AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHN F. LACEY 395 



eluded to follow the enemy and make the attack alone. 

 We marched out of Liberty, towards Blue Mills Landing, 

 and when we reached the river bottom we found five of 

 our Missouri scouts lying dead side by side with their 

 hats over their faces. They had been placed in a row by 

 the roadside and we marched by with rather unpleasant 

 forebodings. 



We had a piece of artillery and a caisson along, and 

 they were at the head of the column with a skirmish line 

 in front. The dense undergrowth prevented the skir- 

 mishers from keeping far enough in advance and we sud- 

 denly found ourselves at close range with the enemy, who 

 were concealed in a depression of ground, or dry bayou. 



They had squirrel rifles and double-barreled shotguns 

 and they enfiladed our men, who were marching by the 

 right flank along the road. The artillery horses were soon 

 killed and the gunners, after firing two rounds, were 

 driven from their guns. The regiment scattered right 

 and left in the woods and all fought on their own account 

 without much system or order. 



The enemy was in heavy force and well sheltered, and 

 after a two hours ' fight a retreat was ordered. Captain 

 (afterwards General) Trumbull rushed forward with his 

 men and drew off the cannon but the caisson fell into the 

 enemy's hands. We lost nearly 100 men killed and wound- 

 ed in this our first genuine battle. The excitement of the 

 battle caused me to forget my ague and weakness, but 

 when the retreat was ordered I stepped out into the road 

 and fired a farewell shot into the smoke in the direction 

 of the enemy and then started to obey the order to retreat. 

 I soon found that I was wholly unable to keep up and was 

 ready to drop with sheer exhaustion at any moment. 

 Later in the war I would not have thought of starting out 

 on a march in my condition of health, but we had not yet 



