CSA Bios: Quarles, Pryor, Price, W Preston

[Battleline]

Brig. Gen. William A. Quarles, CSA (b. 1825, d. 1893) One of only two Civil War generals with a last name starting with the letter ‘Q’ (Federal Issac F. Quinby was the other), William Andrew Quarles suffered the fate of being captured twice. Quarles was born on the Fourth of July, 1825, near Jamestown, Va. At the age of five, the family moved to Christian County, Ky. Quarles studied law at the University of Virginia and was admitted to the bar in 1848. His first practice was located in Clarksville, Tenn. He was a Pierce elector in the 1852 election and unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Congress in 1858. he also served as a circuit court judge, supervisor of banks for Tennessee and president of the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad. He served as a Democratic delegate to the conventions of 1856 and 1860. Elected colonel of the 42nd Tennessee Infantry in 1861, he was captured with that unit at Fort Donelson. Exchanged, he led four consolidated Tennessee regiments at Port Hudson. His command was moved to Gen. Joseph Johnston’s army during the Vicksburg Campaign. Quarles received promotion to brigadier general Aug. 25, 1863. He led his troops through the Atlanta Campaign and Hood’s Tennessee Invasion until he was wounded and captured at the Battle of Franklin, Tenn. Paroled May 25, 1865, Quarles returned home to resume his law practice. In 1875, Quarles was elected to the Tennessee senate. He again served as a delegate to the Democratic national conventions in 1880 and 1884. He died at the home of a daughter in Logan County, Ky., Dec. 28, 1893.

Brig. Gen. Roger A. Pryor, CSA (b. 1828, d. 1919) Roger Atkinson Pryor reportedly turned down the chance to fire the first shot of the Civil War during the siege of Fort Sumter. But he didn’t turn down chances to serve the Confederacy during the Civil War. Born near Petersburg, Va., July 19, 1828, Pryor received education in Nottoway County schools and the Classical Academy in Petersburg. He was valedictorian of the Hampden-Sydney College Class of 1845 and soon drew a reputation as an orator. Pryor also studied law at the University of Virginia and was admitted to the bar. By the time of the outbreak of the war, Pryor was known as a lawyer, newspaper editor and congressman. He resigned his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives March 3, 1861, and went to Charleston, S.C. Soon after, he was elected to the Provisional Confederate Congress, but declined to enter military service as colonel of the Third Virginia Infantry. Following the Battle of Williamsburg, Pryor received promotion to brigadier general, April 16, 1862. He led his brigade in the Seven Days Campaign, Second Manassas and Sharpsburg. Pryor’s military career took a sudden change in November 1862, when he was given a small brigade south of the James River. The following spring, the regiments were reassigned (at the insistence of Gen. Longstreet and Gen. Lee), effectively ending Pryor’s command. Pryor resigned his rank Aug. 18, 1863, and served as a courier without rank attached to the cavalry. He was captured Nov. 27, 1864, and held at Fort Lafayette. He was released shortly before the end of the war. In September 1865, Pryor went to New York, N.Y., and became affiliated with the Daily News. He was admitted to the state bar there and served as a lawyer, a judge on the court of common pleas and a state supreme court justice. He spent the final seven years of his life as a special referee of the appellate division of the court. He died March 14, 1919, in New York City.

Maj. Gen. Sterling Price, CSA (b. 1809, d. 1867) Long before Sterling Price commanded troops during the Civil War, he already had achieved notoriety as a soldier and statesman. “Old Pap” was born in Prince Edward County, Va., Sept. 20, 1809. He received education at Hampden-Sydney College and studied law following graduation. Around 1831, Price moved with his parents to Missouri and his Civil War career was intertwined with this border state. Price purchased a farm in Chariton County, Mo., He soon became prominent in state politics, serving six years in the state legislature. He was speaker of the house for the last four. He held a seat in the U.S. Congress from 1844-46, resigning to serve in the Mexican War as colonel of the Second Missouri Infantry. He was appointed brigadier general of volunteers and Gen. S.W. Kearny named him military governor of New Mexico. From 1853-57, Price served as Missouri governor. In 1861, Price was president of the state convention opposed to secession. However, disagreement with extreme Unionists caused tension. Military action against Camp Jackson in St. Louis was the final straw and Price accepted command of the Missouri Militia in May of 1861. Price worked to hold Missouri for the Confederacy and his position on the matter irritated many, including Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Price (still in command of state troops) combined his forces with those of Gen. Ben McCulloch to rout Federal forces at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek south of Springfield, Mo. His troops captured Lexington, Mo., in a battle that featured Confederate troops advancing behind large rolling hemp bales. After the defeat at Elkhorn Tavern, Price accepted a commission as a major general in the Provisional Confederate Army to rank from March 6, 1862. He campaigned near Iuka and Corinth, Miss., without success in October 1862. Another campaign near Helena, Ark., failed in 1863. In 1864, Price helped Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith repel Federal Gen. Steele’s Camden expedition. Price launched his own raid through the Show-Me State in 1864 in one final effort to retake Missouri for the Confederacy. His advance toward St. Louis was repulsed at the Battle of Pilot Knob, despite the fact Federal Gen. Ewing and his troops soon left Fort Davidson. Price turned north and west. After skirmishing with Federal troops near Union, the Confederates raided Missouri River towns Washington and Hermann. Bypassing the state capital of Jefferson City, Price took Boonville and Glasgow. Continuing west, Price’s men fought at Waverly, Lexington, Little Blue River, Independence, Big Blue River and finally at Westport. Following the Confederate defeat at Westport, Price’s men turned south and fought at Marais Des Cygnes River before continuing to withdraw toward Arkansas. At the end of the war, Price was in Texas. He moved into Mexico after the Confederate surrender, but returned to Missouri following the fall of Maximilian’s empire in Mexico. Price returned to Missouri in 1866 and died in St. Louis Sept. 29, 1867.

Brig. Gen. William Preston, CSA (b. 1816, d. 1887) Brother-in-law of Gen. A.S. Johnston, William Preston saw duty as a general and a minister during his Confederate service. Preston was appointed minister to the Imperial Mexican government of Maximilian, but could not reach the emperor. Born near Louisville, Ky., Oct. 16, 1816, Preston received education in Kentucky and at Harvard. He received his law degree from Harvard in 1838 and began a private practice in Louisville. At the start of the Mexican War, Preston was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Fourth Kentucky, which saw active service in the conflict. Following the war, he served in both houses of the Kentucky legislature. He won a U.S. Congressional seat in 1852 and enjoyed two terms in Washington, D.C., before being beaten by eventual Confederate Gen. Humphery Marshall. President Buchanan appointed Preston as minister to Spain in 1858. In 1861, Preston played an active role in trying to get Kentucky to join the Confederacy. Preston joined the staff of his brother-in-law, Gen. A.S. Johnston, until Johnston was killed at Shiloh. Preston was appointed brigadier general April 14, 1862, and fought at Corinth, Murfreesboro and Chickamauga. He left his role as a general when he was appointed minister to Mexico. When he couldn’t get to Maximilian, he spent the rest of the war in the Trans-Mississippi Department. Preston finally made it to Mexico, but after the war ended. He also visited England and Canada before returning to Kentucky in 1866. He served in the Kentucky lower house in 1868-69 and was a member of the Democratic conventions of 1868 and 1880. Preston died in Lexington, Ky., Sept. 21, 1887.

[christof139]

Great Bios!!!  Chris
 
 

[Missouri_Rebel]

Thank you for the fine piece on Price, another Missourian forced by federal over-reaching of powers into the C.S.A.. Very well done again.

mo reb 

[christof139]

There is even a good bio of 'Jo' Shelby and mention of his MO Iron Bde. of Cavalry. There are some good books on Shelby, yet I have not one that deals specifically with just Shelby.

You may already have these, 'General Sterling Price and the Civil war in the West' by A. Castel is a good book I have concerning specifically Price, and 'Bloody Hill, the Civil War battle of Wilson's Creek' is an excellent work by WR Brooksher, and these can be found both new and used on Ebay, and at Abe Books and Amazon.com for low prices. I don't have any more room to put books, and my ACW library is large, particularily concentrating on the Trans Miss. Theater.

The Bios in the game and those being added are excellent.

Perhaps a General's Quality such as Mad or Insane could be added for Gens. like Union Gen. Hunter, and this quality could add either a good combat trait t his troops or mass confusion or some such thing, depending on the electronic die roll. Good books concerning Hunter are 'Lee's Endangered left, the Civil War in Western virginia Spring of 1864' by RR Duncan, and 'Season of Fire, the Confederate Strike on Washington' by J. Judge. Hunter was a bonafide nut. Hated and dreaded he was because of all the burning he did in the Shendoah, but that was total war and has happened in the AWI also and practically every war that has occurred on our planet.

Chris

[Gil R.]

Looking good. Thanks!

[Battleline]

I always had a fondness for Price as he was a prominent Missourian by the outbreak of the Civil War.
There still is a bit of information that gets written from time to time about Price's raid. The city of Union (county seat of Franklin County) was planning on holding a reenactment this year, but has postponed until next year. There was a skirmish there before Price came through Washington (my hometown for the past nine years) and burned the Missouri Pacific freight depot (the one that replaced that one still is in use). From here, he continued west on the Missouri River and raided Hermann. My occupation takes me to the other two towns often. Unfortunately, I can't claim any kinfolk in these parts at that time. My ancestors were down south, with many in Tennessee. Recent discoveries have yielded ancestors in Tennessee units on both sides of the conflict.
Battleline

[Gil R.]

Here's Quarles. I edited this some time ago, but forgot to post it here. Poor guy -- an ignominious Civil War career, and now being remembered as the guy with really bad ratings in FOF.


Brig. Gen. William Andrew Quarles (b. 1825, d. 1893). One of only two Civil War generals with a last name starting with the letter ‘Q’ – Union general Isaac F. Quinby was the other – Quarles suffered the fate of being captured twice. Quarles was born on the Fourth of July, 1825, near Jamestown, Virginia. At the age of five, his family moved to Christian County, Kentucky. Quarles studied law at the University of Virginia and was admitted to the bar in 1848. His first practice was located in Clarksville, Tennessee. Becoming active in politics, Quarles served an elector for Franklin Pierce in the 1852 presidential election and unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Congress in 1858. He also held posts as a circuit court judge, supervisor of banks for Tennessee and president of the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad, and was a delegate to the Democratic conventions of 1856 and 1860. Elected Colonel of the 42nd Tennessee Infantry in 1861, he was captured with that unit at Fort Donelson in February 1862. After having been exchanged, Quarles led four consolidated Tennessee regiments at Port Hudson. His command was moved to Gen. Joseph E. Johnston’s Army of Tennessee during the Vicksburg Campaign, after which he received promotion to brigadier general on August 25, 1863. Quarles led his troops through the Atlanta Campaign and Gen. John B. Hood’s Tennessee Invasion until he was wounded and captured at the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. Paroled after the war’s end on May 25, 1865, Quarles returned home to resume his law practice. In 1875, he was elected to the Tennessee senate, and he again served as a delegate to the Democratic national conventions of 1880 and 1884. Quarles died at the home of a daughter in Logan County, Kentucky, on December 28, 1893. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 2
Tactics: 2
Initiative: 1
Command: 2
Cavalry:

Start date: 63
“Death” date: 94

[Gil R.]

Also, I edited Pryor, but still have some issues:


Brig. Gen. Roger Atkinson Pryor (b. 1828, d. 1919). Pryor reportedly turned down the chance to fire the first shot of the Civil War during the siege of Fort Sumter, but he did not turn down chances to serve the Confederacy during the Civil War. Born near Petersburg, Virginia, on July 19, 1828, Pryor received his education in Nottoway County schools and the Classical Academy in Petersburg. He was valedictorian of the Hampden-Sydney College Class of 1845 and soon gained a reputation as an orator. Pryor also studied law at the University of Virginia and was admitted to the bar. By the time of the outbreak of the war, Pryor was known as a lawyer, newspaper editor and congressman. He resigned his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 3, 1861, six weeks before Virginia seceded, and went to Charleston. (Why did he go to Charleston?) Soon afterwards, Pryor was elected to the Provisional Confederate Congress, but declined in order to enter military service as Colonel of the 3rd Virginia Infantry. Following the Battle of Williamsburg, Pryor received promotion to brigadier general, on April 16, 1862. (But Williamsburg was May 4-5, 1862, and his promotion was in April He led his brigade in the Seven Days’ Campaign, in the Battle of Second Manassas and Battle of Antietam. Pryor’s military career experienced a sudden change in November of 1862, when he was given a small brigade south of the James River. The following spring, the regiments in Pryor’s brigade were reassigned at the insistence of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. James Longstreet, effectively ending Pryor’s command. (I’m not clear on what happened. Was the sudden change in November really the stripping away of his command the following spring, or did something else happen? Also, did Pryor do something to upset Lee and Longstreet?) Pryor resigned his rank (Is this really the phrase, “resign one’s rank”? Not “commission”?) on August 18, 1863, but did not resign from the army: instead, he served as a courier without rank attached to the cavalry. Pryor was captured on November 27, 1864, and held at Fort Lafayette until his release shortly before the end of the war. In September 1865, Pryor went to New York City and became affiliated with the Daily News. He was admitted to the state bar there and practiced law both in the private sector and as a judge on the court of common pleas and a justice on the state supreme court. He spent the final seven years of his life as a special referee of the appellate division of the court. Pryor died on March 14, 1919, in New York City. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 2
Tactics: 2
Initiative: 1
Command: 2
Cavalry:

Start date: 31

[Gil R.]

Here's Preston. Looks good to go.


Brig. Gen. William Preston (b. 1816, d. 1887). Brother-in-law of Gen. Albert S. Johnston, Preston saw duty as a general and a minister during his Confederate service. Born near Louisville, Kentucky, on October 16, 1816, Preston received education in Kentucky and at Harvard. He received his law degree from Harvard in 1838 and began a private practice back home in Louisville. At the start of the Mexican War, Preston was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th Kentucky Infantry, which saw active service in the conflict. Following the war, Preston served in both houses of the Kentucky legislature. He next won a U.S. Congressional seat in 1852 and enjoyed two terms in Washington, D.C., before being beaten by future Confederate Gen. Humphrey Marshall. Pres. James Buchanan later appointed Preston as minister to Spain in 1858. In 1861, Preston played an active role in trying to get Kentucky to join the Confederacy. When the war broke out, he joined the Confederate army, serving on the staff of his brother-in-law until Johnston was killed at the Battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862. Preston was appointed brigadier general on April 14, and fought at Corinth, Murfreesboro and Chickamauga. Soon thereafter, however, he left active service when he was appointed the Confederacy’s minister to Mexico. Unable to reach the court of the Emperor Maximillian to fulfill his ambassadorial duties, Preston spent the rest of the war in the Trans-Mississippi Department. Preston did finally make it to Mexico, but after the war ended; he also visited England and Canada before returning to Kentucky in 1866. He served in the Kentucky lower house in 1868-69 and was a member of the Democratic conventions of 1868 and 1880. Preston died in Lexington on September 21, 1887. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 3
Tactics: 2
Initiative: 3
Command: 2
Cavalry:

Start date: 30
“Death” date: 72

[jkBluesman]

ORIGINAL: Gil R.

Pryor’s military career experienced a sudden change in November of 1862, when he was given a small brigade south of the James River. The following spring, the regiments in Pryor’s brigade were reassigned at the insistence of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. James Longstreet, effectively ending Pryor’s command. (I’m not clear on what happened. Was the sudden change in November really the stripping away of his command the following spring, or did something else happen? Also, did Pryor do something to upset Lee and Longstreet?)

Theere was an incident during the forage operation of Longstreet in North Carolina and Southern Virginia. In his troops assignment Longstreet sent Colston's briagde to the so called Blackwater line to take command there. Pryor, who outranked Colston, protested against Colston's assignment in a four-page letter. I have no further information on this, but it indicates that Pryor was one of the generals who were sensitive in questions of honor and rank.

[Battleline]

Notes on Pryor after consulting another source:
Pryor resigned his House seat the day before Lincoln's inauguration in protest (of Lincoln's election). He had published a secessionist newspaper called The South, prior to his election to Congress in 1858. One could assume that Pryor just wanted to be on the site when the first secessionist action took place in Charleston. He offered his services to Gen. Beauregard and was an aide for both the negotiations before the firing started and the surrender.

Source No. 2, Heidler's Encyclopedia, states that Pryor was promoted to brigadier general at the same date as the one mentioned in this bio, but was commended by Longstreet for his actions at Williamsburg and Seven Pines. Warner's work had stated Williamsburg came first, obviously a mistake.

Heidler's seems to insist that Pryor was tired of waiting for a new command and resigned. He stayed in the army as a cavalry private in Fitzhugh Lee's command.

Heidler also seems to indicate he was paroled to Petersburg before the end of the war because he had been captured during a brief truce.

After the war, when he went to New York to write, he first did so under an assumed name to avoid his prewar reputation, but eventually became successful enough to write under his own name.

Hope that answers the questions.
Thanks,
Battleline

[Battleline]

Brig. Gen. William Preston, CSA (b. 1816, d. 1887) Brother-in-law of Gen. A.S. Johnston, William Preston saw duty as a general and a minister during his Confederate service. Preston was appointed minister to the Imperial Mexican government of Maximilian, but could not reach the emperor. Born near Louisville, Ky., Oct. 16, 1816, Preston received education in Kentucky and at Harvard. He received his law degree from Harvard in 1838 and began a private practice in Louisville. At the start of the Mexican War, Preston was appointed lieutenant colonel of the Fourth Kentucky, which saw active service in the conflict. Following the war, he served in both houses of the Kentucky legislature. He won a U.S. Congressional seat in 1852 and enjoyed two terms in Washington, D.C., before being beaten by eventual Confederate Gen. Humphery Marshall. President Buchanan appointed Preston as minister to Spain in 1858. In this role, he attempted to purchase Cuba for the United States. In 1861, Preston played an active role in trying to get Kentucky to join the Confederacy. Preston joined the staff of his brother-in-law, Gen. A.S. Johnston, until Johnston was killed at Shiloh. Preston was appointed brigadier general April 14, 1862, and fought at Corinth, Murfreesboro and Chickamauga. He left his role as a general when he was appointed minister to Mexico. When he couldn’t get an audience with Maximilian, he tried to return to Richmond. Through much travel, he made it to northern Mexico and was pressed into duty in the Trans-Mississippi Department when he returned. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith placed him in charge of the Polignac Division with the rank of major general, although the Confederate Congress never confirmed that rank. Preston made it back to Mexico after the war ended. He also visited England and Canada before returning to Kentucky in 1866. He served in the Kentucky lower house in 1868-69 and was a member of the Democratic conventions of 1868 and 1880. Preston died in Lexington, Ky., Sept. 21, 1887.

[Gil R.]

Here's Preston, I made some further changes. Looks pretty good.


READY:
Brig. Gen. William Preston (b. 1816, d. 1887). Brother-in-law of Gen. Albert S. Johnston, Preston saw duty as a general and a minister during his Confederate service. Born near Louisville, Kentucky, on October 16, 1816, Preston received education in Kentucky and at Harvard. He received his law degree from Harvard in 1838 and began a private practice back home in Louisville. At the start of the Mexican War, Preston was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th Kentucky Infantry, which saw active service in the conflict. Following the war, Preston served in both houses of the Kentucky legislature. He next won a U.S. Congressional seat in 1852 and enjoyed two terms in Washington, D.C., before being beaten by future Confederate Gen. Humphrey Marshall. Pres. James Buchanan later appointed Preston as minister to Spain in 1858, in which role he attempted to purchase Cuba for the United States. In 1861, Preston played an active role in trying to get Kentucky to join the Confederacy. When the war broke out, he joined the Confederate army, serving on the staff of his brother-in-law until Johnston was killed at the Battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862. Preston was appointed brigadier general on April 14, and fought at Corinth, Murfreesboro and Chickamauga. Soon thereafter, however, he left active service when he was appointed the Confederacy’s minister to Mexico. Unable to gain an audience with the Emperor Maximilian to fulfill his ambassadorial duties because he was trying to avoid taking a position on the issue of recognizing the Confederate States of America, Preston attempted to return to Richmond but, getting no closer than northern Mexico, was pressed into duty in the Trans-Mississippi Department. Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith placed him in charge of the Polignac Division with the rank of major general, although the Confederate Congress never confirmed that rank. Preston did finally make it to Mexico – but only after the war ended, and because he was fleeing with fellow Confederates. Preston returned to Kentucky in December 1865, and served in the state’s legislature in 1868-69, also serving as a member of the Democratic conventions of 1868 and 1880. Preston died in Lexington on September 21, 1887. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 3
Tactics: 2
Initiative: 3
Command: 2
Cavalry:

Start date: 30
“Death” date: 72

[Gil R.]

Okay, Pryor's ready now. Thanks for the input.

Brig. Gen. Roger Atkinson Pryor (b. 1828, d. 1919). Pryor reportedly turned down the chance to fire the first shot of the Civil War during the siege of Fort Sumter, but he did not turn down chances to serve the Confederacy during the Civil War. Born near Petersburg, Virginia, on July 19, 1828, Pryor received his education in Nottoway County schools and the Classical Academy in Petersburg. He was valedictorian of the Hampden-Sydney College Class of 1845 and soon gained a reputation as an orator. Pryor also studied law at the University of Virginia and was admitted to the bar. By the time of the outbreak of the war, Pryor was known as a lawyer, newspaper editor and congressman. Six weeks before Virginia seceded, Pryor resigned his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 3, 1861 in order to protest the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln the following day. An ardent secessionist, he headed to Charleston and offered his services to Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, whom he assisted during the negotiations before hostilities had commended and for the garrison’s surrender. Soon afterwards, Pryor was elected to the Provisional Confederate Congress, but declined in order to enter military service as Colonel of the 3rd Virginia Infantry. Pryor received promotion to brigadier general, on April 16, 1862, and in this capacity performed ably enough at the battles of Williamsburg and Seven Pines to be commended by his superior, Gen. James Longstreet. He led his brigade in the Seven Days’ Campaign, in the Battle of Second Manassas and Battle of Antietam. Pryor’s military career experienced a sudden change in November of 1862, when he was given a small brigade south of the James River. The following spring, the regiments in Pryor’s brigade were reassigned at the insistence of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Longstreet, effectively ending Pryor’s command. Pryor resigned his rank on August 18, 1863, but did not resign from the army: instead, he served as a courier without rank attached to the cavalry under Gen. Fitzhugh Lee. Pryor was captured on November 27, 1864, and held at Fort Lafayette in New York until his release shortly before the end of the war, a move prompted by the fact that he had been captured during a brief truce. In September 1865, Pryor went to New York City and became affiliated with the Daily News, initially writing under an assumed name due to concerns about his prewar reputation. He was admitted to the state bar there and practiced law both in the private sector and as a judge on the court of common pleas and a justice on the state supreme court. He spent the final seven years of his life as a special referee of the appellate division of the court. Pryor died on March 14, 1919, in New York City. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 2
Tactics: 2
Initiative: 1
Command: 2
Cavalry:

Start date: 31

[Gil R.]

I finally finish Sterling Price. I added some stuff, which necessitated cutting some other stuff (a comment about Jefferson Davis that didn't really fit, plus some details about Price's raid). It just about fits.


Maj. Gen. Sterling Price (b. 1809, d. 1867). Long before Price commanded troops in the Civil War, he already had achieved notoriety as a soldier and statesman. “Old Pap,” as he came to be known, was born in Prince Edward County, Virginia, on September 20, 1809. He was educated at Hampden-Sydney College and studied law following graduation. Around 1831, Price moved with his parents to Missouri – the border state with which his Civil War career would be intertwined. Price purchased a farm in Chariton County, and soon became prominent in state politics, serving six years in the state legislature (the last four as Speaker of the House). He also held a seat in the U.S. Congress from 1844-46, resigning to serve in the Mexican War as Colonel of the 2nd Missouri Infantry. During the war, Price was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers and named military governor of New Mexico. Having returned home from the war, Price returned to politics, serving as governor of Missouri from 1853-57, and later commanding the state militia. In 1861, Price presided over the extremely tense state convention that opposed secession. Military action by Gen. Nathaniel Lyon against the Missouri Militia at Camp Jackson and the bloody aftermath – the “St. Louis Massacre,” in which at least twenty-eight civilians were killed – on May 10 was the final straw for Price, whose own opposition to secession crumbled in the face of what he viewed as a violation of his state’s sovereignty. When the Missouri State Guard was created the next day, Price accepted its command and, having established a base in the southwestern part of the state, recruited and trained 5,000 men. On August 10, Price combined his state troops with those of Confederate Gen. Ben McCulloch to rout Union forces at the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, south of Springfield. Differences between Price and McCulloch led them to separate, with McCulloch returning to Arkansas and Price heading into northern Missouri. That September, Price’s troops captured the small town of Lexington, in a four-day battle that finally ended when Confederate troops advanced on the Union position behind large, rolling hemp bales that protected them from enemy fire. This battle, sometimes known as the “Battle of the Hemp Bales,” made Price a southern hero. After the defeat of Price’s and McCulloch’s forces at Elkhorn Tavern (or Pea Ridge) on March 7-8, 1862, which gave the Union control of Missouri, Price accepted a commission as a major general in the Confederate Army, to rank from March 6, 1862. Commanding the Army of the West, he was defeated at Iuka and Corinth, Mississippi, in October 1862, and at Helena, Arkansas in July 1863. In March 1864, Price helped Gen. Edmund K. Smith repel Gen. Frederick Steele’s Camden expedition. Later that year, Price launched his own expedition through the Show-Me State in one final effort to retake Missouri for the Confederacy. Known as “Price’s Missouri Raid,” this monthlong campaign began with 12,000 men forming the Army of Missouri and entering that state from northeastern Arkansas. Their advance on St. Louis was repulsed at the Battle of Pilot Knob on September 26, despite the fact that the outnumbered Union forces retreated. Price next turned north and west, bypassing the state capital of Jefferson City but taking several smaller targets. Continuing west, Price’s men fought at Waverly, Lexington, Little Blue River, Independence, Big Blue River and finally at Westport. Following their defeat at Westport on October 23, Price’s army, which had been severely degraded over the past month, turned south, fighting one last battle at Newtownia before reaching safety in Arkansas and then Texas. Price went to Mexico after the war, but returned to Missouri in 1866 following the fall of Maximilian’s empire in Mexico. He died a pauper in St. Louis the following year, on September 29. (Bio by Bill Battle)

Leadership: 4
Tactics: 5
Initiative: 4
Command: 5
Cavalry:

Start date: 8

Teaches: Foragers, Independent, Random