in guarding against
surprise or injury from the brutal instincts of the
savage.
The number of the Clear Lake Indians was variously estimated at from  fifteen hundred to two
thousand. One would think that tribes reared in a
hardy climate and amid Alpine scenery, would possess the attributes of a noble manhood. On the
mountain ranges, in the rich valleys, and along the
borders of beautiful lakes, it would be natural to
look for sagacity, honor, pride and modesty among
the people.  Such favorable preconceptions, however, were entirely untrue. A country abounding
in fish and game afforded bountifully the means of
subsistence. Toil was not absolutely indispensable
for the support of life, nor did the ambition of the
natives stimulate them to make any exertions to
improve their rude and wretched condition. Simple
existence was all they appeared to hope or care for.
In the hour of danger, it is true, throwing aside
habitual sloth, they fought manfully, manifesting




176      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
latent capabilities of a high order.  But the predominance of the better qualities was momentary
only, for the innate tendency to utter degradation
of life and character seemed irresistible.  Yet
though squalid and miserable, indolent and ignorant, they were docile in disposition, and aside from
the injuries and intrigues of crafty neighbors,
would probably have given no occasion for complaint. Whenever clothing came in their way, it
was eagerly put on. Garments of all kinds, however, were generally considered of small importance,
and the desire of appearing in cassimere or calico
was not sufficiently strong to overcome constitutional idleness.
On closing the expedition against the Indians living about Clear Lake and on the Russian river,
Capt. Lyon, agreeably to orders from head-quarters,
continued on to the sources of Pitt river in order
to bring to justice the murderers of Capt. Warner.
A few hostile tribes on the way were attacked and
routed. Pushing on with all practicable celerity,
he reached the territory where the barbarities had
been committed. But the band guilty of the murder was nowhere to be found.  Having learned
that troops were approaching, and foreseeing their
own annihilation if they remained at their old
haunts, they absconded beyond the reach of pursuit.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              177
In the course of the skirmishes that diversified
the progress of the march, Capt. Lyon met with
several personal adventures of the most exciting
character.
On one occasion, the Indians, after fighting vigorously till broken by severe losses, disappeared all
at once from the field. The thickets that had resounded with terrific yells and whoops suddenly
became as silent as the grave. BNot a bush stirred,
and not a sound indicated the presence of an enemy.
As the character of the ground rendered flight extremely improbable if not impossible, the men
began in groups to hunt for the savages. The surface abounded in patches of undergrowth, and at
intervals was studded with trees of dense foliage.
Some skulked among the shrubs, and some hid
among the branches of the trees. In the progress
of the search, Lyon having become somewhat separated from the rest, came upon a number of baskets
which to all appearance had been thrown carelessly
together without any ulterior object.  Curiosity
prompted him to raise the upper one with his sword,
when a stalwart chief more than six feet in height,
grasped the blade with the strength of a giant,
and was preparing to spring upon his antagonist.
The question of life or death to one of the parties
must be decided in an instant. The greatly superior
8*




178      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
physical prowess of the Indian would have rendered
the escape of an ordinary man almost hopeless.
But Lyon's remarkable agility and presence of mind
were more than a match for the ponderous muscle
of the savage. Before he could rise from his semiprostrate position, Lyon wrenched the sword from
his hand, and as if by a single motion tore open his
blanket and plunged the steel into his bosom. Selfpreservation rendered the act necessary. Yet as
the victor saw the purple tide streaming from the
form of the chief-more manly and noble in death
than in life-he had no heart to continue the work
of bloodshed. The men were recalled and the
Indians allowed to mourn and bury their fallen
braves in peace.
From the desultory character of the warfare, the
troops often became detached from each other, since
it was sometimes necessary for a small force to scour
a wide breadth of territory at the same time. The
natives were not sufficiently formidable in fight to
render close embodiment of the men, or extreme
vigilance necessary. Many things were done with
advantage to the service, which under other circumstances would have been unwarrantably rash.
On one occasion when no one was near enough to
offer assistance, three mounted Indians made a sudden charge upon Lyon. The situation was desper



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             179
ate, but his resources were equal to the emergency.
In this instance as in the one just narrated, celerity
of movement saved him. A bullet settled the case
of the foremost savage summarily.  Before the
smoke left the barrel of the pistol, the hand that discharged it was directing a thrust at the heart of the
second. But the blow proved ineffectual, for the
thick blanket of the savage was impenetrable. At
this critical juncture, he caught the fold at the neck
with his left hand, and making a sudden spring
buried his trusty blade in the body of his antagonist.
All passed so quickly that the remaining Indian had
no time to interfere. Seeing the fate of the others
he galloped away, making good his escape.
After searching the country about the head waters
of Pitt river, and punishing such tribes as stood in
need of correction, the expedition started homeward. On the way Capt. Lyon met with orders to
return and seek the remains of the late Captain
Warner. If obtained they were to be brought down
by the detachment and forwarded to his relatives.
Experienced guides were now added to the command, which began to retrace its steps toward the
northern wilds. But this last mission proved fruitless. No trace could be discovered of the body of
Capt. Warner. The bones of that lamented officer
sleep in an unknown grave, with only the remem



180      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
brance of his virtues, and the record of his public
services for a monument.
This toilsome campaign of nearly five months duration, was brought to an end on the 25th of September, when the troops reached Benicia. Both
officers and men were much worn by the fatigues
of the long and laborious march. Lyon himself was
more reduced in health and strength than ever before. But a few weeks of repose served to restore
in a great measure his usual vigor.
During his brief stay at Benicia he lived ill a good
house-a luxury quite rare in the experience of an,
officer on the frontier-and amid the comforts of civilization. Respecting the even tenor of his life,he says,'"I continue in my usual and long established
customs, growing old indeed but not ashamed to
own it; proud perhaps but not haughty; prudent it
may be in worldly affairs yet not crafty for wealth;
desirous enough of fame but not infatuated with
blind ambition; and in general taking the world as
it comes, enjoying richly its many blessings, sympathizing with the unfortunate, and laughing with the
indifference or cool philosophy at the sore disappointments with which selfishness and cupidity are ever
torturing their victims."
Of the approaching congressional session, he
writes:




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.              181
"I foresee a great  excitement this  winter
(1850-1) in congress on the subject of Slavery,
and much deprecate the final resort threatened
by the South. Yet should the crisis come, I stand
ready to tender a cordial support to the measures
necessary to re-establish our Union upon a basis of
permanent prosperity."
The fire-eaters were lashing themselves into a
frenzy of passion on account of the admission of
California as a free state. To gain new acquisitions
for the expansion of human slavery, they precipitated the nation into war with Mexico, and taking
advantage of her necessities, appropriated a large
share of her dominions.  But the fruit that seemed
golden in the distance, now turned to ashes on their
lips. The deep-laid schemes for perpetuating the
tyranny of the slave power on the Western continent, were signally overruled.
This result seems the more remarkable as the soil
and climate were well suited to slave labor, while a
large majority of the officers and political managers
in the territory, belonged to the South. In vain,
however were chicanery, threats and bribes. In
high heaven was recorded the decree, "Hitherto
shalt thou come, but no further." When the banners of freedom were flung to the breeze on the
shores of the Pacific; when the fertile acres and




182      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
treasured hills of another state-soon to become
perhaps the richest and most powerful of the sisterhood-were consecrated forever to Liberty, then for
the first time the remorseless giant that had long
ruled with a rod of iron in the councils of the nation, grew faint with apprehensions. As the decrepit
monster saw the cordon of free states closing around
him like the walls of a prison, he felt that the palsy
of age was near at hand. Although no one wished
to meddle with the old man's legal possessions, he
became more than ever before, unreasonable and
suspicious. In every breath of air he heard a threat.
If a stick crackled or a leaf quivered, his dimmed
and disordered vision descried the dusky outlines
of an assassin. Strangers passing by in the highway, called up unpleasant recollections of Guy
Fawkes and the powder plot. No solace could be
found for the peevishness of second childhood.
Neighbors were profuse in expressions of friendly
feeling and fair intentions, but soft words were petulantly spurned. Yet while his knees were shaking
with the infirmities of years, his voice waxed louder
and more imperious. Its shrill accents had often
drowned the whisperings of conscience, and the
calm  utterances of argument.  Although many
were willing to humor his foibles, few were so cowardly as to be terrified by his ravings. During the




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             183
memorable discussions that grew out of the admission of California, the vocabulary of menace was
repeatedly exhausted. At length threats became
threadbare. The old giant was indignant at the
indifference which marked the reception of his most
elaborate fulminations. Evidently the oracles of the
South were falling-into contempt. To such humiliation he could not submit. Attributing his own
weakness to the strength of others, he foolishly
imagined that he would feel better to go away by
himself. The causes of the experiment are before
us. What will be its fate we shall in due time discover.
Capt. Lyon was soon transferred from Benicia to
San Diego, the scene of his first experiences in California. One of his duties was to keep the military
post at the junction of the Gila and Colorado rivers,
supplied with government stores. Fort Yuma, (the
name of this station,) was one hundred and fifty
miles east of San Diego. The only communication
between the two places was by the over land route
which presented great difficulties.  Teams were
compelled to take a very circuitous course to avoid
the mountains and hills. Eighty miles of the traveled road lay through a desert of dry sand, destitute
of herbage and affording water only at long intervals. Trains were kept in constant motion over the




184      GEN. NATHANIEL  L YON.
dreary highway. The expense of transportation
was immense. Every ton of provisions carried from
the coast, cost the government not less than $1000.
Lyon was not content to allow this heavy drain
upon the public treasury to continue, without endeavoring at least to effect an improvement. In
April, 1851, he left San Diego to make a thorough
exploration of the country, and to ascertain the
practicability of a more direct route. He was prevented from undertaking the hardships of the journey earlier in the season, by the periodical recurrence, during the winter, of the "chills and fever,"
one of the fruits of the campaign of the previous
summer. The enterprise thus attempted was no
holiday pastime. When fairly away from the point
of departure, it was necessary to plunge into an unkniownl region, with no landmarks of any kind to
offer their friendly guidance. No civilized man had
ever penetrated the country before, and "'from appearances much of it had never been traversed by
the present generation of Indians." Lyon made a
thorough survey of the whole region and had the
satisfaction of discovering a new and direct route
practicable for trains, over which supplies could be
transported at great saving of cost. Still he advocated the opinion that the Colorado river ought to
be used for the purpose, as a steamer of eight feet




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             185
draft could ascend the stream at its highest stages,
conveying at a single trip stores enough for a year,
This post (Camp Yuma) was the most important
military station in southern California, commanding
the land-passage into Sonora and other Mexican
states on the Pacific side of the central chain of
mountains; holding in check several formidable
tribes of savages, and protecting the lower route
of American emigration. The works, standing on
the right bank of the Colorado opposite its junction
with the Gila, were built on a rocky eminence eighty
feet high and terminating in a kind of plateau about
five hundred yards'in circuit.
A presidio and mission were established here at
the beginning of the second quarter of the century.
Seven or eight years later, the whites having incurred the jealousy of the Indians, were attacked and
overwhelmed. At the time thirty soldiers and nearly
a hundred persons besides, were living within the
inclosure. For three days the troops made a gallant
defense, keeping at bay the horde of blood-thirsty
savages. The stock of bullets having then unfortunately become exhausted, the garrison endeavored
to keep up appearances by the discharge of blank
cartridges. The assailants, however, quickly dis.
covered the difference, between harmless explosions
of powder. and the well-aimed fire which in the early




186      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
part of the conflict, had laid low many a stalwart
warrior. Venturing nearer and nearer with impunity, they were soon emboldened to rush against the
defenses with clubs and other rude weapons. The
barricades, too weak to resist the ponderous blows,
gave way, and an entrance was effected. All the
men except one were slain without mercy, and the
women and children reduced to captivity.
Twenty years later when the second infantry
went to occupy the site, the stone foundations and
other ruins Were clearly traceable.
Fort Yuma was established by three companies
of the second infantry under bommand of Major
Heintzleman, in November, 1850. In the month
of June, 1851, shortly after Capt. Lyon's successful
tour of observation over the mountains, the position
was abandoned from want of funds to sustain it.
Says Lyon, "The great expenses of California (and
many of them have been entirely unnecessary) seem
to have exasperated our wise ones in congress, and
they have so limited the appropriations for the army,
particularly the means of transportation, that we
are now suffering great embarrassment. I have a
debt due from this office (much of which was contracted by my predecessor) of between fifty and
sixty thousand dollars, without a cent to meet it,
while my current expenses are incurring additional




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             187
liabilities of more than $5,000 per month. In consequence of this state of things, the post upon the
Gila and Colorado rivers has been temporarily recalled till the decision of the war department shall
be known upon the subject. I presume it will not
be resumed till the necessary means for sustaining
it shall be provided by government."
A small guard was left at Fort Yuma to take care
of the public property. In the November following
it was reinforced by Capt. Davidson, but a few days
after was altogether abandoned in consequence of
the threatening and formidable attitude of the Indians. In February, 1852, the post was again occupied by the original command and others.
Capt. Lyon's head-quarters, during the summer
of 1851, continued to be at San Diego. Although
at a distance-from San Francisco, the political heart
of California, which was then beating fiercely and
tumultuously, he took the deepest interest in the
civil affairs of the State. Writing in August he
remarks:
" You have heard of the dread state of affairs in
California, from which it appears that our attempts
at organization have turned out an ignoble abortion; leaving to independent associations, self-styled' Vigilance Committees,'  Hounds,' &c., the control
of those delicate and sacred rights which should be




188      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
secured by laws and constitutions. The summary
punishment by a mob, of an offender guilty of some
gross outrage, you regret for its contempt of law,
the palladium of civil rights, rather than for any
injustice done to the individual. The'Vigilance
Committee' of San Francisco may receive our sanction so far as prudence has confined its acts to an
equitable chastisement of the subjects of its charge.
But that such an organization, independent of and
even in defiance of law, should be made a permanent feature in the police regulations of a civilized
community, presages more danger to human liberties, than all the secession murmurings or abolition
insolence yet brought to light."
The proceedings of the "c Vigilance Committee,"
as all remember, excited profound attention throughout the country. Its unparalleled usurpations of authority both astonished and alarmed order-loving,
law-abiding citizens. Every one saw the step to be
dangerous, and feared lest it should end in disaster.
But the flagrant abuses which called the organization into existence, demanded desperate remedies.
The gangrene gnawing the limbs and threatening
the vitals of the body politic, was too malignant to
permit delay. The ordinary forms of law might
have been adequate to the correction of other evils,
had not the ministers of the law stood in need of




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             189
the first and severest correction. Men of the vilest
character had insinuated themselves by fraud and
violence into positions of the highest responsibility.
Bullies in the employ of desperate political adventurers, presided at the ballot-box and counted the
votes. An elaborate system of falsehood and intimidation was employed to keep the offices of state
filled with the confederates of this villainous gang.
If the fountains of justice were pure, its streams
became sadly corrupted by the pollutions of its
channels. All confidence was lost. Distrust, suspicion and anxiety tortured the minds of the community.
This disorganized and helpless condition of society gave birth to the Vigilance Committee. Although arrogating extraordinary functions, its proceedings were remarkably calm, deliberate and
effective. From the history of similar associations
in other lands, it was apprehended that this popular
reaction against terrible wrongs would proceed with
the violence of the tornado. But in escaping from
Scylla, it happily avoided Charybdis also.  The
Committee, without intemperance or passion, having
decorously finished its work, disappeared quietly
from the stage.




CHAPTER  VIII.
IN the autumn of 1851, Capt. Lyon was transferred from San Diego to Fort Miller, where he took
command of the garrison, which was composed of
two companies of the second infantry. The troops
were provided with "log houses, stockade defenses,
and other furniture and fixtures for life in the
woods." Fort Miller was located in the valley of
the San Joaquin, at the base of the Sierra Nevada
mountains. On one side were the mines, swarming
with motley population, and on the other, numerous tribes of Indians.  The principal object of
maintaining a military post at this point, was to
prevent the depredations of the natives, and at
the same time shelter them from the outrages of
evil-minded whites.
The political status of the California Indians was
peculiar.  Elsewhere in the territories of the
United States, the Government allotted certain dis



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               191
tricts to the natives for their exclusive occupation.
Within the limits assigned, they enjoyed the fullest
rights of person and property. Here it was possible to establish homes and fix the affections without
fear of molestation, for the time at least, from the
greed of the dominant race. But in California and
Oregon, the Indians'held no lands by an acknowledged title, and no privileges by an express guaranty.  The Senate having failed or declined to ratify
the several treaties negotiated with the tribes by
the government agents, every party in interest was
left to decide according to the principles of his own
favorite theory, whether the native proprietors still
retained the ownership of all the soil or none.
Equity, as usual, was lost sight of in the intoxication of power. Wherever the insolent " sovereigns"
wished to enclose fields or dig the earth, they did
so, regardless of any claims of the red man.
Indeed, the Indians of California were singularly
incompetent to maintaill their rights, either by sagacity in peace, or valor in war. Nowhere else
have the pioneers of American civilization encountered tribes so debased and spiritless. All along the
Atlantic coast, and thence westward to the broad
basin of the Mississippi, the Aborigines exhibited
many qualities to challenge the admiration of the
conqueror. Shrewd, vigilant, and artful, as well as




192      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
warlike and ferocious, they were no contemptible
puppets to be kicked about at the caprice of the
settlers, or safely subjected to injury or insolence.
Though few in number and scattered in position,
their terrible power was often proved on the battlefield and by the devastation of the frontier.
On the Pacific coast, however, many tribes, abject,
vile and despicable, occupied the lowest place in the
scale of humanity.  Destitute of ingenuity and
hopelessly indolent, they subsisted, like animals, on
the spontaneous gifts of nature. A region so extensive, and presenting such variety of scenery and
climate, would seem favorable to the development
of manly and noble races. But north and south,
on the plains and among the mountains, the characteristics of the aboriginal inhabitants were to a
lamentable degree the same.
In the region of country suipervised by the garrison at Fort Miller, the Indians did not rise above
the common average.  The contact of the white
man served to deepen their degradation, for it added
to the inherited weight of wretchedness, the vices
prevalent among the lowest class of gold diggers.
They had no religion and no conception of any
supernatural power, either good or evil. All ideas
on abstract subjects, even the simplest and most
universal, they were either unable to comprehend,
or too lazy to make the effort.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              193
Their food was coarse and disgusting. In the
summer the women gathered grass seed, which was
made into a kind of paste. This, with bugs and
roasted grasshoppers, formed the staple articles of
diet. In the autumn salmon were plentiful, but no
one ever thought of providing a supply for winter.
Rather than make the exertion, they preferred to
live during the cold months upon a coarse flour
made of acorns.
The habitations of the natives were as wretched
as their diet. I-uts for summer use were built of
brush-protection from the sun being the only object. On the approach of the rainy season, the
roofs were thatched with grass or covered with skins.
Each tribe was governed by a chief, but the degree of his authority depended mainly on the
quality of the man. Marriages were affairs of temporary preference, unattended by any ceremonies,
and discarded at the will of either party. Agriculture, even in the rudest form, was unknown.
The tribes of the San Joaquin valley were inferior to the Indians in some parts of the territory,
for others in skirmishes with the whites not unfrequently evinced a respectable share of resolution.
Some of the government agents who traveled
extensively among the natives, and enjoyed ample
facilities for learning their character and capabil9




194      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
ities, expressed the opinion that many Pacific tribes
equaled in nerve and daring the best of the Atlantic Indians, attributing their imbecility to the want
of experience. As war, however, in all ages and
among all races, has woven its threads into the texture of tribal as well as national existence, we may
well question the correctness of the conclusion.
Writing of the condition of affairs at the close
of 1851, Capt. Lyon says:  "We have a considerable number of Indians about Fort Miller whose
peaceful disposition would indicate a period of tranquillity, did not all experience predict that intercourse between them and the whites, when in the
vicinity of each other, must sooner or later terminate in a war of extermination. A number of murders on the southern border, taken in connection
with the statements of friendly Indians, has led to
the inference that an extensive combination exists
for war upon the whites. I venture to predict that
no serious alarm need be felt."
Amid the ordinary routine of duties, the winter
was rapidly passing, when for Lyon its brightness
was suddenly turned to gloom. A letter from Eastford, Conn., was received the 24th of January,
announcing briefly and without particulars, the mental aberration of his mother. She was already far
advanced in years. Time had laid upon her aged




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON,.            195
form the burden of heavy infirmities, and in the
order of nature, body and mind were failing together.
With Lyon filial affection was the strongest passion. From infancy onward, he ever evinced for
his parents an extraordinary degree of attachment,
and after the death of the father, was unwearied in
efforts to lighten the bereavement of the survivor.
Whether at home or thousands of miles away, he
never tired of contriving ways for her entertainment and the promotion of her happiness.
The news of her mental decay, coming without
premonition, completely overwhelmed him.  The
thought of change in that serene countenance was
agonizing. It is one of the precious gifts of affection to embalm in perpetual freshness the features
of the loved. So her image, enshrined irn the most
sacred sanctuary of his heart, and irradiate with an
aureola of golden light, seemed proof, from its
heavenly essence, against the inroads of time. It
was impossible to realize that the common lot of
mortals was her lot also. Could it indeed be true
that her smile of greeting, so gladsome and joyous,
had faded forever! Was he never again to meet
her eye with the assurance that it would fill with
the tokens of love, or even glow with the light of
recognition! He writes the next day that this is




196      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
the severest shock of adversity that has yet befallen
him in a life of many vicissitudes. Schooled in the
philosophy that teaches fortitude in submitting to
misfortune, he could have suffered with manliness
ally other calamity save this alone. That his mother should be bereft of the light of reason, and the
consolations of religion which through life it had
beeil her delight to enjoy and impart, penetrates
him with unspeakable grief. "Mother, must the
evening of thy life close in wild wanderings? 0
Heaven, where is thy mercy!  0 God! mysterious
are thy providences, and thy ways past finding out.'
"I have attempted to reflect upon and revolve
this subject in my mind for the last twenty-four
hours, but with swelling heart and maddening
brain, I am  lost in the absorbing thought, that
Mother is wandering in clouds of mental darkness.
O Mother, my dear Mother."
By the first mail Lyon applied to the commanding
general for leave of absence. Thinking that his
personal presence might possibly benefit his aged
parent, he decided at once to incur all the hardships and losses incident to a long journey in winter, in order to fulfill this sacred mission.
We can not honor less the devotion of the son
than the heroism of the soldier. It is sweet to find
the flowers of affection blossoming along the road



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.            197
side where the earth has often been crushed by the
ponderous tramp of armies, and the atmosphere obscured by the lurid smoke of battle. Inhaling the
fragrance we regard human suffering with deeper
sympathy, and human destiny with livelier hope.
Neither long years of separation, nor the manifold
employments which tend to obliterate early feelings
by the presentation of new and engrossing objects
of interest, served to weaken at all the filial love
that formed perhaps the deepest and most earnest
element in the character of Nathaniel Lyon. On1
the contrary it grew deeper as experience taught
the priceless worth of maternal guidance and care.
And now the strong man who could walk unmoved
in the midst of carnage, is utterly overcome by the
intelligence that mortal decay-the common lot of
all-was taking away an aged parent whose work
was done and whose reward was at hand.
So soon as leave of absence was received, Captain
Lyon leaving everything behind, started for the far
distant home over which the Angel of Death was
hovering. Long and wearisome seemed the leagues
of the never-ending journey. But he was destined
never again on earth to behold the face of his mother. Already the silver cord was loosed, the golden
bowl broken. On the 31st of January, one week
after the news of her illness reached Fort Miller, her




198      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
spirit went to the God whom  she had long and
faithfully served.
Mrs. Lyon was a woman worthy to be the mother
of such a. son.  Hardly known out of the circle
of relatives and beyond the limits of the small
community in which she lived, her daily walk was
adorned with the virtues that make life happy
and death blessed. Many true heroines never figure
in novels, or dress in laces. They dwell in plain
houses and are busied with common duties. Tleir
experiences are simple, their enjoyments homely,
their charities noiseless. The current of life glides
on so quietly that few know of its existence. Yet
more heroic or noble hearts are not to be found in
the halls of fashion or the retinues of queens.
" Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear."
Gems none the less for lacking the lustre of polish
and the brilliant settings of wealth.
During the spring and summer of 1852, Capt.
Lyon spent much of the time in traveling. We do
not propose to follow him in his wanderings through
cities and states with which all are familiar. He
took great interest in the Presidential election, and
being a staunch democrat advocated enthusiastically
the election of General Pierce.
In the autumn he returned to California by way




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             199
of the Isthmus. On the Pacific steamer a mass
meeting of the passengers was held the evening of
November 1st to discuss the merits of the presidential candidates. Lyon having previously given his
opinions frequent airing, was now uproariously
called upon for a speech. Although more accuse
tollled to fighting Indians than haranguing popular
assemblages, he could not forego the privilege of
bearing testimony in behalf of the "good" cause.
Whether any converts were made to democracy by
the arguments or eloquence of the orator, the record
leaves us in doubt. The next day an election was
held on board, attended by as much ceremony and
excitement as if the ballot was to decide the contest
for the nation. As General Pierce received a majority of forty-seven out of two hundred and sixtynine votes, the friends of the candidate accepted the
omen.
The steamer reached California the 6th of November, Lyon repaired at first to Benicia, whither
his company had been ordered, to await its arrival;
expecting to spend an agreeable winter in the vicinity of a large and pleasant city. But settlers in the
interior being much exposed to Indian depredations,
importuned the commanding general for protection.
The former orders were therefore countermanded
and company D directed to remain at Fort Miller




200      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
for the winter. Lyon rejoined it at this post the
29th of November, after an absence of nearly ten
months.
Writing almost a year subsequently to his mother's death, he speaks thus:
" A sacred and most endeared link of our family
circle-the last that bound our affections to a common center-is now  broken.  Of our excellent
parents, the last survivor, our beloved mother, is no
more. The high toned purpose and unswerving
resolution to pursue the pathway of duty, must
needs yield to the conqueror of all. The example
of her unwavering confidence in, and patient submission to, the providences of the God she so deeply
loved and sincerely worshiped, is indeed lost to us,
while a greater joy, we trust, remains to her. No
more her deep earnest look of devoted love; no
more her tears of solicitude and sympathy. Even
in our loss we have much to cheer us-rich mnemories, affectionate precepts, bright examples of
parents, of which the noblest aims in life can alone
prove us worthy heirs."
Nearly three years before, the recurrence of the
season when the families of New England gather
around the parental hearth and board to enjoy the
"thanksgiving" festivities, having recalled as usual
the scenes of childhood, led him to speak of the




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             201
head of the circle.-" Our good father whose cheerful countenance diffused a tranquil joy, whose anecdotes enlivened all, whose counsels, replete with
wisdom, gave us an unerring guide, whose spotless
integrity and purity have left us a brighter legacy
than wealth can bestow. His death bereft us and
our good mother of his sweet association and companionship, the recollection of which will form the
richest gem of memory, bright and unfading through
the vicissitudes of life and the mutations of time."'
Capt. Lyon had left Fort lMiller for the East the
7th of the previous February. The two weeks preceding his departure were darkened by the deepest
sorrow. Every surrounding object became identified with the all-absorbing grief of the hour. Since
then the mourner had traveled far, mingling freely
with the world, and taking an active interest inl
public discussions and events. Now, on returning
to this post in the wilderness, familiar places and
things were all associated with the grief that had
here swept over him like a flood. The wounds of a
bruised heart bled afresh. The sternness of the
soldier was often lost in the tenderness of the child.
But much work was to be done to render the
quarters comfortable for the troops during the rainy
and inclement months of winter. Lyon habitually
exercised a kind of parental care for the soldiers
9*g




202      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
under him, never allowing them to suffer from any
cause that prudence could avert, or industry remedy.
In the expectation of speedy removal to other parts
of the State, the garrison at Fort Miller had taken
no unnecessary pains to improve the accommodations. In the next few weeks the hammer and
spade were busily plied from morning till night.
In the month of May, 1853, company D was ordered to Benicia. The officers were of course delighted
at the prospect of exchanging habitations in the
wilderness for the privileges and pleasures of a thriving city, yet turned regretfully from the gardens
which had been planted under their oversight, and
were now yielding a variety of productions "'marvelous" alike for size and quality.
After a few weeks of comparative leisure at Benicia, Capt. Lyon was employed for several months in
extremely laborious and fatiguing services. Indian
troubles in Oregon having recently broke out afresh,
company D was ordered thither to the assistance
of the settlers. When it reached Rogue river, the
theatre of hostilities, the difficulties were over. Thle
savages having secured the respect of the whites by
proving themselves formidable antagonists in fight,
accepted the terms of peace which the citizens who
had gathered for the prosecution of the war,.were
glad to offer. To the credit of the natives they




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             203
seemed disposed to observe the conditions of the
agreement. No cause of complaint occurred till
several turbulent Indians shot a white mail. The
other members of the tribe.expressed strong regret
for the infraction of the treaty, and evinced their
sincerity by delivering up the guilty parties.
In the month of October, urgent public business
required the presence of Capt. Lyon at Benicia.
Having temporarily established his company at the
post on Rogue river, he started on the journey.
The distance was about four hundred and fifty
miles, over nearly half of which the only way was a
rugged mule path.
Scarcely was this wearisome mission accomplished
when the command to which Lyon belonged was
unexpectedly ordered East. Having lived long amid
the discomforts and privations of the frontier, and
suffered many hardships in campaigns and journeyings through the almost trackless wilderness, he left
California without regrets.
The record of the next few months presents no
points of especial interest.  After visiting New
England, he spent the larger part of February and
March at Washington, while Congress and the
country were in a fever of excitement in consequence of the attempts of daring politicians to
overthrow the Missouri compromise. In March, he




204      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
repaired to St. Louis, expecting to pass the summer
at Jefferson Barracks, but was soon after ordered
to Fort Riley, a post in Kansas at the confluence of
the Smoky Hill and Republican forks, about one
hundred and twenty miles beyond the western border of Missouri. The whole region, till recently
obscure and unknown, had been brought into painful notoriety by the extraordinary interference of
Congress. Almost simultaneously witlh Capt. Lyon's
arrival at Fort Riley, commenced the series of dark
and bloody events which long imperiled the fate of
Kansas. The din of conflict on the distant frontier
soon resounded throughout the land, affecting the
patriot with sadness, disquietude, and ill-defined
apprehension that the struggle for supremacy between two rival and angry factions, born as it was
ill fraud and baptized in blood, might bring to the
innocent as well as guilty, a harvest of wide-spread
bitterness and woe.
Lyon, although from restraints of position a spectator rather than actor, took intense interest in the
contest, espousing with all the enthusiasm  of his
earnest and fiery soul the cause of the "' Free State"
party. Uncounted were his acts of personal sacrifice and noble generosity in aid of the pioneers who
had come from far distant homes to defend for
Freedom the possessions of which foul hands were




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               205
striving to despoil her. For the next few years the
question of Liberty or Slavery in the territory engrossed his thoughts, and offered a fruitful theme
for his pen.
It is not our purpose to enter at any length upon
the discussion of events concerning which so much
has been already written.  The times are too recent,
the prejudices of men too strong, and notwithstanding the multiplicity of matter, the sources of information partake too much of a partisan character,
to permit cotemporaries who have shared in the
fierce excitement, to view the brief history of Kansas dispassionately.  The conflict inaugurated in
1854, is undoubtedly destined to mark a new era in
our national development, and perhaps to affect
vitally the destiny of the continent.  The most
stupendous act of the drama to-day claims the attention of millions of anxious people, as the several parts are slowly unfolded.
By the compromise of 1820, all the territory of
the Louisiana purchase north of 36~ 30', was given
forever to Freedom.  For the next thirty years the
country enjoyed a tolerable degree of exemption
from slavery-agitation, till the controversy growing
out of the organization of California aroused another tempest of excitement which was seemingly
lulled by a second compromise. California gained




206      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
admission as a free state, a large district of New
Mexico hitherto exempt from slavery was annexed
to Texas, and the remainder of the Mexican conquest subjected to a territorial government, with
the stipulation that the future states to be carved
from it should be allowed to determine the character of their domestic institutions without Congressional interference.  A calm, brief and delusive,
ensued. Permanent peace between two antagonistic systems, the one struggling savagely to maintain
an impossible equilibrium, and the other sweeping
onward into new regions by virtue of its own inherent and irresistible strength, was out of the question. Each side enlisted the talents of able and
determined supporters; each was backed by an immense reserve of resources. The territories from
time to time thrown open for settlement by the demands of emigration and trade, and offering rich
prizes to be won or lost, unlocked the fountains of
strife.
The slave-interest, though representing a minority of the people, had for many years exercised
preponderant influence upon the policy of the government. Meanwhile the greater vitality of free
institutions was noiselessly increasing the disparity
of the two sections in population, wealth, and all
the elements of national power, to a degree that




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             20T
alarmed the dominant class. The time was approaching when the South must either relinquish
her lordly rule and be content to hold the balance
of power between the rival parties of the North, or
put everything at stake for the maintenance of the
supremacy which had been enjoyed so long that it
was now claimed as a right. Political leaders chose
the latter alternative. Laws of commerce and nature beyond the control of legislative enactments,
warned them in vain of the impolicy and hopelessness of the scheme.
The compromise of 1820, which for more than
thirty years had been viewed by the good men of
all sections as an inviolable compact, formed the
first obstacle to the consummation of the plot. With
what disregard of good faith it was overthrown,
after the consideration had been paid and appropriated, is still painfully fresh in the memory of the
people. Many, however, contended and no doubt
from honest convictions, that the prohibition was
unconstitutional, and its repeal but an act of tardy
justice.
The bitter controversy was now transferred from
the Halls of Congress to the soil of Kansas. Large
numbers at the North, incensed at what they considered the wanton violation of a national compact,
and large numbers at the South, allured by the




208      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON,
prospect of securing extensive and unexpected
acquisitions, at once began the strife for ascendency in the Territory. Under such circumstances
its settlement could not fail to be forced and
unnatural.  The greater capacity of the free States
for supplying emigrants to occupy the land, was
counterbalanced by the proximity of Missouri to
the  scene of contention:, and the facility with
which hordes of resolute men could be thrown
across the border, either to become legitimate citizens, or to exercise a temporary and, as they hoped,
decisive control over the destinies of the future
State, by violent and illegal interference at the polls.
On botlh sides public meetings were held, societies organized, resolutions adopted, and artificial
means contrived for the furtherance of their respective ends.
In November, 1854, an election was held for a
delegate to Congress, and in the following March for
the members of the first Territorial Legislature.
On these and several subsequent occasions, the secret societies of Missouri sent bands of armed
adventurers to the different precincts, who seized
upon the ballot boxes, appointed new judges where
those previously designated by the Governor refused
to surrender themselves pliant tools to carry out the
purposes of the invaders; overawed the actual set



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              209
tiers by numbers, threats, and the profuse display
of weapons, which they were ready to use with
deadly effect on the slightest pretext; and having
deposited thousands of votes without a shadow of
right, returned  to  Missouri.  The Legislature,
elected by non-resident partisans for the citizens of
Kansas, convened in July, 1855, and having on various pretences purged itself of all obnoxious members, proceeded to enact a code of laws that bore
with oppressive and unparalleled tyranny upon the
free state inhabitants.  Among other equally sanguinary statutes, it was made felony to maintain,
by speaking or writing, that persons had not the
right to hold slaves in the. territory, or to print,
circulate, or introduce any paper or pamphlet containing any denial of the right, and the offender
was subjected to imprisonment at hard labor for
not less than two years. Such are specimens of the
bold and unscrupulous measures adopted to carry
slavery into Kansas.  Witnessing the monstrous
efforts put forth to consummate a monstrous fraud,
Lyon felt the bitter indignation which these glaring
wrongs were fitted to awaken in an honest heart.
A little previous to the election of March, 1855, he
writes: "The election of members of a Territorial
Legislature is about to be held, and as this body will
have power either to introduce or prohibit slavery,




210       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
the election is important. The outrage committed
last fall by Missourians in coming into the Territory,
forcibly taking possession of the polls, keeping out
free state men, and pushing In votes for a proslavery candidate for Congressional delegate, is
again threatened. The project, if successful, will
give some appearance of pro-slavery strength in
Kansas. But I feel qualified to say that in not a
single district are a majority of citizens in favor of
slavery. Some preparations are in progress to resist the arrogant and insolent imposition of Missourians. Whether they will prove effective may be
seen in the result.  Indeed, it is fully apprehended
that the aggressions of pro-slavery men will not be
checked, till a lesson has been taught them in letters of fire and blood."
Again, a few days after this election —" The Missourians, anticipating resistance, came to the different points where their presence was most needed
for the accomplishlment of their purposes, in such
numbers as to render effective resistance impossible,
though I regret and am astonished that it was not
resolutely attempted.  Into our district for the
Assembly they did not come, and we had no difficulty in electing our " free state" manll; but at a
distant point in our Council district, (Marysville,)
they cast a vote of three hundred and twenty-eight,




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             211
where there are not, it is said, over twenty-four
legal voters. Thus was overwhelmed the majorities
given everywhere else in the district for the free
state party. The number of voters imported from
Missouri to the different parts of the Territory is not yet known, but probably between five
and ten  thousand.*  If the one hundred and
twenty thousand militia which she has shall finally
come to domineer over the people here, I suppose
we must congratulate ourselves upon this display
of military force, as evidence of a national greatness which should awaken the pride and inspire the
hopes of every lover of our glorious Union."
During the summer of 1855, a strong force,
under Gen. Harney, proceeded against the Sioux
Indians, who had been guilty of the massacre of
Lieut. Grattan and party, as well as other outrages.
Lyon's company was ordered to Fort Pierre, a post
on the Missouri river about six hundred miles above
Fort Leavenworth, whence they expected either to
join or cooperate with the main expedition. The
command left Fort Leavenworth the middle of June,
occupying the residue of the month in the passage
up the river. On the way an enemy infinitely more
dreaded than the savage, attacked the troops. For
a time the cholera raged fearfully. As the men of
his company were stricken down by the disease,
* "4908." Report of Investigating Committee.




212       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
they sent for Lyon in preference to the physician.
Affiong other attainments, he had acquired an extensive theoretical and practical knowledge of
Medicine. Always attentive to the wants and comforts of his men, he was now busy night and day at
the side of the sick.  They had unlimited confidence in his skill, believing that if human instrumentalities could save them, they were safe in his
hands. His treatment of the disease was highly
successful, for not a man died on his boat, while
most of the others lost several, and one as many as
ten.  Having ascertained that where the cramps
were checked at the outset, the patient was rescued
from danger, he caused the limbs to be energetically
rubbed by the attendants. Friction upon the palm
of the hand and sole of the foot was found to be
most efficacious. Where at least three strong men
gave their attention in this way to a single sufferer,
the force of the disease was generally broken in
about two hours.
Fort Pierre, the destination of the company, was
located in a desert of sand amid the debris of the
drift period, and presented neither attractions nor
comforts. The sterile earth produced neither wood,
nor grass, nor vegetable. Pure air and good water
were the only gifts of nature to the dwellers in this
barren region.




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             213
The pressure of other duties did not permit the
company to join the forces of Gen. Harney in the
successful campaign against the Sioux. -Early in
the autumn, Lyon was summoned to Fort Leavenworth as a witness in the court-martial of Col.
Montgomery. While this officer was in command
at Fort Riley, Gov. Reeder selected the town of
Pawnee as the capital of the Territory, and convened there the first legislative assembly of Kansas.
Being anxious to secure a residence for himself
near the future city, the Governor tried to purchase
of the families in the neighborhood, who obstinately
refused either to sell or to remove. Col. Montgomery
thereupon extended the Reserve for Fort Riley so
as to embrace the land in question within its limits,
and forced the occupants to leave. For this transaction, and for authorizing the town-site to be established on the grounds of the Government, he was
brought to trial.
Lyon writes in Deceinber, 1855:
"I have seen so much of the overbearing domination of the pro-slavery people in Kansas towards
the free state men, that I am persuaded the latter
have either to fight in self-defense, or submit ignobly to the demands of their aggressors. This conduct, backed as it has been in some measure by the
present administration, ought to be effectually rebuked by the indignation of the North."'




214      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
"The Missourians have been able to impose legis.
lation and officers upon the people of Kansas, but
find them rather unruly subjects, and are anxious
to have the Government enforce their mandates.
This I doubt if even President Pierce is reckless
enough to attempt. If he does, it will ofily bring
on the sectional strife more promptly, and if that
must come-which the continued arrogance of the
pro-slavery power will render inevitable-I am quite
willing to see it now and do my share in the issue.
I despair of living peaceably with our southern bretlhren without constantly making disgraceful concessions. But rest assured this will not always be, and
in this view I foresee (or think I do) ultimate sectional strife which I do not care to delay.-Though
to a superficial observer there may appear to be some
fault on the part of the Lawrence people, I am well
persuaded they are placed in their present attitude
through the unavoidable necessities of self-defense,
against unwavering and malignant persecution
which seeks to drive by violence and outrage the
free state citizens from the country."
Again writing in August, 1856, in reference to
the employment of the army in Kansas, he says:
"Neither section of the country will be satisfied
with the conduct of the army, and its employment
under such circumstances is diametrically opposed




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              215
to the spirit of our institutions. The move will
only cause mischief, as I fear, in the end, and bring
it into disfavor with the people. For should the
free state party in Kansas succeed, they will have
no love for it on account of its subserviency to the
pro-slavery schemes of the heartless villain, (Jefferson Davis, Secretary of War,) who for nearly four
years past has had control of it. Should the other
side succeed they will curse the army for not allowing the hordes of Border Ruffians to kill as many
of the free state. men as they wanted to. In this
latter view the free state men, or as they are usually
termed, Abolitionists, by which are meant all opposed to the introduction of slavery into Kansas, ought
to be thankful to the army for protection from the
ravages which their wanton cowardice would otherwise have exposed them to."
Again,' A portion of the army has been employed in the
troubles of Kansas, and in consequence of the craven
fear of Northern men in abandoning their homes and
helpless families to the merciless outrages of the inexorable assassins, has done some good in restraining the barbarities which a proper manhood on the
part of the friends of freedom should have met and
prevented."
These strictures on the so called " cowardice" and




t216 H   GEN. NATHANIEL LYON..
" imbecility " of the free state settlers, are suggestive
when read by the light of subsequent events. The
great body of Northern emigrants who had gone
thither with their families and possessions, relied
on the quiet power of the ballot-box for shaping the
destinies of the State. Unfamiliar with violence
either in language or manners, instinctively obedient to law, and imperceptibly taught in a thousand
ways to abhor as murder the taking of human life,
unless demanded as a punishment, for the gravest
crimes, or in self-defense, they were now thrown
without intermediate preparation into the midst of
savage disorder and strife. If at first they unresistingly suffered their homes to be pillaged by gangs
of marauders, and hesitated to retaliate the indignities of wanton ruffians, we must not too hastily infer
their deficiency in spirit or in courage. The adjustment of difficulties by the free use of deadly weapons, was a custom too strange and shocking to meet
with ready acceptance. A blow for a word and a
stab for a blow were precepts of a new code.
Could it be expected that men thus trained would
fall at once into the habits of their antagonists?
Desperadoes from the West and South-west flocked
into Kansas with the determination to introduce
slavery as a permanent institution. Accustomed in
frontier life to bloody broils, they were prepared to




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              217
resort at once to the extremest measures. "Gentlemen" of the bowie knife looked with contempt
upon slow decisions through the ballot-box. Braggartism and bullying, the pistol and the dirk, were
instrumentalities better suited to the genius of their
institutions. It is the glory of free society that its
champions in this contest, learned to use the weapons of its adversaries, only after all other means had
failed, and bitter experience taught the necessity.
Recklessness of life is no proof of courage. The
muscular exertion required to discharge a rifle at a
fellow-mortal, is easy. The only difficulty lies in
the conscience and the will. If the absence of all
scruples is the test of heroism, the most hardened
of assassins must be considered the greatest of
heroes. When at length the Northern emigrants
came to realize that the coals of fire recommended
by Solomon, made no impression upon the heads of
their enemies, and that patient forbearance instead
of conciliating good will, encouraged the commission of more daring enormities, they, too, reluctantly
learned to meet violence with violence. Old scores
were often settled with interest. And in the late
battle at Wilson's Creek, the Kansas troops, made up
in part of the men who at the outbreak of troubles
in the territory, bore insults without reply and injuries without revenge, fought with the most obstinate
10




218     GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
valor. So long as homicide was tantamount to
murder they scrupulously avoided bloodshed. But
none were more prodigal of blood when war made
homicide legal and right.




CHAPTER IX.
DURING the summer of 1856, Capt. Lyon seriously
debated the question of resigning his commission in
the army. If ordered into Kansas to aid in enforcing.
the laws enacted by the pro-slavery legislature which
owed its election to non-resident voters, he determined to abandon the service to which lhe had devo.
ted the flower of life. In regard to the troubles of
Kansas, aild the intervention of the administration,
he took strong and perhaps extravagant grounds.
A man of earnest and enthusiastic temperament,
can hardly act in stirring scenes without adopting
a partisan view, and giving all his sympathies to
one side. Lyon considered the course of the general government selfish, partial and corrupt. IIe
could never submit to the self-debasement and
humiliation of being employed a as a tool in the hands
of evil rulers for the accomplishment of evil ends.




220      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
Fortunately the painful alternative was not presented. He was sent to the territory of Nebraska where
no unconscientious services were imposed upon the
army.
Lyon was occupied during the month of July,
1856, with the court martial of Major Howe, second
dragoons, of which he was Judge Advocate.
Soon afterwards he repaired to Fort Lookout, on
the Missouri river, one hundred and twenty miles
by water below Fort Pierre, and two hundred miles
above Sioux City, the nearest settlement.  The post
was just established with a view to restrain the I1dians from committing depredations upon the whites,
and also to preserve order among them. All the
buildings were erected after the first of August,
1856. On the approach of cold weather, (and in
that latitude the winters are long and severe,) the
whole garrison were furnished with comfortable
quarters. Lyon himself has a house " forty-five feet
in length by fifteen in breadth, divided into three
rooms, each fifteen feet square.  One is intended
for a parlor and sitting-room, one for a bed-room,
and the other for a diling-room."  To this he built
an addition twenty-four feet by twelve, as a kitchen
and for the use of servants. Between the parlor
and central room was a chimney with a capacious
fire-place opening into each.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             221
Lyon draws a picture of himself on the night of
Christmas, seated, as usual, before the blazing
hearth. The hours are spent in reading, writing,
and many of them without book or pen, in pursu,
ing the reveries and meditations suggested by the
circles of flame. On a winter's evening, as the
winds moan in the tree-tops and howl around the
house-corners, the old fashioned fire-place has an
irresistible charm for the soldier on the lonely frontier. Its generous warmth kindles the kindliest
sympathies. Bright wreaths darting up the chimney to vanish in darkness, offer an emblem of youth
and age, and teach weighty lessons of wisdom and
philosophy.
But even on Christmas night, pleasant reveries
must give place to gloomy forebodings for the country. Even then Lyon saw on the western horizon,
the gathering clouds which were destined soon to
overspread the land with the deluge of civil war.
He was convinced that the border strife in Kansas
contained the germs of a conflict that would speedily
convulse the nation from center to circumference.
The disposition of the North was characterized by
forbearance. But the time was approaching when
her people must choose between abject humiliation
and bold resistance to pro-slavery aggressions. The
ambition of the radical southern party was insatiate.




222      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
It affected contempt for free society, often giving
expression to its pretensions in a way that served
both to wound and to exasperate. Its strength consisted mainly in the singleness of its purpose.
Never was a party more united, never did a body
of men move more in obedience to one will and
impulse.  At home, state pride had supplanted
patriotism. Sentiments of regard for the common
welfare and the common honor, were contemptuously rebuked as treasonable to the South. The
currents of popular feeling were diverted into
exclusively local channels. In a policy thus developed, retrogressive steps are impossible. Individuals may shape their course according to the exigences of interest or safety. No one of common
sense will butt obstinately against the inevitable
and irresistible.  But communities composed of
bold, united and determined men, on surrendering
to the fascination of an all-engrossing passion,
acquire the terrible momentum of the avalanche.
That will move onward despite of obstacles, though
in the final crash it be shivered into a thousand
fragments.
Slavery propagandists were making a desperate
attempt to secure the soil of Kansas. Success was
possible either through their own superhuman exertions, or the supineness of their antagonists.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             223
Whatever might be the issue in this particular case,
no permanent deliverance from agitation could
come of it. The hope of maintaining political supremacy originated the policy of the fire-eaters.
Born to rule, according to the fundamental axiom
of their creed, they scrupled at no means to retain
the departing scepter. But at every feast appeared
the mysterious handwriting upon the wall. The
quiet arbitrament of time was encircling the throne
of the slave-power with legions of hardy freemen.
The disproportionate increase of population at the
North, must in the end prove fatal to all schemes
for the preservation of equality. Yet this truth, so
certain and so obvious, was insufficient to teach
submission to inexorable laws. Pride would not
allow, passion would not suffer it. Both pride and
passion were groundless, but both had been artfully stimulated to the point of madness.  The
North then must yield everything to a minority,
contemptible in point of numbers, or a crash was
unavoidable.
In the month of March, 1857, duty called Capt.
Lyon to Sioux City, two hundred miles distant from
Fort Lookout. It was the worst season of the year
to travel.  The snow, thawing under the warm
rays of thle sun, became too soft to support man or
beast on its crust, and was at the same time so deep




224      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
as to offer the most serious impediment to progress.
No one accompanied him on the long, lonely, and
dangerous journey. Twice, as night set in, he
found his animals imprisoned in the almost impassable heaps of snow that obstructed the path. The
beasts were entirely exhausted from the exertions
of the day, and no one was near to render assistance. On the first of these occasions, he did not
attempt to seek shelter, but slept with the canopy
of heaven for a covering, and the drifts for a bed.
The next morning the crust was frozen sufficiently
hard to bear. The second night he left the animals
behind, traveling till nearly daybreak in order to
find a settlement.  Obtaining aid, he returned to
their relief. In this slow and toilsome manner the
journey was accomplished. He says, April 7th,
": I suffered very much, but was lucky in not having been overtaken by one of our terrible northwest winds which are so destructive to man and
beast on these plains. We have had a very severe
specimen since my return."
" Our snow is mostly gone and has raised the
river very high, but there is still a fierce struggle
between the winter and spring. We have scarcely
had a comfortably warm day, and many deep banks
of snow yet remain. I am, as I have been for the
past winter, quite comfortable at my home, and




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON              225
have enjoyed it much in resting from the fatigues
of my late trip."
Late in May, the garrison at Fort Lookout was
ordered to Fort Randall, about seventy miles below.
Having obtained leave of absence, Capt. Lyon
started for the East, June 23d. It was his last visit
to the friends and scenes of early life.
As usual, Lyon spent a considerable portion of
his time at the residence of his cousin, Capt. Miner
Knowlton, U. S. A. Capt. Knowlton was Assistant
Professor at West Point while Lyon was a cadet,
and had great influence in moulding his character
and opinions. The student looked to his relative
as an elder brother, yielding ready obedience to his
advice, and reposing unlimited confidence in his
judgment. In after life Lyon keenly appreciated
the worth of the counsels and instructions of the
Mentor of his youth.
Owing to severe and protracted mental exertion
while on duty at West Point, Capt. Knowlton was
attacked by disease which for several years has disabled him to engage in active service. Hoping to
be benefited by travel, he visited Europe, and was
for some time attached to the staff of Marshal Bugeaud, commander of the French army in Algeria,
Africa. On the outbreak of the Mexican war, he
joined the forces of Gen. Taylor at Corpus Christi,
10*




226      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
having meanwhile, to all appearance, recovered his
health completely.  A dangerous attack of camp
fever now brought a recurrence of the former
trouble. The nature of the malady doomed him to
inaction during the brilliant campaigns which ensued, although burning with ambition to aid in
fighting the battles of the Country. By the advice
of physicians, he returned to the North. Expecting to live but a short time, he repaired to the quiet
village of Burlington, N. J., where he has since
resided. Whenever Lyon obtained a furlough, he
always spent a part of the time at the home of
Capt. Knowlton, enjoying the interviews with intense satisfaction.
On the expiration of his leave of. absence, Capt.
Lyon returned to St. Louis, arriving there the 28th
of December.
During the next year or two he was quietly engaged in the duties of his calling at different posts,
where there were few opportunities for the exhibition of brilliant or daring qualities. A large part
of the soldier's life is spent in waiting. In other
pursuits the diligent daily realize the rewards of industry..The skill and sagacity acquired by experience are brought into constant requisition. But a
score of years may elapse before the army-officer
finds an occasion for the display of the attainments




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             227
which he has made during the intervals of peace.
Then a day or an hour may give him immortality,
rendering his name forever a part of his country's
history.
Lyon passed the winter at Jefferson Barracks
near St. Louis. The next August he was trans,
ferred to Fort Randall, Nebraska Territory, where
he remained till the 12th of July, 1859. He then
started in command of an expedition for tile camp
on "Prairie Dog Creek," Kansas. This stream, so
named from  the great numbers of little ground
squirrels called the "Prairie Dogo" that live upon
its banks, is one of the southern tributaries of the
Republican Fork. An encampment had been established near the point where the road to Pike's Peak
from Leavenworth and other towns in Eastern Kansas, crosses the creek, in order to protect people
going to the mines, from the Indians. From Fort
Randall the expedition marched almost directly
south to Fort Kearney, one hundred and eighty
miles distant, arriving there the 24th of July. The
country was broken up into hills and valleys corresponding to the course of the streams. The route was
not difficult when the numerous rivers and creeks
were so low as to be fordable, which was the case at
this time. Thle weather was excessively hot. Several oxen died on the way from heat and exhaustion.




228"     GEN. N.ATHANIEL LYO'N.
Leaving Fort Kearney July 28th, the company
proceeded in a south-westerly direction with the
view of striking the Republican Fork a little above
its junction with Prairie Dog Creek. The mouth
of the creek, however, proved to be nearly fifteen
miles further west, than indicated on the map.
Two clays were lost in the discovery and correction
of the mistake. The expedition reached the camp
on the 3d of August. Capt. Walker, first cavalry,
with his company, were at the post guarding the
supplies sent out for the use of Lyon's command.
Five days later Capt. Walker left for the camp cn
Arkansas river.
On the 11th of August, Lyon, with a small party,
set out to explore a new route to Fort Kearney, by
which the surplus stores might be forwarded on the
breaking up of the encampment. Five days were
occupied in the survey which proved highly satisfactory and useful.
The troops were ordered to Prairie Dog Creek for
the protection of emigrants to the mines. But for
many months not a solitary traveler had passed
along the road. Indians, too, were as scarce as
whites. Only one small party were seen while the
command remained there, and these were met by a
detachment of troops returning fronm Fort Kearney.
Immense herds of Buffaloes roamled through the




GEN. NATH-IANIEL LYON.             229
neighboring country.  Lyon estimated the number
seen in a single day, while on the march from Fort
Randall, at one hundred thousand.  "The air was
filled with a constant din of the lowing of the bulls."
The garrison left the camp September 15th, marching to Fort Riley, a distance of two hundred miles,
in ten days.  This is the same post to which he was
ordered five years before on returning from California. Meanwhile, many changes had occurred, and
great improvements had been made. But the highest source of satisfaction, lie writes soon after,
" Is the subsidence of political animosity, the return of peace and tranquillity, and that too with the
ascendency of free state principles."'1 A handsome
rebuke has in the interval been given to pro-slavery
arrogance, though at a painful sacrifice of valuable
life in martyrdom to the cause. Some of the effects
of the strife are seen in the late fanaticism of poor
old Osawattoinie Brown in his attempts at Harper's
Ferry to initiate a revolution to free the slaves of the
South. The simpleton deserved his fate, though
sympathy is natural, for so earnest, sincere and
brave a character.  The people of the South make
fools of themselves about the matter, as they always
do on the subject of slavery. This affair will probably assume other slapes in course of time."
He gives the following account of a journey per



230      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
formed in October.'"Col. Brooks, Maj. Wessells
and myself, as members of a General Court, start
on the 10th, with Lt. Griffin as Judge Advocate, for
Fort Kearney, where the Court-Martial is to be held
on the 17th, for the trial of Capts. Clarke and Hazzard, fourth artillery, Dr. Stone, medical department, and some ten soldiers, —Court proceeded
with dispatch and closed on the 28th. We were
handsomely entertained by the officers at the post,
and stopped with those of our regiment. Left on
the 29th, and reached Fort Riley on the 2d Nov.distance about one hundred and sixty miles-road
good."
In the March following he attended another CourtMartial at Fort Leavenworth which passed off in a
manner equally pleasant and satisfactory.  The
officers stationed at Fort Riley during the winter,
with their families, constituted a numerous and
quite brilliant society. Social gatherings were frequent, and characterized by great kindness and cordiality of feeling.
On the 15th of May, Maj. Sedgwick, with a strong
body of troops, started from Fort Riley for a summer
campaign against the Indians.  Capt. Lyon was left
in command of the post, which position he held till
the arrival of Maj. Wessells, the 12th of the following November.




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             231
During the summer and autumn, lie wrote a
series of political articles, strongly advocating the
election of Mr. Lincoln, which were printed in the
"Western Kansas Express," a newspaper of Manlhattan. T.hese have recently been republished in
New York.
November 28th, Maj. Wessells with two companies
of cavalry and two of infantry, (including Capt.
Lyon's,) left Fort Riley for Fort Scott in SouthEastern Kansas.  Numerous atrocities had been
lately committed in that vicinity by lawless gangs
of marauders. So formidable was the organization
that the War Department deemed it necessary to
employ a strong military force to put a stop to their
operations. The detachmllent reached Mound City,
twenty-five miles north of Fort Scott, December 5th.
They found affairs in a bad and unsettled state.
Men had been hung by the mob not only for offenses
long past, but also on mere suspicion.  Several unl
successful attempts were made by the sheriff to
arrest Capt. Montgomery, the head man among the
desperadoes. Lyon gives an interesting account of
an interview he sooll after had with Montgomery.
On the 25th of December he was conducted to
the house of a Mr. Smith, where he met this notorious chief.
" I found Capt. Montgomery much such a man as




232      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
I expected. He has dark complexion, black and
thick hair, heavy black beard and mustache, large
moutlh, thin features, and pale countenance, with a
dark hazel and small eye. He has a nervous temperament, and a head not large but Well proportioned,-is tall but thin in person and sinewy. He
is a man of great earnestness of purpose, of quick
apprehlension, and great executive ability. Is much
a disciple of the higher law doctrines, and feels his
convictions of justice and duty to be his guide,
rather than the requirements, of law or the constitution.  Hie seems conscientiously and absorbingly devoted to what he feels to be his duty, and his
conduct is regulated more by what he conceives his
obligations to society, than by sentiments of revenge.
His capacity is due rather to activity and energy
of mind, than originality and comprehensiveness.
He is more fanatical than reasonable.
"He soon set to work to justify his conduct by
the provocations to which he and the community
had been subjected.  It was observable that he
generally referred to the outrages as upon the community rather than upon himself. At first he spoke
slowly, not so much through caution as an apparent
aversion to repeat the oft-told story of his griefs,
and an apprehension that lie might not have the
symlpathy of hIis listener. He soon became earnest




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             233
and warm. A red glow tinged his cheeks as he
went through a long and minute detail of petty
annoyances and brutal outrages to which the free
state people in Kansas had been subject, showing as
a corollary the consequent necessity of the measures
which he and his friends had adopted.
"H Ie said he was willing to give himself up to be
dealt with before the proper county courts, but was
unwilling to be dragged to Fort Scott before Judge
Williams, sitting in cases of offenses against the
United States, wherein such power is given to the
United States Marshal that he can sumnmon jurors
who would not do justice. Rather than do this, lihe
would either keep away so as to avoid arrest, or
would resist arrest at the sacrifice of life, if necessary.
" Dr. Jennison came in early at this interview,
and remained and joined in much of the conversatioll."
On returning, Capt. Lyoi found orders from Department Head-quarters, directing him  to go to
Kansas City with his company, in order to escort
funds from that town to the Indian Agency at the
Osage river. The 22d of December he went to Fort
Scott to make preparations for the journey, returning the next day to Mound City. On the 24th the
company started, reaching its destination the 28th.




234      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
Having taken charge of the annuities, they returned
to Miami village, an Illdian settlement near the
southern border of Lykins County. Here the funds
were paid to the natives, and the company having
accomplished its mission, marched to Fort Scott,
where they arrived January 7th, 1861. The trip to
Kansas City was made in very cold weather and
over the snow. The men suffered much from the
severity of the weather.
Fort Scott was originally a post for government
troops, but in the spring of 1857, was sold and
evacuated. The purchasers were strong pro-slavery
men, and on gaining possession put an end to the
tranquillity of the neighborhood. On both sides the
leaders were extreme and desperate men. Rows,
riots, fights and murders followed. Capt. Montgomery's force captured the town several times. In
consequence of such disturbances, troops were
again ordered thither. Early in January the dragoons were withdrawn, and Lyon's company was
left alone to maintain order in this notoriously turbulent district. The people were surly, evidently
disliking the new commander as " unsound " on the
slavery issue.
We return a little in our narrative to give extracts
from the correspondence of Capt. Lyon during the
earlier stages of the secession excitement.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              235
Writing November 1ith, 1860, he says in regard
to the possible action of South Carolina and her
confederates,'" There are periods when the dictates of reason
and humanity are so totally disregarded in the pursuits of ambition or of pleasure, that nothing but
the bitter fruits of folly can bring back their devotees to moderation. Such is now the state of the
South, which seems bent upon a fatuous course that
in its ultimate disaster and disgrace will teach her
people the fatal folly of their presumption. It is a
perfectly safe rule, and one which has been of service to me in my prognostications of the future, that
whoever or whatever people or party set about an
unworthy or unjust purpose, must sooner or later
fail, and receive the disgrace due to their corrupt
motives."
January 27th, 1861, he writes from Fort Scott," I do not consider troops necessary at all here, and
should much prefer to be employed in the legitimate and appropriate service of contributing to stay
the idiotic, fratricidal hands now at work to destroy our Government. I have seen Montgomery
and Jennison. They say it is not the purpose of
their party to commit further violence unless provoked to. They readily acknowledge the hanging
of Scott and Hynes, and the shooting of two others,




236      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
but insist upon the justice of their conduct, and
assert a readiness to be tried before the county
courts.
"This seems to be a period when the lights of
experience, the plain meaning of words, and the
dictates of humanity must be ignored to subserve
partisan aggrandizement.
"It is no longer useful to appeal. to reason but to
the sword, and trifle no longer in senseless wrangling. I shall not hesitate to rejoice at the triumph
of my principles, though this triumph may involve
an issue in which I certainly expect to expose and
very likely lose my life. I would a thousand times
rather incur this, than recall the result of our Presidential election. We shall rejoice, though in martyrdom, if need be."
Capt. Lyon received orders January 31st, to go to
St. Louis. Starting the next day, he reached that
city the 7th of February and took quarters at the
Arsenal. On arriving at tile post, he asserted his
right of command, as officer of highest rank in the
line, against Brevet Maj. Hagner, of the Ordnance
IDepartment, who claimed it by virtue of his Brevet
rank. The matter was referred to Washington and
decided in favor of Maj. iHagner. Lyon writes February 14th:
"I should care nothing for the decision against




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              237
me, as I have told Maj. Hagner, if he would take
proper precautions for defense. The place is in
imminent danger of attack, and the Governor of
Missouri will no doubt demand its surrender if the
State should pass an ordinance of secession. The
prospect is gloomy and forebodes an unnecessary
sacrifice of life in case of hostile demonstrations.
Yet I do not despair of an effective defense, and
hope to administer a lasting rebuke to the traitors
who have thus far had their own way."
During the winter, Lyon regarded with the utmost
impatience the supineness of President Buchanan.
So clear to his own mind was the path of duty and
expediency, that irresolution in crushing rebellion
while yet in the germ, seemed to ensue from premeditated treachery. He believed that wholesome
severity at the outset would throttle in the cradle
an infant which might grow in a few months to the
stature and strength of a giant. At the South hundreds of thousands were devotedly attached to the
Union. Large numbers, destitute of fixed principles, were ready to topple either way according to
the prospects of the secession scheme. A minority
only were radical and determined disruptionists.
Yet the Government permitted these men to work
unmolested while sapping the foundations, and
)lnllting in open day the mines which they confi



238      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
dently hoped would blow the noble structure to
atoms. Meanwhile all classes at the South were
becoming familiarized with the idea of secession.
Ingenious sophisms were invented to settle the
qualms of the conscientious.  Mischievous men.
toiled with the mad energy of fiends to spread the
belief that war upon the flag symbolizing all the past
glories of the nation, was a holy war, undertaken in
defense of wives and children, homes and property.
The leniency of the United States Authorities, instead of shaming the fanatical, emboldened the timorous. Hitherto treason had seemed a crime of the
deepest enormity, not to be compared with ordinary
murders, but with the cold-blooded assassination of
a parent. Now each one put to himself the question, can that be criminal at all which is treated so
delicately, and handled so gently.
Blusterers met in secret conclave for mutual encouragement and deliberation. Brag and threats,
the two weapons hitherto used with greatest success
in dealings with the peace-loving North, poured in
torrents from the mouths of southern orators, and
through the columns of the southern press. Yet,
notwithstanding the encouragement to be drawn.
from precedents, they were entering upon an untried path which migrht lead to the platform of a
scaffold. Neiliher gasconade nor sophistry could




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             239
dispel the vision of halters and retribution. During
the interval of southern hesitation, the Government
was forbearing, and her mercy was imputed to impotence. Reluctance to strike wayward children
in self-defense, was mocked as helpless dotage.
Owing to the prevalence of such sentiments, the
era of timidity passed rapidly away. Consciousness of escaping deserved punishment, gave the
courage to venture further and hazard more. And
now the indulgence of the loyal States was employed with telling effect to consummate the ruthless work. Wrongs unpunished, insults unavenged,
robbery of the common property tamely tolerated,
were produced as the most conclusive proofs that
the craven, mercenary people of the North were
unworthy to be associated under the same government with the bolder and more chivalric sons of
the south.
Again, a portion of the mercantile class in the
principal cities from Charleston to New Orleans,
looked with bewilderment and envy upon the prosperity of the commercial emporiums of the North.
In the imagination of southern financiers one doctrine loomed up in magnificent and overshadowing
proportions. King Cotton had built the palaces of
Fifth Avenue, and lined the vaults of Wall street.
King Cotton was the mysterious, omnipresent, om



240      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
nipotent potentate that kept in motion the factory
spindles of two continents, and clothed the world.
All seas were whitened by the canvass that carried
his costly bales. Yet, although so prodigal of benefits, King Cotton was the most badly used of monarchs. His servants toiled hard upon the malarial
fields and beneath the burning sun of Carolina and
Mississippi, only to enrich the homles of aliens.
Starting with the twin propositions that the North
was wealthy and cotton the cause, this class sagely
inferred that the Union was an implement of extortion and robbery. Let it be broken up, and the
golden streams of wealth would at once seek their
natural channels. Cities would spring up on the
southern coast surpassing all others on the continent in power and grandeur. Anarchy, inevitable
in the' rump " of the United States when ordinances
of secession had dissevered the balance wheel, would
drive capital away from its haunts in old cities to
find security of investment in the new.
Extravagant fancies like these met with wide
acceptance as truths. The pacific policy of the
national Government precluded the fear of molestation. As a consequence men of wealth, generally
so apprehensive of revolution, lent a bold hand to
the consummation of this one. Had they beeni
taught by the administration that the bonds of




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             241
Union were too sacred to be rent asunder save at
such cost of blood and treasure as would leave the
land a desolation, they would not have countenanced
the project for a moment.
After the inauguration of President Lincoln, and
during the gloomy interval when it was thought to
be his purpose to give up Fort Sumpter without an
effort for the relief of its heroic defenders, Capt.
Lyon expresses painful apprehensions for the future.
Mr. Buchanan's policy had seemed the worst possible. Through his negligence, complications easily
met at first, had grown to formidable proportions.
And now after a month of patient waiting, Lyon
fears that President Lincoln lacks the resolution to
grapple with treason and put it down forever. He
says:
" My hope all along has been in Mr. Lincoln, and
in his ability and purpose to give such a manifestation of authority and power to our government, as
to inspire every patriot with hope and courage, and
every traitor with dread and apprehension. But I
begin already to fear he is not the man for the hour,
and that our political triumph has been vain. If
matters go on we shall soon have a formidable array
of hostile troops upon us. When this comes it will,
I trust, arouse the supine and timid North to a patriotic resolution which shall, in spite of executive
11




242      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
tamperings, do something to retrieve her present
degradation.
"' If AMr. Lincoln does one tithe of his duty, as lihe
has promised, we must have hostilities with the
South. One of the parties must back down to avoid
them. The purpose of withdrawing Maj. Anderson
from Fort Sumpter, when it should have been rein.
forced, indicates which side is to yield, till so far
pushed that the people must rise in their might,
and meet the issue unnecessarily aggravated by
executive mismanagement.
" I have felt deeply mortified by the humiliating
attitude of my country toward traitors who could
easily have been put down, and can be now, under
proper measures. I do not see how a war is to be
avoided. Under quack management it may be long
and bloody. Yet I have no apprehensions about the
final triumph of almighty truth, though at the cost
of many unnecessary sacrifices.  But let them
come. I would rather see the country lighted up
with the flames of war from the center to its remot,
est border, than that the great rights and hopes of
the human race expire before the arrogance of secessionists. Of this, however, there is no danger.
They are at war with nature and the human heart,
and can not succeed."




CHAPTER X.
ON the accession of the present administration,
Capt. Lyon took command of the St. Louis Arsenal.
The position was'trying in the extreme. In the
city, indeed, the friends of the Union were numerous, uncompromising, and determined to remain
firm in their allegiance to the Government, at any
cost and at all hazards. But the garrison, consisting of a mere handful, was beset on all sides by
multitudes of enemies. Spies lurked in every hiding place, to pick up information for the use of organized bands of traitors. Bitter foes hovered about
in the garb of friendship, to steal advantages by
mean and shameless perfidy. But Lyon was the
last man to be humbugged or deceived. He thoroughly understood his position, resources, and the
characters arrayed in secret arms against him.
Ever on the alert, nothing escaped his knowledge.
Fertile in expedients, he employed the most inge



244      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
nious devices to conceal the true condition of the
garrison, and embarrass the calculations of enemies.
To make his little force appear the stronger, he often
sent out squads of soldiers in disguise, during the
hours of night while others slept, with orders to
rendezvous at a distant point, and march back to the
Arsenal the next morning in uniform, with drums
beating and flags flying. Nothing was left undone
that could be accomplished by the wisdom, foresight,
and energy of the commander.  Union men in the
city were organized into companies, armed and
carefully drilled. Every precaution was taken to
insure the security of the post.
An immense amount of public property was stored
at the time in the St. Louis Arsenal. Elsewhere
the insurgents had commenced operations by the
seizure of arms, ordnance, moneys, in short, everything belonging to the United States. Here was a
rich bait to tempt the rapacity of secessionists in
lissouri. Of the hostile attitude of the State authorities, there was no room for doubt. The Executive sympathized heartily with the schemes of the
rebel leaders, and with a host of subordinates, labored stealthily, but energetically, for the subversion of the Federal power. The Arsenal was sure
to be attacked as soon as the traitors gained sufficient strength and courage. Secretary Cameron




GEN. NATHIANIEL LYON.             245
accordingly ordered ten thousand muskets to be
removed into Illinois and sent the requisition to
Gov. Yates.  Capt. Stokes, of Chicago, undertook
the execution of the task. Hastening to St. Louis,
he found the Arsenal surrounded by a tumultuous
mob, and gained access to the interior with the utmost difficulty. The requisition was shown, and
the resolution taken to move the arms at the earliest moment.  The numbers and desperation of
the secessionists who thronged about the place, required great'secresy and vigilance. The following
day information canme through a secret agent, that
Gov. Jackson had ordered down large reinforcements from the capital for the obvious purpose of
capturing the stores.  Capt. Stokes telegraphed to
Alton to have a steamer drop down to the Arsenal
landing at midnight.  Mieanwhile, on the inside all
were busy in getting the boxes of guns ready for
removal. A quantity of inferior flint-lock muskets
were sent on board a boat as a blind. These were
eagerly seized by the mob, which, exultant over its
imaginary luck, soon dispersed. Capt. Lyon disposed of the few stragglers that remained by locking them up in the guard house. About 11 o'clock,
the steamer "' City of Alton9" dropped alongside,
when a large quantity of arms and munitions were
put on board.  Before daylight Friday morning,




246         GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
April 26th, the boat was on her way up  the river,
reaching Alton  at 5 o'clock, A. MI.  In two  hours
her cargo was transferred to freight cars, and on the
road to Springfield, Illinois.
In a communication issued from  head-quarters at
~Washington,  April 30th, the  President  directed
Capt. Lyon to enroll in the military service of the
United  States, the  loyal citizens of St. Louis and
vicinity, to  a number not exceeding telln thousand,
inclusive of those already enlisted, for the purpose
of maintaining the Federal authority, and for the
protection of peaceable inhabitants. The following
is a copy:
ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, 
WASHINGTON, April 30, 1861.
Capt. lATcthaniel Lyon, Second In2fanttry, Conmnmatding at St. Louis:
SIR: —The President of the United States directs that you enroll
in the military service of the United States, the loyal citizens of St.
Louis and vicinity, not exceeding with those heretofore enlisted ten
thousand in number, for the purpose of maintaining the authority
of the United States, and for the protection of the peaceable inhabitants of Missouri; and you will, if deemed necessary for that purpose, proclaim martial law in the city of St. Louis.  The additional
force hereby authorized, shall be discharged in part or in whole, if
enlisted, as soon as it appears to you that there is no danger of an
attempt on the part of the enemies of the Government to take military possession of the city of St. Louis, or put the city in the control of a combination against the Government of the United States;
and whilst such additional force remains in the service, the same
shall be governed by the rules and articles of war and such special
regulations as you may prescribe, and shall, like the force heretofore
directed to be enrolled, be under your command.
L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             247
On the 6th of May, the Police Commissioners of
St. Louis officially demanded of Capt. Lyon the
withdrawal of the Federal troops from all buildings
and places outside of the Arsenal grounds. Capt.
Lyon refused compliance, and the Commissioners
submitted the question to the Governor and Legislature. The demand was based on the assumption
that the military occupancy of grounds not owned
by the Government, was in derogation of the constitution and laws of the United States. Capt.
Lyon wished the Commissioners to be more specific,
and designate the articles of the constitution and
the laws thus violated. In reply, they claimed that
originally "Missouri had sovereign and exclusive
jurisdiction over her whole territory;" that she
subsequently relinquished to the United States a
certain interest and sovereignty in particular
grounds for military uses.
How this view justified the demand does not
clearly appear. At all- events, Capt. Lyon had not
the astuteness to see the logical connection between
the premises of the Commissioners and their implied conclusion. The same principle would render
it unconstitutional to march troops over the territory of a State from one post to another. Should
a garrison once enter the walls of an inland fortification, it could never leave, if it pleased the sov



248      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
ereignty of the State so to determine, without
trampling under foot the constitution in its exit.
Such a conclusion presupposes the existence of
a mortal antagonism  between the Federal center
and the constituent States, which by a kind of sufferance allow to the General Government a qualified property in isolated patches of ground.  Thle
flimsiness of the reasoning employed by the Commissioners, shows the pitiful shifts to which traitors
are forced to resort for the justification of their
course.
Affairs in St. Louis were approaching a crisis.
Governor Jackson, though subtle, was active in preparing for hostilities.  He ordered the militia in the
different districts of the State to go into encampments for military discipline and drill. At ordinary
times such a step would have been perfectly right
and constitutional.  But in this case the Governor
obviously intended to use his power as Commanderin-Chief of the State forces, for the overthrow of the
Federal authority. A military bill had been recently
enacted by the General Assembly, which exactly
suited his purposes.  He only needed time to put
its machinery in operation. Above all things he
desired to avoid collision with the Union troops, till
he could concentrate sufficient strength to drive
them from the State.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              249
In pursuance of orders from the Governor, a camp
was established near St. Louis, under the command
of Gen. Frost, for the instruction of the militia. Its
main avenue bore the name of "'Davis," and one
of the principal streets was called'"Beauregard."'
The whole concern was designated as "1 Camp Jackson," in compliment to the Executive. A portion
of the men had been organized under the auspices
of notorious secessionists, and openly wore the badge
of the southern army. Quantities of arms which
had been stolen from the Government arsenal at
Baton Rouge, and sent up the river in boxes marked
marble, had also found their way to the camp.
It was natural for the commander of troops so
obviously devoted to the interests of rebellion, to
apprehend trouble. Under date of May 10th, 1861,
Gen. Frost sends a communication to Capt. Lyon,
stating that he is in constant receipt of information
that an attack on Camp Jackson is meditated. He
pretends to be at a loss to comprehend why such a
project should be entertained, and disclaims all hostile intention toward the United States. He professes to be engaged in the discharge of constitutional duties, and wishes to hear from Capt. Lyon
personally, whether there is any truth in the rumors
alluded to.
This missive Capt. Lyon refused to receive. Be:
11'




250      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
fore the close of the day Gen. Frost was responded
to in a manner admitting of no equivocation.
During the forenoon of 3May 10th, the extraordinary activity near the arsenal and at the various
rendezvous of the Home Guards, betokened movements of importance.  Several thousand troops
having suddenly assembled shortly after midday,
marched under command of Capt. Lyon, in the
direction of Camp Jackson. The column was furnished with about twenty cannon. On coming up
they immediately  surrounded the encampment,
planting guns upon all the commanding eminences.
Files of men were stationed at short intervals on
every side. Guards were placed along the line of
investment with orders to prevent ingress or egress.
Meanwhile the character of the enterprise having
become widely known, multitudes of excited people,
in all sorts of conveyances, on hlorseback, and on
foot, were congregating in the vicinity. Crowds
armed with rifles, guns, knives, clubs, or whatever
weapon could be caught up in the frenzy of the moment, hurried to the scene of action in order to
assist the State troops. This surging mass was kept
back by the Guards. Men, women, and children
swarmed in immense numbers upon the neighboring
hills. At this stage of the proceedings, the following
communication was sent by Capt. Lyon to Gen. Frost:




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.                         251
HEAD QUARTERS, UNITED STATES TROOPS.
St. Louis, (Mo.) May 10, 1861.
Gen. D. ~M. Frost, Commanding Camp Jackson.
Sir, Your command is regarded as evidently hostile towards the
government of the United States.
It is for the most part, made up of those secessionists who have
openly avowed their hostility to the General Government, and have
been plotting at the seizure of its property and the overthrow of its
authority. You are openly in communication with the so-called
Southern Confederacy, which is now at war with the United States,
and you are receiving at your camp, from the said Confederacy and
under its flag, large supplies of the material of war, most of which is
known to be the property of the United States. These extraordinary
preparations plainly indicate none other than the well-known purpose
of the Governor of this State, under whose orders you are acting, and
whose purpose recently communicated to the Legislature, has just
been responded to by that body in the most unparalleled legislation,
having in direct view hostilities to the General Government and cooperation with its enemies.
In view of these considerations, and of your failure to disperse in
obedience to the proclamation of the President, and of the eminent
necessities of State policy and welfare, and the obligations imposed
upon me by instructions from WVashington, it is my duty to demand,
and I do hereby demand of you an immediate surrender of your command, with no other conditions than that all persons surrendering
under this demand shall be humanely and kindly treated. Believing
myself prepared to enforce this demand, one-half hour's time, before
doing so will be allowed for your compliance therewith.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
N. LYON, Captain
2d Infantry, Commanding Troops.
It will be seen that thirty  minutes were  given
Gen. Frost for deliberation.  Before the expiration
of the time he decided to surrender on the terms
imposed.  Capt. Lyon  offered to release the  State
troops, now held as-prisoners of war, provided they




252      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
would swear to support the Constitution of the
United States, and not take up arms against the
Government. Nearly the whole number declined
on the ground that they had already taken the oath
of allegiance, and that its renewal under existing
circumlstances, would be tantamount to a confession
of treason.
When the details of the surrender and march
had been arranged, the prisoners started, late in the
afternoon, for the city. They were drawn up in a
long line, and guarded on each side by a file of
Union soldiers. After the column had entered the
main road, it was ordered to halt. A moment after,
the report of fire-arms was heard from the front.
Several members of a German company, enraged at
the jeers, thrusts and blows of the crowd, discharged
their pieces, but without injuring any one. The
soldiers thus offending were promptly arrested.
About this time the mob, which pressed in great
numbers upon the rear, began to throw missiles
and fire occasional shots at the Arsenal troops. The
spirit of riot was rising every moment to a higher
point, and threatened to break out in a general attack on the lines. Hundreds of the spectators were
torturing the vocabulary of abuse to find language
strong enough for the expression of their bitter
anger and hatred. But the raw soldiers were not




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             253
very patient in submitting to blows and maledic,
tions. Some of them, vaguely impressed with the
idea that powder and ball was the most effective
remedy for mobs, fired into the crowd. A number
were killed and wounded, and the terror-stricken
multitude hurried out of reach of danger with the
same confusion and frenzy which had characterized
their approach.
The subsequent night in the city of St. Louis was
a season of the most extraordinary and tumultuous
excitement. Hitherto the strife between contend
ing factions had been confined to wrathful words, or
occasional blows. Now the terrible image of war
glared them in the eye. For many weeks the oftreiterated predictions of carnage and conflagration,
had fell unheeded as so many meaningless puffs of
air. Now the baptism of blood set the seal of life
upon conceptions before vague and shadowy. Reason seemed dethroned. A mighty convulsion had, as
it were, obliterated all olden and familiar landmarks
in a single day. Beneath a thin crust were heard
the rumblings of the earthquake. A volcano might
burst out at any moment to bury the land in ruin.
The multitude were too intoxicated with delirium
and passion to reflect. Throngs gathered in the
principal streets, filling the air with a Babel of
sounds.  HEuzzas and imprecations, cheers and




254       GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
curses, discordant shouts and the long, shrill, solitary whoop, mingled indiscriminately in the Stygian concert. Restless groups hurried hither and
thither, impatient for the latest news. At different
points, prominent speakers addressed the people.
Banners with various devices were borne through
the principal thoroughfares. A mob broke into a
gun store and seized a quantity of arms before the
police could collect in sufficient force to arrest the
proceeding. Guards were stationed at the offices
of several newspapers to protect them from the
populace. Squads of armed policemen stood at the
principal street corners to prevent outbreaks of
violence. Thus the night wore away, till at a late
hour the crowds gradually dispersed to their homes.
The news of this transaction produced a deep
impression throughout the country. Few understood the facts sufficiently well to pass correct judgment upon its character and bearings. Since that
time public sentiment has undergone a great revolution, as the magnitude and ferocity of the rebellion have become more fully realized. To many,
the action of Capt. Lyon appeared precipitate and
liable to imperil, without just grounds, the tranquillity of the State. Whatever may have been the
first impression at the North, all now perceive the
wisdom and foresight of the measure.




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             255
Lyon well knew that the troops at Camp Jackson
synmpathised with the so-called Southern Confederacy.
and only waited strength and opportunity to strike
at the cause of the Union. Gen. Frost's professions of loyalty, and the reluctance of the prisoners
tb swear a second oath of allegiance for fear it
might be construed as an admission of treason, go
down as mere subterfuges before multiplied proofs
of the fact. Lyon had no faith in warm water lotions for sores that required caustic or cautery.
Ile had seen the rank mischief of procrastination
and mistaken leniency, elsewhere. For months he
had suffered humiliation and pain, as he saw the
flag of the nation insulted, her citizens outraged,
her property plundered by shameless miscreants,
with hardly a word of feeble rebuke. At Sumpter,
the Federal guns kept silent while deadly batteries
rose up around it. Was forbearance to lure back
revolutionary leaders to the embrace of a long suffering and forgiving Government?  Experience was
driving that delusion from the minds of the most
cautious and hopeful. Yet Lyon did not require
the lesson at Charleston harbor to teach the nature
of the conflict. He foresaw it years before. The
blood-stained soil of Kansas bore witness to the
malignant and cruel spirit of the rebellious chiefs.
They were deaf to all arguments save those of overwhelming force.




256      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
At that moment the fate of Missouri quivered in
the balance. It was no time to prate about " geographical position," "' soil, climate and productions,"
with a view to influence the minds of men to take
this side or that.  Such considerations offered no
obstruction to the currents of popular passion.  Remonstrance and reason excited the contempt of the
disaffected, as indicative of irresolution and conscious weakness. The hour had arrived to enjbrce
respect and fear for the Government whose habitual indulgence was now  so grievously misinterpreted and abused. Every successive day, treason
showed a bolder front in the State of tissouri.
Both the Governor and Legislature lent the power
lodged in their hands, to the behests of the conspirators. But Capt. Lyon was resolved that treason
should never flaunt in the shadow of the flag which
floated over him. All along, gangs of lawless men
had menanced his little band.  But want of troops
and authority compelled him to endure the seeming
ignominy in silence. Now he was prepared to strike.
The opportunity came. Secessionism in St. Louis,
before so boisterous and rampant, staggered and
fell under the heavy blow.  The dignity of the
country was vindicated, and the friends of the
Union took heart.
The night following the capture of Camp Jack



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.                       257
son, Gen. Harney arrived at St. Louis and assumed
command.
A few days later, Capt. Lyon was elected Brigadier-General of the first brigade of Missouri Volunteers.  On  the  17th  of MSay a communication
was  sent to  him  from   the  War Department at
Washington, officially notifying him  that the President of the United States had appointed him  Brigadier-General of Volunteers, to rank as such from
the 17th of May, 1861.
[copy.]
WAIR DEPARTMENT, May 17, 1861. 
SIR — You are hereby informed that the President of the United
States has appointed you Brigadier-General of the volunteer force
raised in conformity with the President's proclamation of May 3d,
1861, in the service of the United States, to rank as such from the
17th day of May, 1861. Should the Senate, at their next session,
advise and consent thereto, you will be commissioned accordingly.
You will, immediately on receipt thereof, please to communicate to
this Department, through the Adjutant-General's office, your acceptanco or non-acceptance of said appointment.
SIMON CAMERON, Secretary of War.
Brigadier-General NATHANIEL LYON,
U. S. Volunteers, St. Louis, Mo.
Complaints having been made to Gen. Lyon of
the misdeeds of the secessionists of Potosi, he determined to administer to them  a little wholesome
correction. Potosi, seventy miles S. S. W. of St.
Louis, is widely known on account of its lead mines.
Evil-minded persons were not only furnishing this
commodity to the rebels, but also taking high-hand



258      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
ed measures against the Unionists in the vicinity.
Gen. Lyon wished to stop the illicit traffic, and
afford protection to peaceable citizens. Accordingly,
a detachment of one hundred and fifty men, under
Capt. Cole, left St. Louis by a special train, at ten
o'clock, P. M., May 14th, and reached Potosi at
three the next morning. The troops immediately
encircled the town. When day broke and citizens
began to stir abroad, they found themselves prisoners. The Unionists were released without ceremony, and a large part of the others on taking the
oath of allegiance. Nine, however, of the more
prominent and dangerous characters, were carried
to St. Louis.
The command then visited a lead manufactory,
whose owner had become notorious from furnishing
the article to the enemy under circumstances of aggravated enormity. Several hundred pigs of lead
were secured here. Other trophies were also captured.
After partaking of the hospitable cheer provided
by the Unionists, the company started for St. Louis,
making a short stop at De Soto in order to attend a
grand confederate flag-raising. A body of cavalry,
parading here in honor of the occasion, took to their
heels on sight of the Federal uniforms. From the
pole raised by the secessionists, the stars and stripes




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              259
were soon thrown to the breeze amid wild joy and
exultation. Not wishing to leave behind the rebel
flag to tempt the people into further indiscretions,
Capt. Cole detached a small party to secure it if possible. They surrounded the suspected house, and
made a careful but ineffectual search. At length
Doct, Franklin, one of the number, noticing the
uneasy attitude of the lady of the establishment,
politely requested her to rise. Finding compliance
unavoidable, she reluctantly moved from her seat,
when a corner of the coveted booty dropped in sight
from beneath her ample habiliments. The Doctor
seized the fold, and with as much consideration as
circumstances would permit, delivered the lady of a
large secession flag. On returning with the trophy,
the party were received with an enthusiasm befitting
the glory of the triumph.
The company reached the Arsenal late in the
afternoon and were welcomed by a large gathering
of soldiers and citizens. The troops cheered Gen.
Lyon and Col. Blair, closing the ceremonies by tearing into shreds the rebel banner.
SMay 21st, Gen. HIarney, who was extremely anxious to preserve peace in Missouri, and did not seem
to realize fully the implacable determination of the
conspirators against the Government, entered into
an agreement with Gen. Price, of the State, Militia.




260      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
The terms of peace were not very comprehensive or
specific. The intention of the parties evidently
pointed to the neutrality of Missouri in the impending conflict. Gen. Price pledged the power of the
State to the maintenance of order amonllg tle people,
and Gen. Harney promised to make no military
movement.  -
This step was extremely obnoxious to loyal citizens and led to the speedy recall of Gen. Harney.
Writing from the St. Louis Arsenal, MIay 26thli,
Gen. Lyon speaks of the incessant labors of the past
month which have left no time for attention to private or personal matters. While the arrival of Gen.
HIarney gave him more leisure, it seriously interfered
with his projected military movements.  He says of
the compact between the State and Federal officers:
"All our Union people are disgusted with this
treaty, and Gen. Iarney gets roundly scolded; for
it is regarded only a trick of the secession Governor,
to gain time, get arms and prepare again for war.
"Gen. Harney arrived the evening of my'Camp
Jackson' affair, and his authority over me of course
arrested other persistent and persevering measures
needed to head off the villainy of secessionism. It
seems to be taking comfort and consolation now
under shelter of his authority. The very Government against which the secessionists have been so




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              261
long and are still conspiring, is thus used to shield
them from tile just consequences of their own treach.
ery. Indeed the Government seems unwilling to
resist those who would cut its throat, for fear of exasperating them. Upon this pretext we have all
along been betrayed. Our friends here all feel this
and deep are their mutterings.
"I cannot undertake to give you an idea of the
gratification and joy which loyal people in the city
and surrounding country have evinced, at events
here. I have the most abounding reward in the
reflection that I have contributed to the relief of
good citizens from the long-suffering endured under
the terrorism of secession. But most richly have
they deserved relief. Tile bold stand taken by the
Union peoiple of St. Louis, their persevering industry, patient endurance, and liberal sacrifices, make
them all heroes. A grateful country can not too
deeply appreciate, or abundantly reward their services. I am indebted to them for the means of doing
what I have done, and could only have done with
their co-operation.
c"The ladies are profuse in their patriotism.
They contribute much to the troops. I have been
showered with numerous manifestations of gratitude
from them.
"I have hardly time to advert to what remains




262      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
of our great work which seems now to have commenced in earnest, and which I trust will be pursued with energy and discretion to a successful
issue. If pushed properly there can be no failure."
May 22d, the steamer J. C. Swan was, by order
of Gen. Lyon, seized at Harlow's Landing, and taken
to the Arsenal. The arms captured at Camp Jacksoil were brought from Baton Rouge on this boat.
The same day, five thousand pounds of lead intended for rebel use, were captured at Ironton.
Slight resistance was offered, and several shots cxchanged, but without injury on either side.
Gen. Harney having been withdrawn from the
Western Department a few days after his ill-omened
agreement with Gen. Price, the command of the
Federal forces in Missouri devolved upon Gen.
Lyon. The change carried consternation into the
ranks of the secessionists, for they knew that. the
time for secret and subtle machinations was past.
Hitherto, under the mask of neutrality, they had
labored with noiseless but desperate energy, to gain
time, and make thorough preparations for resistance
to the General Government. A few weeks more of
delay were needed for the perfection of their arrangements. But the succession of Gen. Lyon to
the command of the United States troops, fell like a
bomb upon the fabric of their hopes. The extraor



GEN. NATWHANIEL LYON.                       263
dinary activity and determination manifested by himl.
in previous dealings with the rebellion, warned the
wily'plotters either to abandon their schemes, or
prepare at once to sustain them  by the sword.
June 4th, Gen. Price issues a proclamation to the
Brigadier-Generals  commanding  the  several military  districts  in  Missouri.   He  claims  that the
people of the State have the right to choose their
own position in the contest. He considers the
agreement entered into with  Gen. HIarney, honorable to both parties and Governments represented.
Notwithstanding the removal of that officer, he
feels assured that his successor will consider himself bound in honor to carry out the agreement in
good faith.  He continues:
"My wish and hope is, that the people of the State of Missouri
be permitted in peace and security to decide upon their future
course, and so far as my abilities can effect this object, it shall be
accomplished.
"The people of Missouri can not be forced, under the terrors of a
military invasion, into a position not of their free choice.
" A million of such people as the citizens of Missouri were never
yet subjugated, and, if attempted, let no apprehensions be entertained of the result. I enjoin upon you, gentlemen, to see that all
citizens, of whatever opinions in politics or religion, be protected in
their persons and property."




CHAPTER XI.
ON the 11th of June, Governor Jackson, accome
panied by Gen. Price, went to St. Louis to have a
personal interview with Gen. Lyon, then Commander-in-chief of the Federal army in Missouri.
The conference took place at the solicitation of the
State Executive, Gen. Lyon neither requesting nor
desiring it. The Governor proposed to visit St.
Louis, provided he could secure a pass thither and
back, and be protected from arrest while in the city.
He was furnished with a pass exempting him from
arrest till the close of the 12th.
Gov. Jackson and Gen. Price, with the private
secretary of the Governor, met Gen. Lyon, Col. F. P.
Blair, Jr., and Maj. Conant, acting secretary of Gen.
Lyon, at the Planters' House. The Governor professed great solicitude for the public tranquillity,
and presented a series of propositions for their consideration. He offered to disband the State Guard;




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              265
to disarm all companies ordered out by the State;
to desist from  attempts to organize the militia
under the military bill; to prevent the imllportation
of arms or munitions into the State; to guarantee
the general and impartial protection of citizens in
all their rights; to suppress insurrectionary movements; and finally, to prevent every attempt at
invasion, from  any quarter and by whomsoever
made. He wished to pledge Missouri to a course
of strict neutrality. These terms were offered on;
conditioiz that the  General Government would
undertake to disband the Home Guard, at the time
organized and armed throughout the State, and
solemnly agree not to occupy with its troops any
localities in the State not then occupied by them.
Gen. Lyon'rejected the propositions of the Governor. He in turn demanded the disbanding of the
militia, organized under the provisions of the recent
military bill; the nullification of that unconstitutional and outrageous act of the Legislature; and
the admission of the unqualified right of the Federal Government to march and to station its troops
whenever and wherever it might be deemed necessary, either for the protection of loyal subjects, or
for repelling invasion. He also refused unequivocally to disband the Home Guard or withdraw the
United States troops and expressed his determina12




266      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
tion to protect the Unionists in the rural districts,
who could only be secured in the enjoyment of life,
property, and other rights, by the active interposition of the Federal power.
Thus the Governor wholly failed in the artful
scheme contrived to entrap the United States officers. Gen. Lyon regarded the doctrine of "neutrality " in a war waged avowedly for the overthrow
of the General Government, as the rankest political
heresy. Was a stalwart son to remain an indifferent
spectator, while assassins were struggling to plunge
the dagger into the heart of a kind and over-indulgent parent'? Was he to look with unconcern upon
the bruised and bleeding form whose hand had lavished upon him blessings innumerable?
Even more diabolical were the purposes of GovJackson and Gen. Price. Their apparent anxiety
" to avert the horrors of civil war," was well
known to be a hypocritical ruse to gain time
and carry Missouri out of the Union by the wiles
of diplomacy. These men wished to render active
aid in the work of assassination.
The acceptance of the terms and conditions proposed by the Executive at the conference with Gen,
Lyon, would have amounted to an acknowledgment
of the complete independent sovereignty of Missouri. The doctrine of " State sovereignty," thus




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              267
interpreted, would render the system  of government elaborated by our fathers, one of the weakest
and most contemptible contrivances of human folly.
An enemy might gather armies and make formidable preparations for the invasion of the United
States, just beyond her border, and the General
Government not be allowed to march a soldier over
a "neutral" member of the body politic to meet
the danger. According to this view, the exemption
of a solitary State from the presence of national
troops, if such presence be obnoxious to her citizens, becomes a matter of graver moment than the
preservation of national liberty. All obligations
of patriotism  are utterly ignored. The Federal
Government is degraded to the character of general agent for the separate States, to be employed
or dismissed as the caprice of the hour may deterinelle,
The plan of Gov. Jackson for insuring tranquillity, was the one best suited to bring upon the State
the desolations of civil war. Miissouri contains a
martial population. On each side of her, hosts
were arming  for the conflict. Mloen of human
impulses and passions could never stand by with
folded hands, while the noise of battle raged around
them. Even if the commonwealth nominally stood
neutral, her sons would flock to the camps of the




268      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
belligerents. There was but one course of safety.
Let the State be true to the Union, and her soil
could never be defiled by the tread of a rebel soldier. The war would then be pushed further
southward, to spend its fury among the people who
had instigated it.
One hour after the close of the interview between
the State and Federal Officers, Gov. Jackson and
Gen. Price started in a special train on their return
to Jefferson City.  The pass furnished by Gen.
Lyon protected the Governor from arrest till the
close of the next day. But the loyal atmosphere
of St. Louis proved extremely oppressive, and the
party hastened to reach a place where they could
breathe with greater freedom.
Besides, the failure to circumvent Gen. Lyon put
an end to all hopes of success through doubledealing and craft. They knew that henceforth the
enemies of the Government in Missouri must rely
upon the sword, and from the decision and celerity
previously exhibited by the Federal commander,
rightly inferred that the hours for completing their
preparations were few.
The next day, June 12th, Gov. Jackson fulminated a remarkable proclamation to the people of
Missouri. The following extracts indicate the agitation of the Governor, and the state of mental




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.                         269
bewilderment into which the events of the past few
days had terrified him:
JEFFERSON CITY, June 12, 1861.
Tbo the People of Aiissoursi:
A series of unprovoked and unparalleled outrages have been inflicted on the peace and dignity of this Commonwealth, and upon
the rights and liberties of its people, by wicked and unprincipled
men, professing to act under the authority of the United States Government; the solemn enactments of your Legislature have been
nullified, your volunteer soldiers have been taken prisoners, your
commerce with your sister States has been suspended, your trade
with your own fellow-citizens has been and is subjected to increasing
control of an armed soldiery, peaceful citizens have been imprisoned
without warrant of law, unoffending and defenceless men, women,
and children, have been ruthlessly shot down and murdered, and
other unbearable indignities have been heaped upon your State and
yourselves.  To all these outrages and indignities you have submitted with patriotic forbearance, which has only encouraged the perpetrators of these grievous wrongs to attempt still bolder and more
daring usurpations.
Fellow-citizens, all our efforts toward conciliation have failed.
We can hope for nothing fromn the justice or moderation of the
agents of the Federal Government in this State. They are energetically hastening the execution of their bloody and revolutionary
schemes for the inauguration of civil war in your midst; for the military occupation of your State by armed bands of lawless invaders;
for the overthrow of your State Government, and for the subversion
of those liberties which the Government has always sought to protect; and they intend to exert their whole power to subjugate you,
if possible, to the military despotism which has usurped the powers
of the Federal Government.
Now, therefore, I, C. F. Jackson, Governor of the State of Missouri, do, in view of the foregoing facts, and by virtue of the powers
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of this Commonwealth,
issue this my proclamation, calling the militia of this State, to the
number of 60,000, into active service of the State, for the purpose




270         GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
of repelling such invasion, and for the protection of the lives, liberties
and property of the citizens of this State; and I earnestly exhort all
good citizens of Missouri to rally to the flag of their State, for the
protection of their homes and firesides, and for the defense of their
most sacred rights and dearest liberties.
In issuing this proclamation, I hold it to be my most solemn duty
to remind you that Missouri is still one of the United States; that
the Executive Department of the State Government does not arrogate to itself the power to disturb that relation; that power has
been wisely vested in the Convention, which will at the proper time
express your sovereign will; and that meanwhile it is your duty to
obey all constitutional requirements of the Federal Government.
But it is equally my duty to advise you that your first allegiance is
due to your own State, and that you are under no obligation whatever to obey the unconstitutional edicts of the military despotism
which has introduced itself at Washington, nor subnmit to the infamous and degrading sway of its wicked minions in this State. No
brave-hearted Missourian will obey the one or submit to the other.
Rise, then, and drive out ignominiously the invaders who have dared
to desecrate the soil which your labors have made fruitful, and which
is consecrated by your homes.
CLAIBORNE F. JACKSON.
In this proclamation the Governor assumed that the
Legislature could bind the people by the enactment
of laws violative of the constitution; that the  enrollment of volunteers under the provisions of the
military bill was a legal act; and that men struggling to embarrass and destroy the General Government were peaceable citizens. The presence in
the State of Federal troops is treated as an invasion, and fifty thousand militia are called into service to repel the invaders. Yet in the next sentence this "Artful Dodger" remiInds the people that




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             271
Missouri is one of the United States still, innocently
remarking that " the executive department of the
State Government does not arrogate to itself the
power to disturb that relation."  He intimates that
the Convention will soon release them from  the
odious connection with the Union. Till then, citizens are exhorted to obey all constitutional requirements of the Federal Government, but in the same
breath are reminded that the Administration at
WVashington is a " military despotism,"-a usurpation whose edicts they are under no obligation to
obey. The Governor's reasoning involved him in a
maze of absurdities, and although ending in rank
treason, made the most audacious assumptions to
get there.
On the 13th, two days after the visit of Gov.
Jackson to St. Louis, and one after the publication
of his proclamation, the steamers Iatan and J. C.
Swan, with fifteen hundred troops on board under
command of Gen. Lyon, left for Jefferson City.
The expedition was furnished with horses, wagons,
camp equipage, and stores for immediate and active
operations.
Gov. Jackson having been apprised of the movement, abandoned the capital and hastened to Booneville, forty miles higher up the river. The rebels
took with them all the cars and locomotives that




272      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
could be secured, broke down the telegraph, and
destroyed the bridges behind them in their flight.
The steamers arrived at Jefferson City the afternoon of the 15th, when Gen. Lyon landed a part
of his forces and occupied the town. No opposition of ally kind was attempted. On the contrary,
a large concourse of citizens greeted the arrival of
the Union troops with enthusiastic cheers.
Gen. Lyon now issued a proclamation to the citizens of Missouri, in which he ably reviewed the
events of the past few weeks. He convicts the
Governor and Legislature of treasonable sympathies
and treasonable acts, exposing the persistent and
villainous methods adopted by them  to force the
people into rebellion. The proclamation recites the
memoranduml prepared by Gen. Harney, and read
in the presence of Gen. Price, as a fundamental
basis of the negotiations between those officers, and
shows how grossly its terms had been disregarded
by the State Authorities. It also contains the instructions of the President to the Commanding
Officer of thle Department of the West, and expresses the determination of Gen. Lyon to carry
them out in letter and spirit.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.                         273
PROCLAMATION OF BRIGADIER-GENERAL N. LYON.
To TIHE CITIZENS OF MISSOURI:-Prior to the proclamation issued
by Gov. Jackson, of the date of 12th of June, inst., it was well
known to you that the Governor and Legislature sympathized in the
revolutionary movement now in progress in the country, and had
adopted every means in their power to effect a separation of this
State from the General Government. For this purpose parties of
avowed secessionists have been organized into military companies
throughout the State, with the full knowledge and approval of the
Governor.
The establishment of encampments in the State at an unusual period of the year, and authorized for an indefinite period, could have
had no other object than the concentration of a large military force,
to be subjected to the provisions of the Military Bill-then in contemplation and subsequently passed-a bill so offensive to all peaceful inhabitants, and so palpably unconstitutional, that it could be accepted by those only who were willing to conform to its extraordinary provisions, for the purpose of effecting their cherished objectthe disruption of the Federal Government.
That bill provides for an obligation to the State on the part of all
persons enrolled under its provisions, irrespective of any obligation
to the United States, when the Constitution requires all State officers
to take an oath of allegiance to the United States.  This of itself is
a repudiation of all authority of the general Government-whose
Constitution is the supreme law-on the part of the State government, its officers and such citizens as might choose to adopt the pro-visions of the bill, and coupled as it was, on the part of the Legislature and Governor, with declarations hostile to its authority and in
sympathy with those who were arrayed in a condition of actual hostility against it-could leave no doubt of its objects.
To carry out the provisions of this extraordinary law, the Public
Schools were deprived of the funds necessary to the education of
your children-your asylums, even, stripped of the means of support, and an additional onerous tax imposed upon you.
This bill, regarded as it has uniformly been, by all loyal citizens
of the United States, as having in direct view hostilities to the Fed.
eral Government, was so denounced by Gen. Harney, who characterized it as a secession ordinance, in his proclamation of the 14th of
May last.
12*




274         GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
That proclamation doubtless gave rise to an interview  between
Gen. Harney and Gen. Price, that resulted in an agreement which it
was hoped would lead to the restoration of tranquillity and good
order in your State.
That a repudiation of the military bill, and of all efforts to organize the militia of the State under its provisions, was the basis of the
agreement, is shown as well by the proclamation of Gen. IHarney
immediately preceding it, as by the following paper submitted to
Gen. Price, containing preliminary conditions to an interview with
him:
MEMiORANDUTM FOR GEN. PRICE.
May 21, 1861.
General Harney is here as a citizen of Missouri, with all his interests at stake in the preservation of the peace of the State.
He earnestly wishes to do nothing to complicate matters, and will
do everything in his power, consistently with instructions, to preserve
peace and order.
iHe is, however, compelled to recognize the existence of a rebellion in a portion of the United States, and in view of it he stands
upon the proclamation of the President, itself based upon the law
and constitution of the United States.
The proclamation commands the dispersion of all armed bodies hostile to the supreme law of the land. Gen. Harney sees in
the Missouri military bill, features which compel him to look upon
such armed bodies as may be organized under its provisions, as antagonistic to the United States, within the meaning of the proclamation, and calculated to precipitate a conflict between the State and
United States troops.
He laments this tendency of things, and most cordially and earnestly invites the cooperation of Gen. Price to avert it.
For this purpose, Gen. Harney respectfully asks Gen. Price to review the features of the bill in the spirit of law, warmed and elevated by that of humanity, and seek to discover some means by
which its action may be suspended until some competent tribunal
shall decide upon its character.
The most material features of the bill calculated to bring about a
conflict, are, first, the oath required to be taken by the militia and
*'State Guards"-(an oath of allegiance to the State of Missouri,
without recognizing the existence of the Government of the United




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.                         275
States;) and secondly, the express requirements, by which troops
within the State, not organized under the provisions of the military
bill, are to be disarmed by the State Guards.
Gen. Harney can not be expected to wait a summons to surrender
his arms by the State troops.
From this statement of the case, the true question becomes immediately visible, and can not be shut out of view.
Gen. Price is earnestly requested to consider this, and Gen. Harney will be happy to confer with him on the subject whenever it may
suit his convenience.
N. B.-Read to Gen. Price in the presence of Maj. H. S. Turner,
on the evening of the 21st of May."
This agreement failed to define specifically the terms of the peace,
or how far a suspension of the provisions of the military bill should
form a part of it, though from the express declaration of Gen. Itarney, at the time of the conference, as well as from the foregoing
paper, a suspension of any action under the bill, until there could be
a judicial determination of its character by some competent tribunal,
must in good faith be regarded as the fundamental basis of the negotiation.
Nevertheless, immediately after this arrangement, and up to the
time of Gov. Jackson's proclamation, innumerable complaints of
attempts to executle the provisions of this bill, by which most exasperating hardships have been imposed upon peaceful and loyal citizens-coupied with persecution and proscription of those opposed
to its provisions-have been made to me as commander of the Un ted
States forces here, and have been carried to the authorities at WLzhington, with appeals for relief from Union men in all parts of the
State, who have been abused and insulted, and in some instances
driven from their homes. That relief I conceive it to be the duty
of a just government to use every exertion in its power to give. On
this point the policy of the Government is set forth in the following
communication from the department at Washington:
" AnJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE, )
WASHINGTON, May 27, 1861.
Brigadier-General W'. S. Harney, Commamending Dep't of IVest, St.
Louis, Mo.SIn:-The President observes with concern, that notwithstanding




276          GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
the pledge of the State authorities to co6perate in preserving peace
in Missouri, that loyal citizens in great numbers continue to be driven
from their homes.
It is immaterial whether those outrages continue from inactivity
or indisposition on the part of the State authorities to prevent them.
It is enough that they continue, to devolve on you the duty of putting a stop to them summarily by the force under your command, to
be aided by such troops as you may require from Kansas, Iowa, and
Illinois. The professions of loyalty to the Union by the State authorities of Missouri are not to be relied upon. They have already
falsified their professions too often, and are too far committed to
secession, to be submitted to your confidence, and you can only be
sure of their desisting from their wicked purposes when it is out of
their power to prosecute them. You will therefore be unceasingly
watchful of their movements, and not permit the clamors of their
partizans and opponents of the wise measures already taken, to prevent you-from checking every movement against the Government,
however disguised, under the pretended State authority. The authority of the United States is paramount, and whenever it is apparent that a movement, whether by color of State authority or not, is
hostile, you will not hesitate to put it down.
I am, Sir, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
(Signed,)                        L. THOlMAS, Adj. Gen."
It is my determination to carry out these instructions in their letter and spirit. Their justice and propriety will be appreciated by all
those who take an enlightened view of the relations of the citizens
of Missouri to the General Government;nor can such policy be construed as at all disparaging to the rights or dignity of the State of
Missouri, or as infringing in any sense upon the individual liberty of
its citizens.
The recent proclamation of Gov. Jackson, by which he has set at
defiance the authorities of the United States, and urged you to make
war upon them, is but the consummation of his treasonable purposes,
long indicated by his acts and expressed opinions, and now made
manifest. If, in suppressing these treasonable projects, carrying out
the policy of the Government, and maintaining its dignity, as above
indicated, hostilities should unfortunately occur, and unhappy co1n



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.                       2.77
sequences should follow, I would hope that all aggravation of those
evils may be avoided, and that they may be diverted from the innocent and may fall only upon the heads of those by whom they have
been provoked.
In the discharge of these plain but onerous duties, I shall look for
the countenance and active co-operation of all good citizens. I shall
expect them to discountenance all illegal combinations or organizations, and to support and uphold, by every lawful means, the Federal
Government, upon the maintenance of which depend the'r liberties
and the perfect enjoyment of all their rights.
N. LYON,
Brig. Gen. U. S. Vol. Commanding.
June 15, 1861
June 16th, Gen. Lyon, with a force of nearly two
thousand men, left Jefferson  City on the steamers
A. McDowell, Iatan, and City of Louisiana, in pursuit of Gov. Jackson.  Having stopped a few hours
during the night, the expedition, early the next
morning, came in sight of a hostile battery planted
on the bluffs several miles below  Booneville.  The
boats were turned back a short distance to an eligible place, where the  troops disembarked  without
opposition.  They immediately took the river-road
for the city, a sufficient force being left behind for
the protection of the steamers.  On ascending the
bluff a mile and a half from the place of landing,
the pickets of the enemy were seen and driven in.
The troops passed on up the gentle acclivity, and on
gaining the summit, came in sight of the rebels.
These were strongly posted about three hundred
yards in advance, on the crest of a long ridge, par



278      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON,
allel to the swell of ground now occupied by the
Federals. The road which led directly over it was
held by a battalion of infantry and a small body of
cavalry. O01 the left was a brick house, and in the
rear a lane extending toward the river, where the
main body were stationed. The right wing of the
enemy were posted in a wheat field on tlhe opposite
side of the road.
So soon as the advancing column could be prepared for action, Capt. Totten opened the engagement by throwing shell into the ranks of the rebels.
They replied with a noisy discharge of musketry,
and at first seemed determined to make an obstinate
fight. But the terrible effectiveness of the artillery,
and the steady approach of the infantry, soon threw
them into a panic which ended in a disgraceful
rout. Twenty minutes after the discharge of the
first shot from Capt. Totten's battery, the Union
troops were in possession of the whole field.
The enemy fled to their encampment a mile west
of the battle-ground, and four and a half miles east
of Booneville. Here they made a halt which proved
to be very brief, for the rapidity of the pursuit left
them little time to collect their effects. The camp
equipage, provisions, ammunition, horses, and guns
abandoned by the rebels, were captured.
This camp was formed the previous Friday, (the




GEN. NA.THANIEL LYON.            27 9
14th.)  The same day messengers were dispatched
to towns near and remote, to urge the State Guards
and the people generally to repair forthwith to
Booneville, and to bring with them arms and ammunition. Men soon began to pour in singly and
in squads, and were immediately sent forward to
this position. Sunday morning a rumor reached
the rebel head-quarters, -that the forces of Gen.
Lyon were near the city, and approaching rapidly.
After a hasty consultation, the Governor and military officers came to the conclusion that the preparations for defense were not yet sufficiently complete to warrant them in giving battle. Accordingly
an order was issued to the State troops to disband.
Some took advantage of the license to leave, but
the larger and more resolute portion preferred to
remain. Gen. Price was absent, having gone home
on account of indisposition. The rumor which had
so alarmed the rebel leaders was soon ascertained
to be false, when their courage revived. The first
order was countermanded. Troops continued to
arrive during the day, and by Monday morning,
the time of the engagement, their number was estimated at thirty-five hundred. Only a few, however,
were well armed. The weapons of six-sevenths of
the force were confined to the rifles, shot-guns and
knives which they brought from home. The whole




280      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
mass was unorganized, undisciplined, and consequently no match for the well-trained troops of
Gen. Lyon.
Gov. Jackson, with a select body guard, awaited
the issue at a safe distance.  When the fate of the
contest became apparent, he rode to town and
shortly after disappeared without indicating the
place of his destination.  Since then, a fugitive and
a wanderer, seeking rest but finding none, he has
tasted the sweets of the rebellion, to the fortunes of
which he strove so earnestly and unscrupulously to
commit the State of MIissouri.
Capt. Cole was left in charge of the captured
camp, while the main body pushed on toward Booneville. Near the town, they were met by a number
of influential citizens, bearing a flag of truce.  Gen.
Lyon received them courteously, and gave assurances that the people need apprehend no trouble,
if ready to acknowledge the laws and authority of
the United States. The city was now surrendered
to the Federal authorities. Loyal inhabitants hailed
their deliverance from recent terrorism, oppression
and tumult, with entilusiastic demonstrations of
joy. Uproarious cheers welcomed the Union leaders. Ordinary business was resumed, and the blessings of peace and order quickly succeeded the brief
but violent reign of treason.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               281
Meanwhile Capt. Richardson effected a landing
below the battery on the bluff, which he captured.
Two cannon, twenty prisoners, several horses, and
a quantity of military stores here fell into the hands
of the Federals.  Thus the triumph was complete.
Two of the Union soldiers were killed and eleven
wounded. The loss of tile State troops is not exactly known.  The earliest telegraphic accounts
placed it at three hundred-a wild exaggeration.
Their flight was so precipitate and rapid that they
were exposed to fire but a few moments, and as only
five hundred of the Federal troops were actively
engaged, the slaughter could not have been very
heavy in proportion to the whole number of the secession rabble.
In the hottest of the fight, Gen. Lyon, while
leading on the column, attempted to dismount, not
wishing to present quite so conspicuous-a target for
the marksmen of the enemy. The horse at the
same instant darting aside from  frioght, threw him
upon the ground.  The rumor flew along the lines
that the General was shot. Till the truth was ascertained, the shouts for vengeance were loud and
terrible, for no officer was ever more beloved by his
soldiers.
Among other trophies, a quantity of treasonable
letters and documents were seized. These contrib



282      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
uted still further to establish the fact that the executive and other prominent officials of the State,
while loud in the utterance of fair professions, were
industriously plotting  against the  Government.
Although such proofs of guilt could add no strength
to the convictions of the Union leaders, they served
to condemn the traitors out of their own mouths,
presenting most conclusive evidence of their previous falsehood and duplicity.
Gen. Lyon issued a second proclamation, the day
after the battle, to the people of Missouri. After
setting forth the reasons of his expedition to Booneville, he proceeded to deal with the case of the
captured prisoners. These he released on account
of their immature age, and of the frauds ingeniously
devised by older heads for their misguidance, on
their simple promise not to bear arms against the
United States. At the same time, he gave warning
that the mildness of the General Government could
not be expected to continue, if its clemency should
still be abused as on former occasions.
He also endeavored to disabuse the minds of the
people of the erroneous ideas which many of them
entertained respecting the purposes of the Government, and promised amnesty for past offenses to
such as would now relinquish their hostile attitude
to the United States.




GEN.  NATH &NIEL  LYON.                    283
PROCLAMATION-TO THE PEOPLE OF MISSOURI.
Upon leaving the city of St. Louis, in consequence of the declaration of war made by the Governor of this State against the Government of the United Slates, because I would not assume, on its
behalf, to relinquish its duties and abdicate its rights of protecting
loyal citizens from the oppression and cruelties of secessionists in
this State, I published an address to the people, in which I declared
my intention to use the force under my command for no other purpose than the maintenance of the authority of the General Government, and the protection of the rights and property of all law abiding citizens.
The State authorities, in violation of an agreement with Gen.
Harney, on the 21st of May last, had drawn together and organized
upon a large scale the means of warfare, and having made declaration of war, they abandoned the capital, issued orders for the destruction of the railroad and telegraph lines, and proceeded to this
point to put in execution their hostile purposes toward the General
Government. This devolved upon me the necessity of meeting this
issue to the best of my ability, and accordingly I moved to this point
with a portion of the force under my command, attacked and dispersed the hostile forces gathered here by the Governor, and took
possession of the camp equipage left, and a considerable number of
prisoners, most of them young and of immature age, who represent
that they have been misled by frauds, ingeniously devised and industriously circulated by designing leaders, who seek to devolve upon
unreflecting and deluded followers the task of securing the object
of their own false ambition. Out of compassion for these nmisguided
youths, and to correct impressions created by unscrupulous calumniators, I have liberated them upon condition that they will not serve
in the impending hostilities against the United States Government.
I have done this in spite of the known facts that the leaders in the
present rebellion, having long experienced the mildness of the General Government, still feel confident that this mildness can not be
overtaxed, even by factious hostilities, having in view its overthrow;
but if, as in the case of the late Camp Jackson affair, this clemency
shall still be misconstrued, it is proper to give warning, that the
Government can not be always expected to indulge it to the compromise of its evident welfare.
Having learned that those plotting against the Government have




2834        GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
falsely represented that the Government troops intended a forcible
and violent invasion of jMissouri, for the purposes of military despotism and tyranny, I hereby give notice to the people of this State,
that I shall scrupulously avoid all interference with the business,
rights and property of every description, recognized by the laws of
this State, and belonging to law abiding citizens; but that it is equally my duty to maintain the paramount authority of the United States
with such force as I have at my command, which will be retained
only so long as opposition shall make it necessary, and that it is my
wish, and shall be my purpose to devolve any unavoidable rigor arising in this issue, upon those only who provoke it.
All persons who, under the misapprehensions above mentioned,
have taken up arms, or who are now preparing to do so, are invited
to return to their homes and relinquish their hostile attitude to the
General Government, and are assured that they may do so without
being molested for past occurrences.
N. LYON,
Brigadier-General U. S. Vol., Commanding.
BOONEVILLE, MO., June 18, 1861.
When General Lyon  entered Booneville many of
the citizens were strongly prejudiced against him.
He had been represented by the numerous calumni.
ators of the Government, who for some time past had
borne undisputed  sway in the city, as cruel, vindictive and tyrannic. Popular opinion placed him at
the head of an army made up of blood-thirsty and
rapacious hirelings, who had  enlisted in the enterprise for booty, and for the gratification of brutal
instincts.
But a short experience served completely to dissipate such impressions.  The bearing of Gen. Lyon,
both as a soldier and gentleman, overwhelmed his
enemies by the recoil of their own falsehoods, and




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               285
made many converts to the Union cause. His kindness to the wounded left on the battle-field, his lenity to the prisoners, his generous and courteous demeanor toward bitter secessionists, his impartiality
in punishing the men guilty of depredations upon
the property of rebel-sympathizers, and the uniform
beneficence with which he exercised his authority, —
all stood forth in bold contrast with the illegal and
desperate measures of his principal vilifiers.
A near relative and intimate personal friend of
Gen. Lyon, having been often solicited by correspondents of the press and others, for information in
regard to the earlier experiences of the General,
requested him to make a memorandum of the most
prominent events in his past life for the benefit of
the public. He received the following reply:
BOONEVILLE, Mo., June 28th, 1861.
DEAR COUSIN,-I have your two notes askillg for
points of my military service. I have not answered,
because I have no time, and do not think the subject
of the least importance. This great and most wicked
rebellion absorbs my whole being to the exclusion
of any considerations of fame or self-advancement.
In this issue, if I have or shall have a conspicuous
part, I would share it and the honors of it equally
with every one who contributes to sustain the great
cause of our country which I have so much at heart.




286      GEN. NATHIANIEL LYON.
I have not received your notice of me ill the
Journal of Commerce. iMost of the notices by the
press are more or less erroneous. But alas the past
is nothing-painfully indeed unfruitful of benefits
to our race. It is with the present we are dealing,
and let us all devote ourselves to it with a view to
secure the future. And let that future be blank
and forever oblivious rather than our cause fail before the unscrupulous villainy now at war upon it.
Of the ultimate result I have no doubts, thoughl unfavorable incidents may arise under frauds, and misrepresentations, and a heretofore demoralized sentiment at the North, so unfortunately auspicious to
our enemies.
I am now deeply involved and concerned in the
issues before me. MIy exertions and will shall not
be wanting, though they may not go far to effect the
result.
What is now before me in this region I hardly
know. The Governor and party have gone Soutl]
and may make another stand; though it is probable
they intend to rendezvous in Arkansas and return
with reinforcements. I have been unavoidably de.
layed by getting up a train, but shall pursue thougl
I do not expect to catch the fugitives.
Yours truly,
N. LYON.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             287
The brilliant exploits of General Lyon had excited
the admiration of the country, and made him the
hero of the hour. But while all eyes were turned
toward him, and all were eager to do him honor,
he was devoting every thought and every power of
mind and body to the service of the nation, regardless of popularity or applause. He never paused to
inquire how an action would affect him personally,
or whether it was likely to bring favor or reproach.
If a particular course was obviously demanded by
the public good, that alone was a sufficient warrant
to attempt it. No mall less selfish; or more patriotic,
ever lived.




CHAPTER  XII.
Two weeks were busily occupied at Booneville in
collecting a train and making other preparations for
a march. Owing to the vigorous policy of Gen.
Lyon and his associates, the principal towns on the
Missouri river, and indeed throughlout the State,
were now under the control of the Federal authorities. The presence of loyal bayonets proved to be
the weightiest of arguments for turning secessionists
from the error of their ways. Remarkable conversions everywhere rewarded the labors of the Union
armies. Villages before wholly given over apparently to blindness of vision and hardness of heart,
repented when National troops proclaimed in their
midst the terrors of a broken law. Men of evil intentions had no time to organize formidable movements in opposition to the General Government.
As a consequence the disaffected rapidly returned
to their first love, and the loyal sentiment of the
people grew stronger every day.




GEN. NATIHANIEL LYON.              289
Meanwhile the whereabouts of Governor Jackson
attracted no small degree of curiosity and comment.
Rumlor placed him at numerous and widely distant
localities, surrounding him with a great diversity of
retinues.  Repudiated by the people whom he had
striven to betray, and almost encircled by the gleaming bayonets of the Federal power, his position at
best seemed full of peril. Kansas on the West remembered the cruel efforts put forth by Claiborlne
F. Jackson a few years before, to trample under
foot the rights and liberties of her people. Having
just entered the constellation of States, she testified
her gratitude for freedom, by arming a large proportion of her sons in defense of the institutions which
hlad already cost her no small share of suffering and
blood.  Escape in that direction was impossible.
General Lyon was preparing to sweep southward
from Booneville, and it was certain that the fugitive
Governor would take good care to avoid another
"interview."  General Sweeny and Col. Siegel held
the country about Springfield and the line toward
St. Louis.
It was necessary to procure a train at Booneville
before starting for Southwestern Missouri.  Notice
was sent into the surrounding country that teanms
must be had, and that a fair price would be paid for
such as were brought in voluntarily.  Three army
13




290      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
officers and two citizens were appointed to make a
selection fromi the property offered for sale, and to
arrange the terms.
The patriotism  of the people was wonderfully
stimulated by the prospect of ready money, and
every owner of a dilapidated wagon or spavined
horse, hastened to Booneville to place it at the
service of the Government. From the motley and
ludicrous collection of animals and vehicles, the
commissioners succeeded in making up a train
which proved much more useful than showy.
Heavy rains delayed the departure of troops several days. At length the sky became more propitious, and on the 3d of July, Gen. Lyon's army,
numbering twenty-seven hundred men, with four
pieces of artillery and a long baggage-train, started
for Springfield. The day, like many following, was
intensely hot. At one o'clock, P. M., the. troops
encamped on the banks of a small stream sixteen
miles from Booneville.
At three o'clock on the morning of July Fourth,
the roll of drums aroused the weary men to resume
the march. But on this national holiday the army
paused not for parade or merriment. Through
stifling dust and fiery heat, this column of earnest
warriors celebrated the birth-day of the Nation by
hurrying bravely forward to strike the Nation's foe.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              291
The line of nmarch was as follows:
A company of regulars, armed with rifled mus.
kets, led the way.
Next followed one hundred pioneers, with Sharps'
rifles slung across their shoulders, and with axes
and shovels in their hands.
Then came Capt. Totten's battery, each gun
drawn by four powerful horses, and attended by a
body of cannoneers ready for instant service.
Tlhe artillery was succeeded by Bates' Iowa regiment and Blair's St. Louis regiment.
A baggage-train two miles in length, followed by
a drove of' cattle and a company of soldiers, brought
up the rear.
Gen. Lyon, mounted on an iron-grey horse, and
accompanied by his body-guard, galloped ulp and
down the line, encouraging the men, and keeping a
watchful eye on everything.
This body-guard was composed of ten German
butchers from St. Louis, conspicuous for their stalwart forms and fearless horsemanship. Mounted
on powerful chargers, and armed with revolvers
and massive cavalry swords, they rode by the General's side wherever his duties called him.
The fifth of July, the army, while marching
across a broad, open prairie, was overtaken by a
terrific thunder storm. The men were all drenched




292      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
in the torrents which fell upon their unsheltered
heads. Toward night tle clouds passed away, and
the troops, encamping in a field of tall, dank grass,
partially dried their clothing in the rays of the settinllg sun.
The sixth, the army marched more than twenty
miles before noon, when they encamped upon the
prairie. At night Gen. Lyon dispatched two companies under Capt. Cole, to secure the ferry at
Grand River, eighteen miles distant. This detachment, having marched forty miles in twenty-four
hours, was entirely successful in the object of its
mission. At this ferry (in Henry county,) Gen.
Lyon was joined the next day by three thousand
troops from Kansas, under command of Maj. Sturgis. A small scow,.capable of accomlmodating but
forty men, afforded the only means at hand for
crossing the stream. This was kept inl constant
motion during the night, and by ten o'clock the
next morning the troops and the long baggagetrain were all on tile opposite bank. Two cavalry
companies crossed first, the evening of the 7th, and
immediately pushed forward under cover of night,
to gain the ferry on the Osage, twenty-two miles
ahead. Reaching the river shortly after day-break,
they discovered the ferry-boat tied to the opposite
shore. A few of the men swam over and secured it.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              293
Tilhe main army reached thle Osage on the afternoon of the 9th, strikingc the stream in the heart
of a dense forest, ten or twelve miles west of Oceola. Here they first heard of Col. Siegel's fight at
Carthage, and of his retreat toward Springfield.
Rumor magnified the peril of his situation, and the
necessity of immediate aid. The news produced
the most intense excitement. Different commanders implored Gen. Lyon to allow them to cross first
with their detachments, promising to march the
whole distance (eighty miles) to Springfield in
thirty-six hours.  Gen. Lyon decided, however,
that the troops should cross the stream in regular
order, and then hurry forward by forced marches.
He also changed the direction of his march, which
had hitherto been directed toward a point considerably west of Springfield.
Shortly after sunrise on the 11th, the army
started from the south bank of the Osage. Most
of the night had been occupied in transporting the
men and teams over the stream. But the prospect
of soon meeting the enemy seemed to render the
troops insensible to fatigue. All were eager for
battle, and under the stimulus of the recent news
pressed on, unmindful of the scorching heat. At
three P. M., the army halted for dinner, twentyseven miles from the Osage terry.




294      GEN. NATH ANIEL LYON.
At sundown the line of march was again formed.
The road soon struck a heavy forest, where the
dense foliage of the overhanging limbs shut out the
glimmer of the stars, leaving the men to grope their
way through almost total darkness. The road was
little traveled, and extremely rough. Steep hills,
deep gorges, swift streams, miry sloughs, gullies
washed out by the rains, rocks scattered about
everywhere, stumps and fallen timber, were among
the obstacles which had to be encountered in the
darkness. Many were the bruised limbs and broken
vehicles. For thirty-six hours most of the men
had hardly closed their eyes, and now insupportable
drowsiness overpowered them. If the line came to
a momentary halt, scores fell asleep in their tracks.
Arousing as the column moved on, the men struggled bravely against fatigue till three o'clock in the
morning, when Gen. Lyon ordered a halt. Scarcely
was the order issued, before nin6-tenths of the army
were buried in slumber. Few waited to unroll their
blankets, or seek a sheltered spot for a couch.
Wherever they  stood, they  dropped upon thl
ground-officers and privates indiscriminately —
with the earth for a bed and the sky for a covering.
Within twenty-four hours, the army had marched
nearly fifty miles, over a horrible road-and that,




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              295
too, when worn down by previous hardships and the
loss of rest.
The next morning, a messenger announced the
safety of Col. Siegel. The remainder of the route
was leisurely finished the two following days, the
army encamping ill the vicinity of Springfield on
the 13th.
The entire distance of nearly two hundred miles,
including tile passage across two rivers with very
inadequate means of transportation, was accomplishlled in eleven days. Such celerity of movement,
in the face of such obstacles, tells its own story and
needs no comment.
By means of incredible exertions, Gen. Lyon had
forced the armed enemies of the Government into
the South-Western corner of the State. Barely a
month before, the rebel leaders menanced St. Louis,
and confidently predicted the speedy extinction of
all Federal authority in Missouri.  But the vigor
of Gen. Lyon happily thwarted their nefarious
plans. Within the short period of five weeks he
had driven Gov. Jackson and Gen. Price from Jefferson City, from Booneville, and now to the very
borders of Arkansas.
In the terrible struggle which ensued, every advantage was with the enemy. Many of the troops
who had captured Camp Jackson, seized the State




.296      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
Capital, and won the victory at Booneville, had now
served through tile period of enlistment, and were
about to return to their homes. On tile other hand,
the numerous rebels of lMissouri who had gathered
in this vicinity under command of Gen. Price, were
here reinforced from  all of tile South-Western
States.  Gen. MIcCulloch, the Confederate commander, had at his disposal an overwhelming army,
and was prepared to enter upon offensive and aggressive movements. The force of Gen. Lyon grew
weaker every day. He called repeatedly for reinforcements, but no reinforcements were sent. Yet
he was determined to hold the position at all hazards. The strategic importance of the country, the
great value of the Granby lead mines which he
hoped to wrest from the enemy, and the protection
of Unionists, induced him to remain notwithstanding the great numerical superiority and other advantages of the rebel army.
Information having reached Springfield that the
rebels were preparing to move upon the town in two
divisions, Gen. Lyon decided to make a forced march
and fight them separately. Late in the afternoon,
on the first of August, his entire army, with the
exception of a small force left behind to guard the
city, set out on the expedition. At ten o'clock they
reached the place of rendezvous on Crane Creek,




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             297
and encamped for the night. The next morning
the troops were in motion at an early hour. Thle
hardships of that and the several subsequent days,
were excessive.  MIost of the streams and wells
were dry, the air was filled with clouds of fine dust
stirred up by the tramp of men and animals, tile
sun shone with tropical fervor upon the parched
fields, and few trees were found along the way to
shelter the troops from its overpowering rays. The
road, in many places, was lined with forests of
scrubby oaks and other stunted growths, which
afforded little shade, yet rendered the march much
more slow and laborious on account of the precautions necessary to avoid possible ambuscades and
masked batteries.
In the afternoon the army arrived at Dug Springs,
nineteen miles South-west of Springfield. On entering the valley, clouds of dust moving hither and
thither at the opposite extremity, announced the
presence of the enemy.  The column advanced
cautiously in order of battle, ready and eager for
immediate action. Capt. Steele's company of regular ilfantry, supported by a company of cavalry,
held the advance position on the left. A strong
body of the enemy now hurried forward from their
cover in the woods, for the obvious purpose of cutting them off from the main body, which was some
13'




298      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
distance inl the rear. The cavalry, numbering about
one hundred and fifty, under command of Capt.
Stanley, prepared to receive them.  Several volleys
had been exchanged, when a small squad of twentyseven horsemen, under Lieut. Kelley, made a plunge
into the ranks of the rebel infantry, as brilliant in
results as rash in conception. Panic-stricken and
appalled at the unexpected charge, many of the
enemy were cut down, and the rest prudently withdrew to make room for the remainder of Capt.
Stanley's company, now galloping down to the support of their comrades.
Capt. Totten, of the artillery, having planted a
couple of guns upon a commanding eminence, soon
had an opportunity to show his skill upon a body
of mounted rebels which had just emerged froml
the wood and was forming for an advance. Shell
after shell was sent with unerring certainty into
their midst. Saddles were emptied by the explosions,:the horses became unmanageable, and the
gay cavalcade, with characteristic discretion, galloped enthusiastically out of the range of Capt.
Totten's missiles.
This skirmishing seemed the fitting preliminary
to a great and important battle. The Union army
had patiently endured the heat, the thirst, and the
dust, in thle hope of meeting and routing the enemy.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               299
But the desperation of the cavalry charge, and the
fatal accuracy of the Federal gunners, led the Southrons to beat a precipitate and inglorious retreat.
Upwards of forty rebels were killed and many
more wounded. Lyon's loss was about one-fourth
as great.
The morning of the third, the troops were quietly
aroused, and by four o'clock were again on the road.
Advancing cautiously over the hills for six or eight
miles, the column came upon a body of the enemy
at "McCullocll Spring."  To try their strength and
mettle, Capt. Totten sent a few shot into their midst,
and Lieut. Dubois gave them a shell which struck
the chimney of the house where the officers were
preparing to breakfast.  At this point the discretion
of the rebels got the better of their valor, and they
hastily fled, leaving behind a large quantity of provisions, as well as blallkets, muskets, and ot!ler trophies, to fall into the hands of the Federals.
A little later, Gen. Lyon and his staff rode up to
the deserted premises, and in doing so met with one
of those narrow escapes which sometimes occur in
tlhe fortunes of war. At this place the highway
winds through a narrow valley bounded on each
side by steep and wooded hills.  The house, which
seemingll   formed tile head-quarters of tile rebel
officers, and the granary connected with it, stood- on




300      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
opposite sides of the road, while near by M cCulloch
Spring gushed copiously from  the earth.  Gen.
Lyon and his attendants were now in advance, but
erroneously supposed that two companies of cavalry
were ahead, and that two regiments were flanking
the right and left. Having dismounted and led the
horses into the inclosure of the granary, the party
stood in the shade waiting for the forces to come
up. Soon a dozen of the Federal skirmishers descended from  the hill and Genr. Lyon inquired,
"1 What has become of the first Missouri? I thought
they were just behind us."  Hardly was the question asked, when the regiment appeared in sight,
around a bend in the road, a quarter of a mile in
the rear.' Beside them came a squad of cavalry
whlo approached unconcernedly, as if futlly satisfied
with their present situation and future prospects.
Advancing at a lively walk, they reached the place
where Gen. Lyon was standing.  He inquired,
"' What men are you? " but received no reply. At
the same time Maaj. Shepard stepping up to one of
the horsemen in the center of the column, asked,
"What company is this?"  Tile fellow kept silent,
and the question was repeated. The horseman now
turned deadly pale and stammeringly referred thle
Major to tlle Captain of tile squad. 3Maj. Shepard
saw at once that they were rebels, and turning to




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              301
the first Missouri who were now a little behind,
shouted, "Forward, double quick."  Without waiting for further invitation, the rebels spurred their
horses into a furious gallop, and plunged into the
woods. The skirmishers standing by the fence gave
them a parting volley. Nulmerous blood-stains were
found along the way, and several horses were disabled.
The rebel cavalry were armed with rifles and
might easily have cut off Gen. Lyon and his staff.
But their fright totally unmanned them, and not
one offered to discharge his piece.
A number of prisoners and deserters were brought
in who gave conflicting accounts of the position and
strength of the rebel forces. It seemed impossible
to overtake and engage them. Provisions were becoming scarce, and the prospect of procuring further
supplies from Springfield over a road menaced by
a strong and vagrant enemy, was not very encouraging. At this juncture General Lyon called a
council of the principal officers which decided in
favor of returning to Springfield. On the fourth
of August the army began to retrace its steps, and
marched half the distance before encamping for the
night. The column then moved leisurely back to
the town, where the troops were joyfully welcomed
by the people, who for several days had apprehended
an attack.




302      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
Tuesday, August 6th, the Federal army was stationed in tile city and upon thle roads emerginlg from
it. Major Sturgis, with two thousand men, held a
position five miles distant on the Fayetteville road.
General Lyon had determined to make a night
attack upon the enemy, and accordingly kept this
strong force in advance, ready to move at a moment's
notice. At nightfall, Tuesday, every preparation
was made for a forward movement.  Soon. after
dark, an incessant stream of visitors and messengers
poured into the head-quarters of General Lyon, to
communicate information, receive orders and trailsact other business with the Commander-in-chief.
Amid the pressure of duties time slipped unconsciously by, and the hour of twelve arrived before
he left his apartments. He now proceeded to Camp
Hunter to direct the forward movements of the
column. Here, on consulting his watch for the first
time, he found that it was three o'clock A. MI.,-two
hours later than he supposed. The night was too
far gone to justify any hope of taking the enemy by
surprise. He therefore called a council of officers
and acting upon their advice ordered the whole
army to fall back to Springfield. Daylight broke
before the troops reached the city.
Wednesday, General Lyon remarked to a friend,
"I begin to believe our term of soldiering is about




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             303
completed. I have tried earnestly to discharge my
whole duty to the Government, and appealed to
them for reinforcements and supplies; but, alas,
they do not come, and the enemy is getting advantage of us."
A week before (July 31st) he wrote to the same
efiect:
"We are deeply grieved over the retreat of our
forces at Mianassas. If our people shall learn from
this a little more moderation, and substitute a little
resolution for the overweening confidence they have
too much indulged, this defeat will have its benefits.'I have been compelled to remain quiet here for
want of supplies to move, and I fear the enemy may
become emboldened by our want of activity. I
have constant rumors of a very large force below,
and of threats to attack us with overwhelming numbers. I should have a much larger force than I
have, and be much better supplied."
The same day, August 7th, a council of war was
held. The officers with great unanimity favored
the evacuation of Springfield. Some proposed to
withdraw in the direction of Kansas, and others to
retreat to Rolla. General Sweeney, however, strenuously opposed the measure, pointing out the intolerable hardships that would befall the Union men,
and the ruin that would overwhelm the Union cause




304      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
in that part of the State, if abandoned to the enemy.
He also urged that the southern invaders, flushed
with bloodless triumph, would impute the step to
cowardice, and make great capital of the assumption.
He thought the army should strike so soon as opportunlity offered, and maintain its ground till absolutely
forced to leave. The views of G.en. Sweeney coincided with those of the Commander-in-chief. The
next day, on being asked when Springfield was to be
evacuated, General Lyon replied, "Not before we
are whipped."
Thursday morning the rumor came that the enemy
were marching upon the town. Preparations were
quickly made for defense. Troops were drawn up
for action, incumbrances removed, and the baggage,
train sent to a secure place near the center of the
city. In this posture of affairs the hours wore away
without any appearance of the rebels. As a part
of the Kansas troops were much exhausted from
services the night before, the project of surprising
the enemy was again deferred, and all the men except those on guard were ordered to retire to rest.
Let us now return a little in our narrative to
review the previous movements of the enemy. In
the month of July, General Price, commander of the
Missouri State Guard, collected a large force in
McDonald county, near tile extreme south-western




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.               305
corner of the State. His experience during the
early part of the season had inspired him with a
wholesome dread of General Lyon.  A more venturesonme leader could hardly have remained contentedly amid the seclusion of those wild and unfrequented prairie lands, while an antagonist at the
head of a comparatively small force was dealing cut
constant and heavy blows at the party in rebellion.
Although General Price might believe in the prevalent theory that one "true southerner" was equal
to two or three Unionists, lie manifested no imlpatience to make a trial of strength on any terms.
But at length the rebel force became so numerous
in South-western Missouri, that further inaction could
not fail to demoralize the hordes who had assembled
from near and far in the hope of easy and brilliant
victories. Four southern armies were stationed at
different points along the border, under Generals
Price, MAcCulloch, Pearce and McBride.  Arrangements were made to unite all these forces late in
July, and Cassville was selected as the place of rendezvous. On the 29th of the month the junction
was effected.
The combined army left Cassville in three divisions on the 1st and 2d of August.  After pursuing
a somewhat circuitous course, it reached Wilson's
Creek on the 6th. It was the advance guard of this




306      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
force under General Rains, that sustained the repulse at Dug Springs. But the main body showed
no disposition to come to a general engageme'nt at
that time, although it would have been easy to throw
forward strong reinforcements.
At Wilson's Creek, ten or twelve miles south-west
of Springfield, twenty-three thousand men now encamped.
Gen. Lyon's effective force numbered but little
over five thousand. He felt keenly the embarrassments and dangers of his situation.  Weary days
and sleepless nights he had waited for a response to
his numerous appeals for aid, but waited, alas, in
vain. Even to his sanguine and hopeful spirit, to
ad-vance seemed extremely perilous, and to retreat
hardly less so. But he resolved to make one desperate effort to retain the advantages which hard
fighting, long marches, and months of ceaseless
toil had given him. Even in this hour of gloom
he was cheered by the proud consciousness of having accomplished all that it was possible to accomplish. It was no fault of his that after a series of
brilliant achievements in the service of his country,
he was now left with a small body of troops, in a
region of doubtful loyalty, to cope with the legions
which all of the South-western States had deliberately armed and sent forth for the subjugation of




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             307
Missouri. As perils thickened around the heroic
band, the genius of their leader rose to meet the
terrible exigency of the hour.
Springfield could not be made defensible against
a superior force, as the town was built upon a broad
plain without natural bulwarks. To remain quietly while the enemy blocked up every avenue of
exit with overwhelming numbers, would end in the
sacrifice of the whole command. Gen. Lyon now
conceived the bold design of marching forth by
night and surprising the rebel camp. By striking
a sudden and effective blow, he hoped to inflict so
deep a wound as to paralyze the enemy till he could
either be relieved by reinforcements, or, if none
came, retreat in safety to Rolla. The execution
of the plan had been postponed twice already.
Friday, August 9th, preparations for an attack the
following night were perfected.
He divided his little army into two columns, with
a view to attack the Southern camp in two places.
The main column, under his own immediate command, consisted of three brigades.
The first brigade, under Maj. Sturgis, was composed of one battalion regular infantry, under
Capt. Plummer; companies B, C, and D, first
infantry, Captains Gilbert, Plummer and Huston,
with one company of rifle recruits, under Lieut.




308      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
Wood; Maj. Osterhaus' battalion, second Missouri
Volunteers, two companies; Capt. Totten's light
battery, six pieces; Capt. Wood's mounted company, second Kansas Volunteers; and Lieut..Canfield's company of regular cavalry.
The second brigade, commanded by Lieut. Col.
Andrews, of the first Missouri Volunteers, con.
sisted of Capt. Steele's battalion of regulars, two
companies, second infantry; one company of recruits, under Lieut. Lathrop, fourth artillery; one
company of recruits, under Sergt. Morine; Lieut.
Dubois' light battery, consisting of four pieces; and
the first Missouri Volunteers.
The third brigade consisted of the first and second Kansas Volunteers, Cols. Deitzler and Mitchell;
the first Iowa Volunteers, and about two hundred
Home Guards, (mounted.)  These three brigades
made up the column led by Gen. Lyon in person.
The second column, under Col. Siegel, was composed of two regiments Missouri Volunteers, the
third and fifth; Capt. Carr's company of cavalry;
one company of dragoons, Lieut. Farrand; and one
light battery, six guns. Col. Siegel was ordered to
advance by the Fayetteville road, so as to fall upon
the right and rear of the encampment.
Gen. Lyon's column left Springfield at five o'clock
P. M. on the 9th of August, and moving cautiously




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              309
forward, came in sight of the guard-fires of the
enemy at one o'clock the next morning. The men
now halted, sleeping on their arms till daybreak,
when the march was resumed.  Capt. Gilbert's
company still continued in advance as before.
By a singular coincidence, Gen. McCulloch had
made arrangements to precipitate his forces upon
Sprilgfield the same night.  Friday afternoon,
orders were issued to the rebel army to be in readiness to start at nine o'clock. They were to proceed
in four separate columns, so as to surround the
city, and make a simultaneous attack at the dawn
of day. Owing, however, to the threatening appearance of the clouds, he countermanded the
order just before the time of departure, directing
the men to rest on their arms and be prepared to
move at the shortest notice. In consequence of
the projected operations against Springfield, McCullock withdrew his advanced pickets on the 9th, and
as nothing was further from his apprehensions than
a visit from Lyon's small force, he had not taken
the precaution to throw them out again. Consequently the advancing column had only to drive in
the camp-pickets, and were thus enabled to effect a
complete surprise.
Gen. Lyon directed his course so as to strike the
extreme northern point of the rebel encampment.




310      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
Soon an outpost on the right was alarmed, and
hurried away to communicate the news. But the
Federal center and left had already partially cut
them off, and they probably failed to join the main
body in time to render their information at all valtable. Gen. Lyon's advance was within gun-shot
of the Southern camp, before the rebel officers were
aware of their approach.
Gen. Price, in his official report of the battle,
says: "About six o'clock, I received a messenger
from Gen. Rains, that the enemy were advancing in
great force from the direction of Springfield, and
were already within two or three hundred yards
of the position where he was encamped."-" A second messenger came immediately afterward from
Gen. Rains, to announce that the main body of the
enemy was upon him." —" Gen. McCulloch was
with me when these messengers came, and left at
once for his own head-quarters, to make the necessary disposition of our forces."
Wilson's Creek here flows through a narrow valley, inclosed on each side by gently sloping hills.
The grounds were covered with patches of low
trees, which served very much to hide the movements of the enemy. The tents extended for a
long distance on both banks of the stream. Portions of the valley and the hill-s;des had beenl




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              311
cleared, and converted  into  corn  and wheatfields.
When the camp pickets were driven in, Gen.
Lyon directed the mounted IHome Guard and Capt.
Plummer's battalion to cross Wilson's creek, and
move forward on the opposite side, on a line with
the advance of the main body, for the purpose of
thwarting any attempts of the enemy to turn his
left flank. The principal column now traversed a
ravine, and oil ascending a steep ridge, came in
sight of a strong force of southern infantry.  Maj.
Osterhaus' battalion was deployed to the right, and
two companies of the first Missouri Volunteers to
the left, to act as skirmishers. The left section of
Capt. Totten's battery, under Lieut. Sokalski, now
opened upon the enemy in the woods, and a few
minutes later the remaining four pieces were planted
on a commanding eminence to the right, and further forward. A well directed fire from the artillery, assisted the infantry in speedily clearing the
ground in firont, and driving back the enemy to the
tops of the hills overhanging their own camp.
The first Missouri and the first Kansas, with Totten's battery and the first Iowa, hurried forward to
occupy the crest of the ridge. As the line was now
formed, Maj. Osterhaus' battalion occupied the extreme right, his own right resting on the edge of an




312      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
abrupt ravine. Tie first Missouri was posted in
front, upon tb.e summit of a slight elevation; the
first Kansas sixty yards to the left, on the opposite
side of a ravine; and the first Iowa still further to
the left.  Capt. Totten's battery was planted in the
rear of the interspace between the first Missouri and
first Kansas. Dubois' battery was stationed to the
left and rear of Totten's position in order to play
upon a battery posted oin the crest of the ridge, on
the opposite side of the creek, in such a way as to
sweep the whole field where the Federal troops were
drawn up.
The camp of Gen. Rains lay directly in front and
under Capt. Totten's guns, and was wholly deserted.
On1 the left bank of the stream was a masked battery to which he gave his first attention, the gunners aiming at the flash and smoke which alone betrayed the situation of the cannon.  Meanwhile, in
the thick underwood on the right, the first Missouri
were fighting with great gallantry against vastly
superior numbers. Having an advantage in the
quality of fire-arms, their frequent and well directed
volleys made terrible havoc. But when one of the
enemy fell, two fresh men were ready to take his
place.  The encampment seemed to vomit forth
regiment after regiment, as if the supply were inexhaustible. In the unequal contest, many of the




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GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             313
brave Missouri first had fallen in death, and many
more were disabled by wounds.
Gen. Lyon now ordered Capt. Totten to move a
section of his battery forward to their support.
This manceuvre he executed in person, bringing
several guns into position in front of the right wing
of the regiment. At a distance of less than two
hundred yards, a body of southern troops were
drawn up in order of battle, with the stars and
stripes flying side by side with the rebel banner.
By this base and cowardly trick, they hoped to reach
a point near the Federal lines in safety, and then to
capture the guns by a sudden dash and turn them
upon the Union columns. At first, Capt. Totten
hesitated to fire, but discovering the deception he
received them with repeated rounds of canister
which laid many upon the earth, and sent the rest
in confusion from the field.
Meanwhile, Capt. Plummer's battalion in moving toward the encampment on the opposite side
of the creek, encountered a large body of infantry in a cornfield. Being thoroughly acquainted with the ground, and partially sheltered from
view by the dense growth of stalks and weeds,
the enemy delivered their fire with great effect.
The regulars fought manfully till two or three
thousand men, in a dense mass, came pouring into
14




314      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
the field from the woods beyond, threatening the
small handful of Union troops with instant annihilation.  While they were retiring in good order before the overwhelming flood, Dubois' battery, on an
eminence opposite, began to throw shell into the
ranks of the pursuers. The missiles were directed
with fearful certainty into the thickest groups, where
they scattered death on every side. Several burst
at the instant of reaching the ground. The enemy
fell by scores and soon fled precipitately. This was
their last attempt during the day to turn the left
flank of the Federal army.
Till now the roar of artillery had been incessant.
Peal followed peal in such rapid succession that the
sounds commingled in one continuous and awful
volume. At intervals the continuity, interrupted
for a few seconds, would be broken by the report of
a single gun, which formed the prelude to another
chorus like the last. The boom of heavy ordnance,
the whirr of missiles, the bursting of shell, and the
ring of fire-arms, blended undistinguishably in this
concert of mortal wrath.
At length there was a brief lull along the whole
line, except on the extreme right.  The silence
seemed more terrible than the deafening din of bat.
tie. The hostile armies stood like two grim giants,
breathing a moment after a desperate encounter to




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             815
gain strength for a final and fatal grapple. But the
stillnes was brief, leaving little time for indulgence
in reflections or apprehensions. The first Missouri,
on the right of the line, having repeatedly driven
back the enemy, were in imminent peril from the
hordes of fresh troops now hastening to attack their
decimated ranks. Side by side. with the first Missouri, the first Kansas and first Iowa fought with
obstinate valor. Gen. Lyon, at this critical juncture
ordered the second Kansas to their support. It
came up in time to save the shattered columns, and
hold in check the enemy. Gen. Lyon riding up
and perceiving the desperate character of the conflict in that part of the field, sent an order to Capt.
Totten to support the regiments on the right. IHe
at once dispatched Lieut. Sokalski with a section
of his battery, to their relief, which he effected in
admirable style, managing his guns with great skill
and effect.
Soon after, a body of eight hundred cavalry,
which had formed in line beyond a ridge on the
right of the battle-ground, suddenly appeared,
moving toward the rear of the Federal army, where
two or three companies of Kansas troops were
guarding the ambulances for the wounded. They
obviously expected to trample all opposition under
foot. As the troop advanced, several companies of




81[G     GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
infantry fired upon them without checking their
approach. When they had come within two hundred yards of Totten's battery, he unexpectedly
turned several guns in that direction. Each shot
plowed a diagonal furrow through the column, tumbling horses and riders into heaps. In a moment
the charge became a rout. Valiant men spurred
their steeds to the shelter of the hills, while the
unhorsed made vigorous use of their nether limbs.
This was the only demonstration made by the
Southern cavalry during the day, and was in every
respect weak and contemptible.
During this time, Capt. Steele's battalion of regular infantry was transferred from the support of
Dubois' battery, to Totten's battery. Scarcely was
the line of battle reformed, when an immense force
of the enemy, emerging from behind the wooded
hills, moved down upon the entire Federal front,
and against each flank. All at once the previous
silence was broken by the roar of cannon and the
crash of musketry. The Southern regiments, often
advancing within a few yards of our guns, swayed
back and forth as their repeated charges upon Totten's battery were repulsed. Some were standing,
some kneeling, and others lying down. Exasperated at the disgrace of allowing so small a handful
to hold them in check, they fought with the frenzy




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             317
of madmen. All of Gen. Lyon's available troops
were now engaged, and the fighting became illcreciibly fierce. Along the whole line the storm of
leaden hail whistled through the air, leaving hardly
a square foot of ground unsearched. Each side
made prodigious but unsuccessful efforts to gain
some decisive advantage. The fate of the day
trembled in the balance. Both armies by daring
and vigorous charges repeatedly won a little ground,
and then fell back to rally for a fresh attack. With
obstinate bravery the shattered regiments closed up
the gaping chasms in their -ranks, and returned to
the fight.
Gen. Lyon moved along the lines in the thickest
of the fight, encouraging the men by his example
and his words. His horse was shot, and he himself
received three wounds, one near the ancle, one in
the thigh, and still another which cut the scalp to
the bone, while striving to bring up his disordered
troops. Anxiety for the issue, however, banished
every personal thought and care. Upon the fate
of the battle depended the safety of thousands of
peaceful homes whose inmates looked to him for
protection from pillage and ruin. Before the sun
could reach the meridian, the fierce trial of arms
would decide whether the flag of the Union was
thenceforth to spread its sheltering folds over the




318      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
people of South-western Missouri, or whether the
banners of treason were to float in insolent triumph
over the towns and hamlets which the patriot-army
had come forth to save. The roar of battle was
not to perish among the hills and valleys around
the scene of carnage, but to reverberate in neverdying echoes through the country and through
time. Gen. Lyon, unconscious of pain or danger,
heeded not the wounds from which blood and
strength were fast oozing. Walking a little to the
rear, he remarked despondingly, "I fear the day is
lost." Friends urged him to withdraw to a place
of safety, and have his wounds attended to. But
to such importunities he turned a deaf ear. Mountinog another horse, he rode back to the front, in order
to rally the thinned and bleeding, but not disheartened lines for a fresh attack. He now directed the
fragments of one or two regiments to charge the
enemy with the bayonet. Many of their officers
were disabled, and they called for a leader. The
situation of the army was extremely perilous, and
deeds of desperate daring could alone save it from
total overthrow. WVith countenance blanched from
the loss of blood, and haggard from anxiety, Gen.
Lyoni threw himself to the head of the column, and
with hat waving, cheered it onward. Inspired with
almost superhuman energy by the heroism of their




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              313
chief, the men rushed forward, scattering the enemy like chaff. But in that charge the brave Lyon
fell. Our country, in the crisis of her darkest peril,
lost that hour one of her clearest heads and stoutest hearts. He placed no value upon repose, comfort, or even life, when the land that he loved with
all the devotion of his generous soul, demanded
their sacrifice.
Gen. Lyon was amply endowed with those rare
and precious qualities which enter essentially into
the composition of the hero and martyr. Noble,
magnanimous, self-sacrificing, he had taken his
country for a bride, and never was marriageunion consecrated by a holier or more absorbing
love. Ever may the American people revere and
cherish the name of Nathaniel Lyon, as his devoted
patriotism and signal services deserve.
The fatal ball entered his left side, and passing
near the heart, escaped on the right. His faithful
body-servant, Albert Lehman, received him in his
arms. The General remarked, "Lehman, I am
going," and in a few seconds expired. His death
was without a struggle-calm and peaceful.
Gen. Lyon fell about nine o'clock, A. M. Maj.
Sturgis, in his official report, alludes to the event
in language as eloquent as it is truthful.  "Thus
gloriously fell as brave a soldier as ever drew a




320     GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
sword,-a man' whose honesty of purpose was proverbial,-a noble patriot, and one who held his life
as nothing when his country demanded it of him."
Immediately after the death of Gen. Lyon, and
the repulse of the enemy along the whole length
of the lines, there was another interval of almost
total silence for the space of twenty minutes. The
command now devolved upon Maj. Sturgis, and he
called together the principal officers for consultation. To unlderstand the subsequent events of the
day, we must revert briefly to the doings of the
column under Col. Siegel.  He was ordered to
advance by the Fayetteville road, which led circuitously to the left, and would bring him out near the
right wing and rear of the Southern encampment.
Each column was to reach its respective point of
attack by daylight on the 10th, and open fire simultaneously.
Col. Siegel left his position south of Springfield,
between six and seven o'clock P. M., the 9th, and
at the dawn of day the following morning, was
within a mile of the enemy's camp. While cautiously advancing, he cut off several squads of men
in such a way that no news of his approach was
conveyed to the main body of the rebels. He
gained the position designated without incurring
any mishap of any kind, and with his excellent




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             321
battery began in beautiful style to shell the tents
spread out before him. The enemy were completely
surprised, and fled from their quarters in dismay.
At the same time the heavy roar of Lyon's artillery
was heard in the northern part of the field. Thinking that the victory was won, a portion of Siegel's
infantry broke ranks and made an indiscriminate
rush for plunder. While the men were thus basely
occupied, the Southerners rallied, and making a
vigorous charge, captured the whole battery, took
a large number of prisoners, and put the rest to
flight. Siegel afterwards succeeded in retaking a
single gun.
Thus, early in the engagement, were twelve hundred of Lyon's little army lost to him. But this
was not all. The part assigned to Siegel's command, was to turn the right wing of the enemy and
gain the rear so as to enfilade the ravine, or failing
in that, to form a junction with the main body near
the northern line of battle. At the proper time for
the appearance of Siegel's column, a body of infantry, wearing a dress much resembling that of Siegel's brigade, and carrying the American flag, were
seen to advance from the direction whence his gulns
had been heard at the commencement of the fight.
This was a few minutes after the death of Gen.
Lyon, and while Maj. Sturgis was deliberating with
14*




322      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
the other officers. The consultation was brought
to a hasty close, and a line formed for the purpose of
moving forward and effecting a junction. From
the belief that they were friends, they were allowed
to approach quite near, when a battery was unexpectedly planted on the hill in front, and their true
character revealed. Simultaneously with the first
demonstration of hostility, the treacherous foe began to pour shrapnell and canister into the Federal
ranks. They had not only counterfeited the appearance of Siegel's brigade, but were actually using
his guns and ammunition for the destruction of our
brave troops, as was evident from the fact that these
varieties of shot had been furnished to Siegel's artillery, and were now fired by the enemy for the
first time during the engagement.
Then the enemy run up the secession flag, and
the bloody conflict was renewed along the whole
line. Dubois' battery on the left, supported by
Osterhaus' battalion and the remnants of the Missouri first, speedily silenced the guns on the hill in
front, and drove back the right wing of the enemy.
Totten's battery, occupying with the Iowas and regulars the center of the line, was the special object
of attack. The contending armies were within a
few feet of each other, the smoke of their guns
commingling and rising in one dark, dense volume




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.            323
from the field. Before overwhelming numbers the
Union troops stood perfectly firm at every point.
Any wavering now could hardly have failed to inm
augurate a ruinous rout. Not a man, however, faltered. At this critical juncture, Capt. Granger hurriedly brought up from the rear the supports of Dubois' battery, consisting of six or seven companies
belonging to the first Kansas, first Missouri and first
Iowa regiments, which overwhelmed the right wing
of the enemy with a volley that swept the earth for
the space of sixty yards. The entire rebel front
now rolled back in confused and broken masses.
With the exception of a feeble attack on the right
flank, which was gallantly repulsed by Steele's battalion of regulars, the Southerners made no further
demonstrations of hostility, but fled precipitately to
the shelter of the woods and hills.
Meanwhile, the rebel wagon train was discovered
to be on fire. Heavy volumes of smoke, rising in
the distance, plainly indicated that the enemy had
commenced the work of destruction, from fear that
the day was lost. Repulsed several times already,
they were obviously on the point of giving up in
despair.
But the Federal troops were in no condition to
take advantage of their repeated successes. A very
large proportion of the little army of heroes which




324      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
had stood so long and so immovably against the
legions of the enemy, were either killed or disabled.
iMany had not only exhausted their own cartridges,
but all that could be found on the persons of the
dead. After a fatiguing night march, the men had
fought for six hours without water. The day was
hot, and the sufferings of the soldiers, from weariness and thirst, began to be intense. Accordingly,
at half past eleven o'clock, during the pause which
succeeded the final repulse of the Southern forces,
the order for retreat was given. Dubois' battery,
with its supports, had been previously sent to occupy a hill in the rear, in order to protect the
movement. While Capt. Steele was engaging and
driving back the enemy on the right flank, the main
body retired slowly and in good order to the open
prairie, two miles from the scene of conflict. In
the mean time the ambulances went back and forth,
bringing away the wounded.
After a brief halt, the column resumed its march
to Springfield, meeting at the Little York road
Lieut. Ferrand with his company of dragoons, and
a part of Col. Siegel's command, with the cannon
which they had succeeded in saving.
The battle at Wilson's Creek is one of the severest ever fought upon the Western Continent. Never, in modern warfare, have men moved to conflict




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              325
against greater odds, or held their ground with
more obstinate valor. Gen. Lyon's disposable force
at Springfield consisted of five thousand two hundred men. About one-fourth of the number were
sent under command of Col. Siegel to attack the
enemy on the flank and rear.  Gen. Lyon, at the
head of less than four thousand troops, attacked
more than twenty thousand rebels in the stronghold
which they had deliberately selected and fortified.
The enemy, though  outnumbering their assailants five to one, were repulsed time after time,
and in the last repulse so completely routed that
they were compelled to suffer our little handful[
of troops to retreat without molestation. Had Col.
Siegel's detachment executed the part assigned to
it equally well, or could two or three fresh regiments have come to the reinforcement of the main
body, the rebel army in South-western Missouri
would certainly have been crushed; Springfield
would have been saved; the invading hordes driven
back into the swamps of Arkansas; and all the
subsequent loss of blood, treasure and prestige,
avoided. As it is, the battle of Wilson's Creek, in
the glorious achievements of time, will rank with
Thermopylhe and Leuctra.   Coming generations
will find parallels to the heroic self-sacrifice of
Gen. Lyon, in the death of Leonidas, and the




326      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
fall of him who closed his brilliant and useful life
on the bloody field of Mantinea.
Before the engagement many officers questioned
the wisdom of General Lyon's decision to give battle
on the ground of the enemy, rather than retreat to
Rolla without making any hostile demonstration.
No one proposed to await an attack within the confinles of Springfield, for the town was obviously indefensible against the armies from all of the southwestern States, which were rapidly concentrating in
the neighborhood. But the result showed the extraordinary sagacity and foresight of the commanding officer. An inglorious retreat, giving to the
rebels a bloodless triumph, would have emboldened
beyond measure an enemy peculiarly prone to magnify his own exploits and boast of invincibility.
The hope of plunder would have drawn large accessions of force to the swollen ranks of the pursuers.
It was a week's march to Rolla. A governmenttrain five miles in length and valued at $1,500,000,
was either to be lost or defended along the whole
length of that wearisome and perilous route. It is
too much to expect that even the highest order of
generalship could have conducted a retreat safely
and successfully for the distance of one hundred
and twenty miles. An army of twenty-three thousand men abunl.dantly provided with artillery and




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.               327
cavalry, by making a vigorous pursuit could hardly
have failed either to capture, disperse, or annihilate
the Union forces. Under the circumstances, General
Lyon's night attack, desperate as it may seem, was
the only course which contained ally promise of
success.
And here we may remark that the measures of
General Lyon in Missouri, were so bold, sudden,
anticipatory and far-sighted, that they generally
appeared at first premature and rash.  But in every
instance the issue of events proved tlhe accuracy of
his judgment, and the wide scope of his calm, clear
forecast. In this case the rebels were so terribly
cut up and crippled that they were forced to allow
the remnant of the Federal army to retire in perfect
security both from  the battle ground and from
Springfield.
The official reports of the engagement show the
following Union losses:
Killed. Wounded. Missing.
Capt. Plummer's battalion,      19    52      9
Capt. Elliot's Co. D, first cavalry,   1      3
Capt. Dubois battery,                   2     1
First Missouri volunteers,      76   208    11
Capt. Steele's battery,         15    44      2
Capt. Carr's Co. I, first cavalry,            4
First Kansas voluntcers,        77   187    20




328      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
Second Kansas volunteers,      5   59      6
Capt. Totten's Co. F, 2d artillery, 4  7
Col. Siegel's brigade,        15    20   231
Capt. Wood's Co. Kansas Rangers,     1
Capt. Clark Wright's Co. H, Guard,   2
First Iowa Volunteers,        12  138      4
Total,            223  721   292
Whole number killed, wounded and missing, 1236.
The rebel loss was much greater, but the exact
figures will probably never'be known. They acknowledged over five hundred killed, to say nothing
of the wounded and nlissing.
It is aside from our purpose to mention individu.
ally the men who distinguished themselves on that
bloody but glorious field. Where all behaved so
nobly, the voice of a grateful country will pronounce
all to be heroes.
General Lyon's body was placed in an ambulance
to be conveyed from the field, but being temporarily
removed to make room for the wounded, was subsequently left behind in the hurry of retreat. After
the return of the army to Springfield, a flag of truce
was sent back to the battle-ground for the remains,
which were given up by the enemy. Doct. Franklin, with the aid of other surgeons, endeavored to
preserve the body by the injection of arsenic, but
were frustrated in the attempt.




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              329
In the confusion of abandoning Springfield the
remains of Gen. Lyon were again left behind. The
day after the battle, Mrs. Phelps, wife of Col. Phelps,
emuber of Congress for the south-western district
of Missouri, and a staunch Unionist, learning that
the body was still lying in town, asked and obtained
the privilege of interring it. She caused it to be
placed in a wooden coffin, and the whole to be
inclosed in a case of zinc, which was then hermetically sealed. At first Mrs. Phelps placed the coffin
in an out-door cellar on her farm, and covered it
over with a pile of straw four or five feet deep, but
afterwards apprehending, though without any just
grounds for suspicion, that it might be molested by
the soldiers of Gen. Parson's brigade, which was
then encamped on the place, she had it quietly removed and buried in the; night time.
Maj. Sturgis, who assumed command of the Union
army after the first day of the retreat, for the reason that Col. Siegel had not at the time received his
commission as general, supposed that the remains
were with the army till he was twenty-five miles
from  Springfield.  It was then too late to secure
them.
The Federal army left Springfield at three o'clock
in the morning, the day after the battle. It reached
Rolla in safety, having brought off the baggage




330         GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
train  and a large amount of  public and  private
property.
On the 25th of the month, Gen. Fremont issued
the following general order:
"HEAD-QUARTERS WESTERN DEPARTMENT, }
ST. LOUIS, Mo., August 25.
I. The official reports of the commanding officers of the forces
engaged in the battle near Springfield, Mo., having been received,
the Major-General commanding announces to the troops embraced
in his command, with pride and the highest commendation, the extraordinary services to their country and flag rendered by the division of the brave and lamented General Lyon.
For thus nobly battling for the honor of their flag, he now publicly desires to express to the officers and soldiers his cordial thanks,
and commends their conduct as an example to their comrades whenever engaged against the enemies of the Union.
Opposed by overwhelming masses of the enemy in a numerical
superiority of upwards of twenty thousand against four thousand
three hundred, or nearly five to one, the successes of our troops
were nevertheless suffieiently marked to give to their exploits the
moral effect of a victory.
II. The General commanding laments, in sympathy with the
country, the loss of the indomitable General Nathaniel Lyon. His
fame can not be better eulogized than in these words from the official report of his gallant successor, Major Sturgis, United States cavalry:'Thus gallantly fell as true a soldier as ever drew a sword;
a man whose honesty of purpose was proverbial; a noble patriot,
and one who held his life as nothing where his country demanded it
of him.' Let all emulate his prowess and undying devotion to his
duty.
III. The regiments and corps engaged in this battle will be permitted to have'Springfield' emblazoned on their colors, as a distinguished memorial of their services to the nation.
IV. The names of the officers and soldiers mentioned in the official reports as most distinguished for important services and marked




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.                         331
gallantry, will be communicated to the War Department for the consideration of the Government.
This order will be read at the head of e very company in this department.
By order of Major-General Fremont.
J. C. KELTON, Assistant Adjutant-General."




CHAPTER XIII.
WEDNESDAY, August 14th, Gen. Lyon's death became known throughout the country, and produced
a universal feeling of gloom. Danford Knowlton,
Esq., of New York city, cousin of the deceased,
immediately telegraphed to Gen. Fremont, requesting him to have the remains secured in a sealed
coffin. He also sent dispatches to several members
of the family. On the 15th, John B. Hasler, Esq.,
of Webster, Mass., brother-in-law of Gen. Lyon,
joined Mr. Knowlton in New York, and at eight
o'clock P. M. of the same day, they started westward for the purpose of bringing to its native home
the body of their lamented relative. Traveling day
and night, without detention except from the loss
of bridges on one or two of the railroad lines, they
reached St. Louis Sunday morning, the 18th. Here
they were disappointed in finding that the remains
had not yet been brought forward. They at once




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             333
determined to proceed in person to Springfield for
the prosecution of their mission. Letters from the
General commanding  the Western Department
seemed to be essential to insure their admission into
the lines of the enemy and their protection on the
route. Notwithstanding the urgency of their busiP
ness, and their efforts to obtain the requisite papers,
they were unable to gain access to Gen. Fremont
during the day. At a late hour the following night,
however, the letters were sent to them.
The party left for Rolla by the early train, Monday. Arriving at that town in the afternoon, they
were courteously received by Col. Wyman, who
furnished them with his best ambulance, four excellent mules, and a good driver, besides making other
provisions for their comfort on the way. He had
already sent a wagon to Springfield in charge of
Mr. Lynch, an undertaker of St. Louis, for the purpose of accomplishing the same object. Monday
afternoon the party drove to Maj. Sturgis' camp,
three miles from Rolla, where they spent the night.
Here they met Capt. Emmet McDonald, of the Confederate army, who had come to effect an exchange
of prisoners. As this gentleman was about to return
to the head-quarters of the Southern forces in Missouri, he kindly volunteered his services, and subsequently rendered valuable assistance to the rela



334      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
tives of Gen. Lyon in the accomplishment of their
mission.
The road thence to Springfield is one of the
worst conceivable-rough and rocky, stretching for
more than a hundred miles over a barren, monotonous and dreary country. Extensive growths of
" black jacks " and other stunted forest trees, bear
gloomy witness to the poverty of the soil.
Driving as rapidly as the character of the road
would permit, they encountered the Confederate
out-posts on the 21st, at Lebanon, eighty miles from
Rolla. The Southerners surrounded them at first
with curious and inquisitive looks, but on learning
the object of their journey, behaved with the utmost
politeness. The same day they hurried forward
fifteen miles further through a heavy rain, and spent
the night at a way-side inn.
On the afternoon of Thursday, the 22d, the com,
pany drove into Springfield, without interruption
from pickets, or questionings of any kind, and repaired immediately to the head-quarters of Gen. Price,
to whom they made known their business and presented their credentials.  The communication of
Gen. Fremont was directed, " To Whom it May Concern." Gen. Price, glancing at the address, threw
the paper contemptuously aside with the remark that
he could read no document thus directed. At the




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.            335
same time he offered to grant them every facility
for procuring the remains of Gen. Lyon.
Repairing to the farm of Col. Phelps, they disinterred the body, and placed it in a metallic coffin
weighing three hundred pounds. Gen. Parsons,
whose brigade was encamped on the place, introduced himself and extended numerous civilities to the
company. Among other attentions, he tendered a
guard for the body and team over night, which was
accepted.
Col. Phelps was absent from home, having re,
mained in St. Louis after the adjournment of Congress. Mrs. Phelps, a devoted and self-sacrificing
friend of the Union, who had shown the spirit becoming an American Matron in the watchful and
holy guardianship that she had exercised over the
remains of one of the bravest defenders of American Liberty, now extended to the relatives of the
lamented Lyon the generous hospitalities of her
home. The name of this noble woman, openly true
to her country in the midst of defection, perfidy
and treason, will ever be honored by the children
of our Republic.
Friday morning the party visited the hospital to
obtain a list of the wounded and their condition.
They left Springfield the same day, and reached
Rolla Sunday night, August 25th.  Everywhere




836      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
within the lines of the enemy, the secessionists
treated them with distinguished kindness, attention
and courtesy, even tendering a military escort for
the body from  Springfield, which was declined.
The rebels feared the fallen hero in life, anld honored him in death.
They reached St. Louis ]Monday evening, the 26th,
and at the solicitation of Gen. Fremont, remained
over Tuesday, in order to give time for a suitable
demonstration. The whole city seemed buried in
the profoundest grief. Everywhere the insignia of
mourning met the eye and touched the heart
Dwelling-houses, stores and other buildings were
hung with crape. But the sadness stamped upon
the features of thousands, bore more expressive witness than could any outward symbols, to the depth
and sincerity of the sorrow felt for the fate of the
mighty chieftain who had passed forever froml their
midst.
Wednesday afternoon, the remains were attended
from  the head-quarters of Gen. Fremont to the
depot of the Ohio and AMississippi railroad, where
they were delivered to Adams' Express Company to
be conveyed East, under an escort of officers.
This company generously offered to carry the re,
mains and the escort, free of charge, fiom St Louis
to tlhe place of burial. The offer was accepted, and




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             337
separate cars were provided on all thie routes for
their exclusive use.  WTashington Kinlg, Esq., president of the company, although in feeble health,
went to St. Louis contrary to the advice of his physician, to make the tender and perfect the arrangements for carrying it into effect. Having but just
accomplished the object of his mission he was stricken
down by death, —prematurely it was thought, from
the fatigues and excitement of the occasion.
The escort consisted of
Major H. A. Conant, U. S. A., aid-de-camp of
General Lyon-commanding the escort.
Captain J. B. Plummer, U. S. A., classmate of
General Lyon-wounded at Wilson's Creek.
Captain Edgar, of General Fremont's staff.
Doctor G. G. Lyon, brigade surgeon, —distant
relative of the General.
Lieut. E. J. Clark; Sergeant J. P. Taylor; Corporal F. H. Kearsum and six privates in uniform.
Danford Knowlton, Esq., and J. B. Hasler, Esq.,relatives. M. McQuillan and J. Brown, reporters
for the press.
On the whole route from St. Louis to the place
of sepulture, people gathered in throngs at every
city and village to honor the memory of the dead.
Nor did the stately processions and imposing solemnities of the larger towns, afford the only or strong15




338      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
est evidence of the love and devotion which the
lheroisni of Gent. Lyon had awakened in the hearts
of the people. At different stations where the cars
made but a brief stop, maidens and imatrons reverently and tearfully placed upon the coffin wreaths
of fresh flowers. Silently they came and went, for
such sorrow  had no need for words. Old men
dropped upon the crape many a tear, weeping as if
a son and not a stranger had fallen. Thle crowds
assembled at the depots of rural villages were hushed
and noiseless, as if it were sacrilege even to breathe
audibly in sucll a presence.  Many eyes were moistened, and some gave way to bitter lamentation.
Little children begged to be lifted up so that they
might see the coffin, and from that one eager gaze
learned, we may trust, lessons of patriotism  never
to be forgotten.  Some asked for the withered flowers that had gathered sanctity by resting on the pall,
and pressed them to their lips with tears and kisses.
The funeral cortege reached Cincinnati a little
before seven o'clock on the morning of the 29th.
The military of the city were waiting at the depot
to receive it.  The colors of the various companies
were shrouded in crape, and officers wore upon their
arms the sombre scarfs of mourning.  Here the
coffin, wrapped in the United States flag, was transferred from the cars to the hearse and borne in




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             339
solemn procession to Smith and Nixon's Hall, where
tile body lay in state during the day, and was visited
by thousands.
On the 29th, at ten o'clock P. M. the escort left
Cincinnati, proceeding by way of Columbus and
Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, where they arrived Saturday morning, the 31st. The remains were placed
in a hearse, elaborately adorned for the occasion,
and were followed through the city by the police in
full uniform; several military companies; and the
Mayor, Common Council and escort in carriages, to
the depot of the Camden and Amboy railroad.
On the 31st of August the cortege reached our
great commercial metropolis, where the most distinguished honors were shown to the memory of General Lyon. For three days the corpse lay in state
at the Governor's room, which had been fitted up
for its reception. The apartment was draped in
mourning within and without. Flags at half-mast
were placed on all the public buildings throughout
the city, and a portion of the shipping in the harbor.
Notwithstanding the notice in the papers that no
visitors would be admitted on Sunday, a large crowd
thronged around the City Hall during the entire
day, anxious to catch even a glimpse of the coffin.
On Monday the doors were thrown open from
nine o'clock A. M. till one P. M. A body of police



340       GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
men guarded the entrance to the room, while two
soldiers stood at the head and two at the foot of the
coffin. A  constant stream  of people numbering
more than fifteen thousand in all, walked slowly
and reverently, with uncovered heads, around the
remains, making their exit through another door at
the further end of the apartment. Some one, evidently a lady, had pinned the following inscription
to the flag thrown over the burial-urn:
"To THE LION-HEARTED GEN. NATIIANIEL LYON.
Thy name is immortal;
Thy battles are o'er;Sleep, sleep, calmly sleep,
On thy dear native shore.
Ni3w YORK, Sept. 2, 1861."
At four o'clock in the afternoon, the remains
were borne from the Governor's room to the hearse,
and were escorted by an imposing military and civic
procession through the saddened city to the depot
of the New Haven railroad.
Tuesday afternoon the funeral cortege reached
Hartford, where, notwithstanding the inclemency
of the weather, a similar ovation had been prepared
in honor of the dead. As the body was carried
from the cars to its temporary resting-place in the
Senate Chamber of the State House, minute guns
were fired from  the park, the bell of -the State




GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.             841
House was tolled, and the band gave forth a solemn
dirge.
At Hartford, several military companies and a
large number of citizens joined the escort. On
Wednesday a special train conveyed the remains to
Willimantic. Although this is a quiet, inland village, and no public demonstration was expected,
thousands had assembled from  the surrounding
country, to receive back -the lifeless form of him
who had gone forth from among them to fight the
battles of Liberty. Here, too, the outward insignia
of mourning were everywhere displayed.
As this was the terminus of railroad communication, the party prepared to finish the remainder of
the journey to Eastford in carriages. The people
had considerately provided a large number of vehicles of multiform style and capacity, for the conveyance of the guests called by this sad occasion to
their homes. After considerable delay, the procession at length started, and reached the village of
Eastford, sixteen miles distant, shortly after nightfall. The corpse was deposited in the Congregational Church, in charge of the City Guard of Hartford, while the concourse of strangers found entertainment in the hospitable homes of the inhabitants.
Thursday, September 5th, the last funeral rites




342     GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
were performed over the body of Gen. Lyon. The
day was singularly beautiful, even among the lovely
autumnal days of New England.
Ten o'clock had been appointed for the commencement of the services. But hours earlier,
people began to pour into the village in continuous
streams. For miles around, the principal roads
were filled with long and nearly unbroken lines of
conveyances,-all moving toward the common center. Numerous fields in the neighborhood were
thrown open to make room for horses and vehicles.
By ten o'clock, fifteen thousand people had assembled within the circumference of the village. This
immense concourse seems doubly great when we
remember that Eastford is an inland town, remote
from railroads.
In front of the pulpit of the Congregational
Church, the remains of Gen. Lyon lay in state.
Upon the coffin were placed the hat which he waved
aloft when rallying his brave but shattered ranks
to smite the rebel host on the field of Wilson's
Creek, and the sword which had become scarred
and weather-beaten from sharing in the long, hard
service of its owner. The worn hilt and battered
sheath of that trusty blade told the spectator, silently though eloquently, that the life of him who
bore it had been spent in no holiday parades or




GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.             343
showy pageants, but in facing storms and hardships
and perils. Flowers were strewn upon the lid, and
the banner which he had followed so devotedly, and
upheld so gloriously, threw its graceful fold over
the head of the sleeping warrior.
The multitude gathered in front of the church,
pressing eagerly toward the entrance to gain a view
of the burial-case containing relics so precious.
The lid was not lifted, nor were the features disclosed. Yet as the long procession, comprising
representatives of every age and condition in life,
passed slowly around the chancel with noiseless
and reverent step, many learned to appreciate as
never before the value and cost of National Liberty.
Numerous were the tears of sincere affection, for
the princely devotion of the dead to the welfare of
their common country, made him the common
brother of all his countrymen. They knew that in
the hollow box before them lay one of the strongest
pillars of the Nation —now, alas, prematurely broken. The scenes in which Gen. Lyon had recently
been the foremost actor,-the events of his brief
but brilliant career in Missouri, thrilled the hearts
of the people as they gazed upon the bier. Less
than a month before, that lifeless form was breasting upon the battle-field the murderous storm.
The tongue now hushed forever, was heard amid




344      GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
the clash of bayonets and the roar of musketry, as
it uttered in clarion tones, words of command and
lofty cheer. The arm now stiff and cold, was
pointing that battered sword defiantly at the foe.
But that teeming brain had finished its earthly
work. The soul, adorned with the qualities that are
noblest in man, had gone to its God. The ruined
temple alone remained.
In front of the church, on the slope of the hill,
a temporary platform had been erected for the accommodation of speakers and invited guests. At
the foot of the platform were placed several rows
of benches, for the use of the relatives, the escort,
and the military in attendance. The gentle declivity between the platform and the church was occupied by an immense auditory.
About eleven o'clock, Ex-GOVERNOR CLEVELAND,
President of the day, called the assembly to order,
and in a few appropriate remarks directed their
attention to the exercises of the occasion. The
chloir then sung the hymn commencing —
"Hark! from the tomb a mournful sound,"after which a touching and impressive prayer was
offered by Rev. Mr. WILLIAMS, formerly pastor of
the Congregational Church-in Eastford.
The President then introduced HIon. ELISHA CAR



GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.              345
PENTER, Judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut, who delivered an elaborate historical address
on the life and character of Gen. Lyon, tracing his
career from childhood to the final scene at Wilson's
Creek.
Judge Carpenter was followed by the ESON. GALUSHA A. GROW, of Pennsylvania, Speaker of the National House of Representatives, in a lengthy oration,
which eloquently enforced the lessons of the hour.
Both of the orators were born on the soil of Eastford. It was a happy thought to invite them back
to their native heath to pay these final tributes to
the name and virtues of their departed townsman.
After brief speeches from GOVERNOR BUCKINGHAM,
of Connecticut, GOVERNOR SPRAGUE, of Rhode Island,
SENATOR FOSTER, MAYOR DEIMING, and others, the
public exercises in the village of Eastford were
brought to a close. The people now dispersed for
refreshments. After a suitable interval the body
was borne from the church to the cemetery at Phoenixville, two and a half miles distant.
This cemetery, containing two or three acres of
ground, forms of itself a perfect amphitheatre —the
small and comparatively level plat around the entrance, being inclosed on three sides by the inner
slope of a semicircular hill. In front, on the opposite side of the highway, lies a placid pond, formed
15*




346      GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.
by damming the stream which winds through the
valley. Further on, the eye rests upon the western
declivity of a long range of hills.
About one-half of the cemetery is covered more
or less thickly with graves, but the outer portion is
yet unoccupied. The lot of the Lyon family, a little
south of the center, is inclosed by stone posts and
chains which General Lyon himself placed around
it several years ago.
Hours before the arrival of the funeral cortege,
spectators began to gather by thousands in and
around these grounds. About four o'clock P. M.
the regular report of minute guns announced that
the procession was approaching. As it drew nearer
the notes of the unearthly and solemn dirge fell
upon the ear. At length the head of the long procession arrived at the gate; the hearse drawn by
four magnificent black horses entered the portal;
the military formed around the open grave; the
mourners took a farewell look of the coffin; and the
mortal remains of General Nathaniel Lyon were
lowered to their last resting place. Rev. C. C.
Adams read the Methodist Episcopal services; Maj.
Conant and Capt. Edgar, of the St. Louis escort,
partially filled the pit; and the City Guard of Hartford fired three volleys over the grave, while the
band performed a dirge.




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GEN. NATHANIEL  LYON.            347
Thus ended the funeral ceremonies. That vast
concourse, drawn hither to pay the final tribute to
the remains of the dead, beganf to separate for their
homes-homes that lie scattered over many States,
from the rugged shores of the Atlantic to the broad
prairies beyond the waters of the Mississippi.
It was General Lyon's desire that whenever and
wherever he might die, his body should be interred
by the side of his honored parents. He sleeps his
last sleep in the chosen spot of his own selection, in
the valley and among the hills which he trod in boyhood, and whither it was his delight to return in
riper years.








APPENDIX.
[A.]
PATERNAL LINEAGE OF GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
THE family of Gen. Nathaniel Lyon descends, it
is believed, in  direct male line  from  HIon. Sir
Thomas Lyon,* Knt., of Auldbar, Forfarshire,
North  Britain, who  was  designated  Master  of
Glamis, brother of John, 8th Lord Glamis.  Sir
Thomas was one of the principal agents in the
seizure of King James VI. at the Raid of Ruthren,
Aug. 23, 1582. Was banished to England. Returned again to Scotland, and with the Earls of
Angus and Mar, seized Sterling Castle.  Again fled
to  England.  Returned,  1585, received  again by
* Our New England Lyons are unquestionably descended from the
noble family of that name in North Britain, of which mention is so
fully make by Burke, in his Landed Gentry, I., 779.
Family records and traditions point in that direction. Besides,
there are striking traits of character, common to those bearing the
name in this country and to their trans-Atlantic ancestors.




350                APPENDIX.
the King to favor.  Appointed  Captain of the
Guards, High Treasurer of Scotland, and Extraordinary Lord of Sessions.  Knighted, 1590.  Married, 1st, Agnes, daughter of Patrick, 5th Lord
Grey, relict of Sir Robert Logan of Restalrig, and
of Alexander, 5th Lord Howe.  Married, 2d, Euphemia, 4th daughter of Win. Douglas, Earl of
BMoreton.
Issue: John, married a daughter of George
Gladstone, Archbishop of St. Andrews.
ARMs. —Arg. a lion, rampant, az. armed and langued, within
a double tressure, flowered and counter-flowered, gu. crest. A
lady holding in her right hand the Royal thistle, &c., in allusion
to the alliance with the daughter of the King.
MoTTO.-In te, Domine, speravi.
Political and civil troubles forced several members of this family to emigrate to New England in
the 17th century.  Thomas and Ephraim  Lyon,
who were brothers, came in company.  Gen. Nathaniel descended from Ephraim, three of whose
ancestors successively bore that name.
3d EPHRAIM LYON, born 1737.  Settled in Ashford, Conn., where he died May 25th, 1798.  See
page 18.  He married Esther Bennett.  Issue:
(4)  I. NATHAN,4 b. April 29, 1763, m. Latimer Badger, 1788.
(5) II. ESTHER,4 b. March 1, 1765, m. Nathan Burnham, 1781.
(6) III. EPIIRArM,4 b. March 15, 1767.




APPENDIX.                       851
(7) IV. ZERVIAhU,4 b. March 3, 1769.
(8)   V. AMASA,4 b. Nov. 19, 1771, m. Keziah Knowlton,
Jan. 3, 1805. See page 20.
(9)  VI. LuCY,4 b. Dec. 24, 1773.
(10) VII. BETSEY,4 b. June 25, 1776.
(11) VIII. LoIs,4 b. March 18, 1780.
(12)  IX. JAMIES,4 b. May 11, 1784, m. Polly Trowbridge, 1808.
Amasa (5) and Keziah7 had issue as follows:
(13)   I. AMASA KNOWLTON,5 8 b. July 4, 1806, d. Aug. 28,
1822.
(14)   II. MARcvs,58 b. July 3, 1809, d. April 29, 1810.
(15) III. DELOTIA,5 8 b. Oct. 15, 1811, m. April 10, 1837, Jno.
W. Trowbridge.
(16)  IV. SOPIIRONIA,5 8 b. Jan. 4, 1813, m. Jno. W. Hasler. 1
(17)   V. LORENZO,5 8 b. Feb. 9, 1815; resides in Eastford.
(18)  VI. ELIZABETH ANN,5 8 b. Nov. 8, 1816, m. Ebn. Knowlton.
(19) VII. NATHANIEL,58 b. July 14, 1818.
(20) VIII. DANIEL,5 8 b. Nov. 14, 1819; resides in Eastford.
(21) IX. LYMAN,5 8 b. March 80, 1822; lumberman, resides in
Leverett, Mass.
Amasa Lyon died April 11, 1843.
Mrs. Keziah Lyon died Jan. 31, 1852.




352              APPENDIX.
MATERNAL LINEAGE OF GEN. NATHANIEL LYON.
WERE yOU to make inquiries among the people of
New England generally concerning their ancestry,
in nine cases out of ten they would tell you that
they were descended from one of three brothers who
came over from Old England about the year 16-;
and in nine times out of ten they would be wrong.
But it so happens in the Knowlton family that three
brothers did actually come to New England and
settle in Ipswich; John,' William,' and Dea. Thomas;' for both John' and Thomas' call William' their
brother; evidence of the most satisfactory character.
The second brother, WILLIAM' KNOWLTON, was a
bricklayer.  He married Elizabeth    -.  He
died in 1654 or 5. The inventory of his estate
taken July 17, 1655, was ~37 2s. ld. His debts
were ~27 14s. id. We have his descendants for
several generations, but it is not our present purpose to include his branch of the family in this brief
sketch.
The third brother, Dea. THOMAS' KNOWLTON, was
born in 1622. He m. first, Susanna. His
second wife was ~Mary Kimball, to whom  he was
m. May 17, 1682. It does not appear that he had
children.




APPENDIX.                    353
On the 19th of Nov., 1678, Dea. Thomas thus
writes: "I gave a coat to brother William, and his
two boys I keept to scool from the age of 5 to 8
years, and a girl from the age of one & a half years
till she was nmarried."  He died April 3, 1692, aged
70 years.
(1) JOHN,' though the last to be noticed, was the
eldest of the three brothers.  He took the freeman's
oath in 1641, was in Ipswich in 1641, perhaps
earlier.  He made his will Nov. 29, 1653.  He
married Margery, and had John,2 Abraham,2
and Elizabeth.2
(2) John2 m. Sarah. He took the freeman's oath in 1680, and died Oct. 8, 1684.  His
clildren were(3)  I. TWILLIAM,3 b. -.  Lived in Wenham and had wife
Lydia.
(4) II. JOSEPH,3 b. 1651; married Aug. 14, 1677, Mary
Wilson.
(5) III. SAMUEL,' b. —; married April, 1669, Mary Wilt
or Witt.
(6) IV. NATHANIEL,3 Dea. b. June 29, 1658. He m. May 8,
1682, Deborah Jewett.
Dea. Nathaniel3 (6) and Deborah had(7)  I. NATHANIELr, b. May 3, 1683; m. Feb., 1702-1703,
Mary Bennett.
(8) II. JOHN,4 b. Dec., 1685.
(9) III. JOSEPH,4 b. April, 168-.




354                  APPENDIX.
(10) IV. ABRAHAMr,4 b. Feb. 27, 1688-9.
(11)  V. ELIZABETH,4 b. Sept. 18, 1692.
(12) VI. TIioMiAS,4 b. Nov. 8, 1702.
(13) VII. DAVID,4 b. May, 1707; m. Feb., 1731-2, Esther
Howard. David,5 son of David,4 died Dec. 10, 1732.
Nathaniel4 (7) and MSary had:
(14)  I. MARY,5 b. June 3, 1704.
(15) II. WILLIAXM,5 b. Feb. 8, 1705-6; m. Martha, of Boxford, to whom he was published, Feb. 13, 1728. He removed
to Ashford, Conn., about 1740. His estate was distributed in
March, 1757.
(16) III. NATHANIEL,5 b. June 30, 1708.
(17) IV. JEREMIAJI,5 b. July 13, 1712, and d. young.
(18) V. 2d JEREMIAH,5 b. Aug. 2, 1713.
Williams (15) and Martha had:
(19)   I. LucY,6 baptized Feb. 20, 1736.
(20)   II. WILLIMA,,6 baptized.
(21)  II1. DANIEL,6 baptized Dec. 31, 1738; m. 1st, Nov.
3, 1763, Elizabeth Farnham, of Ashford, Conn.; m. 2d, April
24, 1788, Rebecca Fenton, of Willington.  He served through
the French war and that of the Revolution. During the last
he was commissioned as Lieut. He died May 31st, 1825. See
page 23.
(22)  IV. THOMAS,6 baptized Nov. 30, 1740; m. April 5,
1759, Anna Keyes, of Ashford.  Col. Thomas Knowlton was
slain in battle at Harlem Heights, Sept. 16, 1776. Anna, wife
of Col. Knowlton, d. May 22, 1808. See page 21.
(20)   V. NATHANIEL,6 baptized March 9, 1745.
(24)  VI. MARY,6 baptized; m. March 9, 1748-9, Ezekiel
Tiffany, of Ashford.
(25) VII. SARAH,6 baptized; m. ---  Kendall, of Ashford.
(26) VIII. LucY,6 baptized; m. Abijah Brooks, of Ashford.
(27)  IX. PRISCILLA,6 baptized.




APPENDIX.                      355
Lieut. DanielG (21) and Elizabeth had:
(28)   I. DANIEL7, b. Dec. 7, 1765; m. Betsey Burchard.
HIe died Feb., 1834. He had 7 children, the fourth of whom,
son, Phineas, died a soldier in the army.
(29)  II. ELIZABETH7, b. March 24, 1768; m. Frederick
Chaffee, of Ashford.
(30) III. NATHANIEL7, b. Dec. 24, 1770; m. Hannah Farnham.
(31) IV. EPHRAIM7, b. Oct. 3, 1773.
(32)  V. MARTHA;7 b. Feb. 24, 1777, m. Charles Brandon of
Ashford.
(33) VI. KEZIAH,7 b. Feb. 9, 1781, m. Jan. 3, 1805, Amasa
Lyon, Esq., of Ashford.-Lineage of husband and children
already given. See page 351.
(34) VII. HANNAH,7 b. April 19, 1783, m. Daniel Knowlton,
Esq., and had sons, Miner,8 Danford,8 Edwin,s8 and daughters,
Amanda,8 Miriam,8 and Elvira.s Their eldest son, Miner, was
educated at West Point; was subsequently Assistant Professor
in that institution, and now holds a commission in the army
of the United States. See page 225.
By wife Rebecca, had:
(35) VIII. ERASTUS FENTON,7 b. Jan. 29, 1790, m. WVaite
Windsor of Gloucester, R. I.
(36) IX. MARVIN,7 b. Sept. 3, 1794, m. Calista Leonard of
Stafford, Conn.
Col. Thomas (22) and Anna had:
(37)   I. FREDERICK,7 b. Dec. 4, 1760, d. Oct. 9, 1841. He
served in the campaign of 1776, and was with his father in the
battle at Harlem Heights.
(38) II. SALLY,7 b. Nov. 23, 1763.
(39) III. THO3AS,7 b. July 13, 1765.




356                   APPENDIX.
(40)  IV. POLLY,7 b, Jan. 11, 1767.
(41)   V. ABIGAIL,7 b. June 20, 1768.
(42)  VI. SAM.SON,7 b. Feb. 8, 1770, d. Sept. 10, 1777.
(43) VII. ANNA,7 b. March 19, 1773.
(44) VIII. LUCIxDA,7 b. Nov.10, 1776, d. Feb. 16, 1805.




APPENDIX.                         357
[B.]
ACTION OF THE GENERAL ASSEM[BLY  OF CONNECTICUT,
OCTOBER, 1861.
GOVERNOR BUCKINGHAM, in his message to the General Assembly
of Connecticut, convened in Special Session October 9th, 1861, says:
"General Nathaniel Lyon, a native of this State, was entrusted by
Government with the command of a Division of Union forces in Missouri, and on the 10th day of August last, was killed at Wilson's
Creek, while leading his column against a force of rebels, in number
three times his superior. He possessed the confidence of his command and was highly distinguished for his modesty, energy and undaunted courage. His remains were brought by a military escort to
this State, honored with a public reception, and buried in Eastford,
his native town, by the side of his fathers. The expenses incident to
the ceremonies will be cheerfully met by those who appreciate the
services of the gallant soldier, unless the State shall claim that privilege. His family relatives have presented the sword and belt worn
by him at the time of his death, as well as his chapeau, to the State,
which are at your disposal."
Report of the Joint Select Committee to whom, this section of the
Governor's Message weas referred.
" GENERAL ASSEMBLY, Special Session, October, 1861.
Resolved, That the State of Connecticut accepts the gift of the
sword, belt and chapeau of the late General Nathaniel Lyon, presented by the relatives of that gallant officer, and while she mourns
the sudden death of a beloved son, who bore so distinguished a part
in defense of the Constitution and the suppression of rebellion, and
who offered his life, and all* that he possessed, on his country's altar,
Ihe will cherish the sad mementoes with fondest pride, and as she
places the sword of Lyon, by that of Putnam, would bid her surviving
children, emulate their deeds and share with them a nation's gratitude.
That the State of Connecticut shares in the bereavement of the
afflicted relatives of the lamented deceased, and tenders them her
warmest sympathies.
That the sword, belt and chapeau, as the property of the State, be
deposited, for safe keeping, with the. Connecticut Historical Society,
and that the Secretary of State be authorized to procure a suitable
case for the same."
Resolution passed.; The newspaper statement that Gen. Lyon gave his property by will
to the Government, is erroneous.




358                       APPENDIX.
[C.]
OBITUARY ADDRESSES
ON THE DEATH OF GEN. LYON; DELIVERED  IN THE SENATE OF THE
UNITED STATES, DECEMBER 20, 1861.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of
America in Colzgress assembled, That Congress deems it just and proper to enter
upon its records a recognition of the eminent and patriotic services of the late
Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon. The country to whose service he devoted his
life will guard and preserve his fame as a part of its own glory. Second. That the
thanks of Congress are hereby given to the brave officers and soldiers who, under
the command of the late General Lyon, sustained the honor of the fiag, and
achieved victory against overwhelming numbers at the battle of Springfield, in
Missouri; and that in order to commemorate an event so honorable to the country
and to themselves, it is ordered that each regiment engaged shall be authorized to
bear upon its colors the word " Springfield,' embroidered in letters of gold. And
the President of the United States is hereby requested to cause these resolutions to
be read at the head of every regiment in the Army of the United States.
Mr. POMEROY.  Mr. President, the resolutions which have just
been read to the Senate, were introduced to the House of Representatives by the distinguished member from St. Louis, and passed the
House very unanimously.  I trust they will in like manner pass the
Senate; but to me there is one reason why they should receive at
least a passing notice.  The State of Kanlsas was largely interested
in that battle at Wilson's Creek, near Springfield. And the country
and mankind have a large interest in the fame of the immortal Lyon,
who fell in that battle.  Such a man and such a general is not often
found, and very rarely combined in one person.  Perhaps I may be
pardoned here for saying that I had the pleasure of a personal acquaintance with Gen. Lyon for years; and it was an acquaintance
formed and matured under the most impressive circumstances. The
early struggles for the freedom  of our own State were not unlike in
their nature the present struggles of the nation. The same questions
to a great extent entered into the one that now convulse the oth'er.
The same interests, passions, and barbarity, so disgraceful to our
age and humanity, entered as largely into that struggle as in the
present.
Gen. Lyon, whose deeds and fame now belong to the whole count
try, was then Capt. Lyon, of the regular army, stationed at Fort
Riley, in Kansas. He had for ten years served the country in that
capacity, and without promotion. He was as true a soldier as ever
stood in the line of battle; a sagacious officer, strict in habit and
discipline, and an honest man.
His attention to me on an occasion of great personal fatigue and
exposure-taking me to his quarters, welcoming me to all his comforts, and then loaning me his own horse fresh and strong, and taking in charge mine, exhausted and worn-were acts of generosity
and kindness that I will never forget.  The elements of a friendship




APPENDIX.                           359
cemented by a unity of sentiment and principle, in an hour of great
extremity, are the most enduring attachments of this life.
But the.hero of that battle [Wilson's Creek] sleeps beside other
graves, in his dear native valley. He has been literally "gathered
to his fathers."  There need be no monument of marble or granite
for him. All the way from  St. Louis to Connecticut, his remains
were honored by tributes of respect from a grateful people. I had
the melancholy pleasure of seeing the almost spontaneous gathering
of his old friends at Hartford. They honored suitably the noble
dead. In that they honored themselves.  From Hartford to Eastford, where he now sleeps, the way was all marked by tokens that
were becoming to a returning conqueror.  The dear old people at
home have garnered up his memory; it shall be to them as endearing
as liberty and life.
Mr. DIXON. Mr. President, the language of eulogy is so often
heard in this Chamber, that its value may be impaired by its frequency; but there were certain qualities in the character of Gen.
Lyon, so peculiar and so admirable, that it seems eminently proper
to invite the attention of the Senate, and of the country, for a few
moments longer to their consideration, while this resolution is before
the Senate. It is not my design to dwell on the circumstances of his
death.  The country knows by heart the story of that brilliant
charge in which his life was sacrificed.  I shall not linger upon it
now, nor enlarge upon that undaunted courage which was one of the
least of his noble qualities.  I propose to say a single -word upon
certain other qualities of a higher order, which Gen. Lyon possessed
to a degree so distinluished as to render him  remarkable among'those heroic characters whose lives and services have illustrated our
history.
A high sense of official duty —devotion to the public service-these
were the peculiar and striking points of Gen. Lyon's character.  Other
men equaled and surpassed him in originality, in fertility of expedients, in ingenuity, perhaps in power of combination; but I think it
would be difficult to find one in our list of public men, since the days
of Washington, civil or military, who, in this utter, downright, unshrinking, uncalculating devotion to duty, excelled or even equaled
him.  He was remarkable for his regard for his friends; but he looked
upon their claims upon him as nothing in comparison with the duty
he owed the public. This had always seemed to be his governing
principle; and when he was called to lead our forces in the West, it
was strikingly manifested.  Then it was seen how this high devotion
to duty could inspire the heart with the noblest courage, and elevate
the mind into that exalted condition where it seems to be moved by
the inspiration of genius.  Thus inspired, he entered upon that brilliant career of victory which was closed only by his death on the
field of battle.  How great was the loss to his country when he fell,
it is impossible now accurately to measure; but this I may safely




360                    APPENDIX.
presume to say, that had he lived, his career, as it began, would
have continued victorious.
I will not reflect upon others. I know well the difficulties which
delay and obstruct the progress of our armies; and I will not add to
the perplexities of our military leaders by my own unskilled criticism
of plans which I do not understand, or by comments upon purposes
of which I am uninforled; but thus much I may say in behalf of
the dead hero who now sleeps within the bosom of his native State,
near the grave of Putnam, that, had Lyon lived and led our forces
in Missouri, the mistakes and disasters which, since his death, we
have there had occasion to deplore, would not have occurred, and
to-day we should not have been disputing the possession of that
State with rebels in arms.
In him, as the people hoped and believed, the hero of the war was
found; in him-such was the wondrous will of Heaven —the hero of
the war was lost as soon as found.
" This man, the glorious vision of a day,
Was only shown on earth, and snatched away."
Mr. FOSTER. Mr. President, I must be pardoned a word as a tribute to the memory of a departed friend. It is not necessary that I
should remark upon the character or services of the deceased, and I
shall not; they are familiarly known to the country, and will make
a bright page in that country's history. I rose only to say that I
mourn the loss of Gen. Lyon from personal as well as from national
considerations. He was among my most valued friends; I was in
correspondence with him to the last days of his life, and some of the
last letters he ever wrote were written to me. In common with a
vast assemblage of the citizens of Connecticut, and other States, I
attended his funeral on a calm, bright day in the early autumn; and
there, on the quiet hillside where his fathers slept, near a retired
country village which was his birthplace, I assisted in bearing his
mortal remains to an honored grave. Brave men shed tears over
him; Connecticut mourns him as a trur and gallant son; the nation
deplores the loss of a patriot and a hero.
[The joint resolution was reported to the Senate without amendment, and ordered to a third reading. It was read the third time,
and passed.]