as close as from 50 to 75
yards of the Union works. At this distance it would be easy to mass
an overpowering force behind their cover to rush upon and instantly
overwhelm the garrison.

The garrison, which had now been fighting for eight long days; which was
so short of ammunition that most of the cartridge boxes were empty, and
there was no supply from which to refill them; which was tortured with
thirst, surrounded with hundreds of animals dying from lack of water, at
last raised the white flag.

After eight days of waiting there was no more sign of rescue than there
was on the first, and everywhere they could look their enemies swarmed
in apparently limitless numbers. Gen. Price granted the garrison
honorable terms. The officers were to remain as prisoners of war, the
men to lay down their arms, take the oath not to fight any more against
Missouri, and to be sent across the river and allowed to go whither they
would.

215

With shrewd policy he allowed Col. Mulligan to retain his sword and
showed him a great many civilities. Mulligan was a representative
Irishman, and this would bear fruit in the attitude of the Irish toward
the war. In his report to Gov. Jackson Gen. Price sums up the fruits of
his victory as follows:

Our entire loss in this series of engagements amounts to 25 killed and
72 wounded. The enemy's loss was much greater.

The visible fruits of this almost bloodless victory are very
great--about 3.500 prisoners, among whom are Cols. Mulligan, Marshall,
Peabody, White, and Grover, Maj. Van Horn and 118 other commissioned
officers, five pieces of artillery and two mortars, over 8,000 stands of
Infantry arms, a large number of sabers, about 750 horses, many sets of
cavalry equipments, wagons, teams and ammunition, more than 8100,-000
worth of commissary stores, and a large amount of other property. In
addition to all this, I obtained the restoration of the great seal
of the State and the public records, which had been stolen from their
proper custodian, and about $900,-000 in money, of which the bank at
this place had been robbed, and which I have caused to be returned to
it.

Of Gen. Price's characteristics that of under-statement was certainly
not one; but there is no use caviling about this, since the disaster was
in all conscience bad enough for the Union side.

Col Mulligan's official report is not included in the Rebellion Records.
It was quite a rhetorical statement of the affair, wit