Major Fell quickly put on his blue military uniform, took his saber and left the room regardless of the woman on the bed's inquiry.
"What's wrong, Johnson? Didn't General Leon defeat those National Guards? Where are the enemies coming from?" Fehr asked as he arranged his clothes and walked.
"The leader is a cavalry brigade. There are probably several thousand people. They launched a surprise attack on the city just after dawn. They probably arrived last night."
"Our people are relying on the buildings and streets in the city to resist. However, there are too many people on the other side. According to the reports of the soldiers who ran back, most of these people have yellow faces," Johnson reported.
"That yellow mercenary army in Kansas? They actually defected to the South. I knew that the New World should not accept these yellow people!"
While Feier was talking to himself, the sound of horse hoofbeats could be heard on the street in the distance.
Although Fair's men can be considered a regiment, they are just a militia.
He had almost no regular troops under his command. It would be okay for these people to bully the wealthy locals in the city with more people. It would indeed be difficult for them to withstand the assault of Wall's regular cavalry.
Johansen obviously did not expect that the enemy would hit the center of the city so soon.
Fehr followed Johnson and gathered some soldiers who had escaped from the edge of the town.
"Locke, quickly gather your men and support me. We have to hold off the enemy and wait for General Leon to come back for support." At this time, Feier saw the police chief Locke, whom he accepted his fate.
"I only save so many people. These enemies are too cruel. As long as they have guns, they will shoot them regardless of whether they are wearing military uniforms or not. And their marksmanship is very powerful." Locke said with some horror.
The more evil a person is like him, the more he fears death.
Seeing what Locke said, Feier was also a little shaken, but after all, he had attended a military academy and still had a sense of honor as a soldier in his heart.
Under his leadership, the deserters he had gathered fought back along the streets.
The roar of charging, the neighing of war horses, and the sound of rifle fire intertwined in the streets.
Two hours later, Zhang Hong, chief of staff of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade of the Kansas Army, came to the brigade commander Liu Cheng and reported: "Brigadier Commander, the city has been completely cleared. A total of 1,050 enemy people have been annihilated, and no one has escaped."
"Okay, well done. We gave the Kansas Army a good start."
The attack on Jefferson City by Liu Cheng's 2nd Cavalry Brigade was the first battle since the formation of the Kansas Army.
Liu Cheng felt very proud.
He knew that this first battle must be fought well.
Chinese people always pay attention to a good start in everything they do. Nothing is more inspiring than winning the first battle.
"Brigadier Commander, I interrogated the prisoners. This is just a garrison left behind. Most of them are volunteers recruited temporarily, and there are also some rogues and wandering gunmen they recruited in Jefferson City. These people's combat effectiveness is really not very good.
Like this. According to reports from prisoners, Leon has taken away almost all the main force of the federal army, about 8,000 people, and is pursuing the National Guard under General Price towards Springfield." Zhang Hong continued to report.
Liu Cheng frowned slightly after hearing this. It seemed that he really had to wait until the main force led by Chief of Staff Wang arrived before he could pursue the enemy.
"Let the troops repair first, let's go find the leading figures in the city and get some supplies for everyone," Liu Cheng said.
When they came out, they traveled lightly and did not bring any supplies at all.
The man was okay and could make do with some marching rations, but the war horse had to get some concentrated feed to take good care of itself after running for more than 200 kilometers.
"Brigadier, there is no need for us to run away personally. The federal army's garrison has stored a lot of supplies in the city, which should be prepared for their main force. I asked about these things and they basically bought them from the surrounding farms and
We got it from the big households in the city. Now these things are all the materials we seized." Zhang Hong said.
General Leon did not bring much supplies when he set out from St. Louis City. Originally, if he attacked Jefferson City, he could continue to transport supplies from St. Louis City.
But he didn't expect Price to run so fast.
The front line was suddenly stretched, and General Leon could only use Jefferson City as a distribution center for supplies.
Only a small part of the supplies here were transported along the Missouri River.
Most of it was collected by Fair in Jefferson City and estates around the city.
There is a lot of grain and horse feed here.
Liu Cheng and Zhang Hong went together to check the supplies stored by the federal army.
Liu Cheng was shocked by the mountains of supplies that filled several warehouses.
The federal army's ability to collect supplies is really powerful.
Well, this saves Liu Cheng from having to deal with these white landlords in the city.
"Brigadier, there is a white man named Locke who claims to be the police chief in the city. He saved the warehouse from being burned down. This man claims to be willing to serve us." The chief of staff said, but his tone was a bit disrespectful to Locke.
disdain.
"Oh, how about we meet. Although this kind of person is not good in character, he can still be useful to us sometimes."
Soon Locke was brought to Liu Cheng.
This person has brown curly hair on his head, and his facial features are not as three-dimensional and rough as those of ordinary white people, but he is quite upright. However, he has a garlic-like rosacea.
After meeting Liu Cheng, he looked flattering. Liu Cheng had never seen such a flattering white man.
It is indeed disgusting. However, this person was originally the boss of a local farmer's family and knew the situation here very well.
Liu Cheng thought for a while that he could really use him, so he kept Locke.
On the 17th, the First Brigade also arrived outside St. Louis.
However, their attack against St. Louis City was not so smooth.
Originally, there were indeed only more than a thousand remaining troops in the city. However, there were many people in the city who supported the federal army.
During this period, the troops remaining in the city continued to recruit troops and expanded their number to about 5,000.
However, due to the rapid expansion, the weapons in their hands were somewhat limited, and some soldiers even used muzzleloaders they brought with them.
But St. Louis is, after all, a large city with a population of nearly 100,000.
The streets in the city are not that straight.
Therefore, the Cavalry Brigade really only captured the outskirts of the city.
The people in the city also launched several attacks against the First Cavalry Brigade, but they were all repelled.
Before the 1st Cavalry Brigade cut the telegraph wire outside the city, the defenders inside the city had already spread the news of being attacked by the Kansas Army.
Although they carried the flag of the Union Army, the black military uniforms and yellow faces still revealed the identity of the Kansas Legion.
As a forward base for liberals supporting the Kansas Civil War, most people here know about the Yangtze security mercenaries in the Kansas area.
Some even fought with them on the battlefield.
Several attacks launched by the volunteers in the city against the First Cavalry Brigade were easily repelled by the First Cavalry Brigade.
At the same time, the river gunboat formation of the Kansas Corps that came all the way along the Missouri River also arrived here and began to blockade the riverside dock area of St. Louis.
The city of St. Louis is built along the river. To blockade it, we must rely on the navy to block it together with the waterway.
Fortunately, the headquarters is built on the edge of Kansas City, where the Kansas River and the Missouri River meet, and you can follow the Missouri River into the Mississippi River by water.
So Yangtze Security used the past few years to establish a gunboat formation.
Although they are all small boats with dozens of tons, they are at least river power with force.
Large ships cannot be used on the Missouri River.
However, the number of gunboats and transport ships is limited, otherwise the army can transport them directly from the river.
However, this time at the dock in the Missouri area, the Kansas Army obtained a large number of transport ships, which were previously detained here by General Leon.
On August 18, the main force led by Wang Yan finally arrived in Jefferson City.
At this time, the news of the attack on the rear finally reached Laon's ears.
Prior to this, Brigadier General Laian stationed his troops in the Springfield area.
The retreating Price finally waited in Springfield for the support of the Confederate troops from Tennessee and Arkansas.
Lai Ang also received reinforcements brought from Kentucky by General Siegel.
He is actively preparing to deal with the Confederate counterattack.
Leon's last letter to General Fremont on August 9, 1861 stated:
I fell back to this place (Springfield) on the 5th of August, and the enemy followed closely at a point ten miles away. They had taken up a firm line, and had collected horses, mules, and supplies from the surrounding villages. They
The strong riding force can ensure that they are free from interference. I find that I am in a very awkward situation. I can't decide whether I should hold my position or retreat. I can withstand a frontal attack but once the enemy surrounds me, I must retreat. I will
Try to hold my position as best I can, even though I would be putting my entire force in danger. The enemy's strength demonstrated yesterday was five miles long, and there is no doubt that they intend to attack our troops.
Now the Jefferson City we previously occupied has been occupied by the enemy's Kansas Army that suddenly appeared.
Our intelligence is obviously seriously lagging behind, but now it is difficult for Siegel and I's army to continue to push back here. Even if we want to retreat, we must first defeat the enemy in front of us.
At six o'clock in the afternoon on August 19, before the troops set off, General Laian convened the troops for a pre-war mobilization.
As he marched to Burlington Zuaf's formation he said: "Boys, we are about to have a battle. We will be moving soon. Do not fire until ordered to do so. Aim low and not high when firing.
Get on their knees, wait until they come near, and don't be afraid, fear is not part of a soldier's duty."
Despite his efforts to inspire his soldiers, the soldiers still heard fatigue in his words.
Private William Eustis in the crowd muttered: "How can a man who is afraid help a man who is afraid?"
He personally led the main force composed of two regiments, with Major Jones's regiment still taking the lead. His regiment was the most elite regiment under Laon's command.
The 2nd Infantry Regiment commanded by Major Peter Osterhouse was a mixed regiment that included Captain James Totten's Company F of the Federal 2nd Artillery Regiment and Captain Samuel N. Wood's Louisiana Rangers.
, and Lt. Charles W. Canfield's Company D, 1st U.S. Cavalry.
The 3rd Regiment, which followed, had about 2,100 men. The battalion consisted of Companies B and E of the 2nd U.S. Infantry under Captain Frederick Steele, one company of regular army recruits, and one company of mounted infantry recruits.
, John Dubois's artillery battery.
The 4th Regiment, commanded by Colonel George Ditzler, was the largest regiment in the army (2,300 infantry).
To protect his current camp at Springfield, Leon sent Captain David Stanley's Company C of the 1st Millennium Cavalry, the 1,200-man Greene and Christian County Guards, and Franz Backoff's Missouri Light Artillery.
Some of the troops stayed behind.
The District Guard patrolled the Telegraph Road to Wilson's Creek to detect a possible Confederate attack on Springfield.
At the same time, preparations for an evacuation to Rolla had begun. Regardless of the outcome of the subsequent battle, a logistical disaster necessitated this.
Because the Kansas Army suddenly appeared and intercepted the supplies that were being sent from Jefferson City.
At five o'clock in the afternoon on August 19, the team set off, and Jones' troops were the first to leave the camp.
Lieutenant Colonel William Merritt's report stated that his Iowa boys set out at 6:00, and Lieutenant Colonel Andrews' Missouri regiment at 6:30.
The vast wheat fields made marching uncomfortable, and the troops were required to keep quiet, but only the regular army maintained excellent discipline.
The German soldiers of Osterhaus, the 1st Iowa Infantry Regiment, and the boys from Louisiana all sang songs, and other volunteers were also chatting. Fortunately, the weather was fine.
At one o'clock at midnight, Leon issued a stricter silence order, and the federal marching team stopped. The bonfire of the Confederate camp could be seen in the distance, and the neighing of mules and horses could be heard.
The main force of Lyon rested on the farm of Milford Norman. Although the leading column was less than two miles from the Confederate camp, the marching column itself was one and a half miles long. The excessive length of the marching column affected the subsequent march of Lyon.
combat deployment.
After the rest order was given, the soldiers rested on their arms.
At the same time, Laon sent cavalry to confirm the position of the Confederate army. The weather was hot at the time, but it gradually became cooler as the sun set.
Private Eugene Weir of the 1st Iowa Infantry Regiment described in his diary: "It gradually became unbearable. The march was nothing more than a funeral procession. The boys gave each other detailed introductions.
What materials do they want to use for their future coffins and what decorations do they want to use? We only travel a short 20-100 yards each time, stopping from time to time to form a team. Our progress is slow. There are some clouds in the sky, but through the starlight we can still
We saw a short distance around us. Finally, we received news that we had entered the enemy's outpost line but were still two or three miles away from their camp. Rumors said that the enemy numbered as many as 25,000. After crossing the mountains, we
We could see the glow of several campfires in the sky, and sometimes we could hear the braying of mules. At this time (about one o'clock in the morning), the marching column stopped, and our company stood on the edge of a wide rock. We all
Lying on this rock to rest. The cold and moist air made me feel chilly, but the radiant heat absorbed by the rock was particularly comfortable."
Lyon's general staff recalled that Lyon was frustrated by Leon Fremont's lack of attention to southwest Missouri, but Lyon himself was ready "I would gladly trade my life for victory."
After being attacked by a surprise attack on the rear, the entire team fell into despair. They were completely different from the spirit of their previous high-spirited march.
Especially the Confederate army, which kept running away at the beginning, is now coming back with a large number of reinforcements, which makes the federal soldiers feel that they have fallen into the enemy's trick of luring them deeper.