antry for 10 miles, and by the
cavalry 12 miles farther, when it was decided that Thompson's men had
scattered and gained a refuge in the swamps, and that further pursuit
would be useless.

Plummer recalled his forces to Fredericktown. He claims that he took 80
prisoners, of whom 38 were wounded, and buried 158 of Thompson's dead,
with other bodies being found from time to time in the woods. His own
loss he reports as six killed and 16 wounded.

Thompson reported that he had lost 20 killed, 27 wounded, and 15
prisoners, but that he "had mowed down the enemy as with a scythe;"
that "they acknowledge a loss of 400 killed and wounded," etc, etc. He
admitted he had lost one cannon by its being disabled so that it could
not be brought from the field. He said that his "dragoons" had stampeded
in a shameful way, but that his infantry had behaved very well.
Later, he reported from New Madrid that his command was "very much
demoralized."

Gen. Polk seems to have been much depressed by the news of Thompson's
defeat, because he ordered an abandonment of the post at New Madrid and
the bringing over of the men and guns to his "Gibraltar" at Columbus.

Gen. Grant, though probably disappointed at the failure of his plans to
capture Thompson's force, was careful to write complimentary letters to
all the commanders, recognizing their good services in the expedition.

262

The fight at Fredericktown quieted things pretty effectually in
southeastern Missouri, and ended for a long while the project of
capturing St Louis by the New Madrid route.

Gen. Grant was preparing some startling things to occupy the attention
of Johnston, Polk and Pillow in quite another quarter.

263

CHAPTER XI. GEN. H. W. HALLECK IN COMMAND.

Henry Wager Halleck, who succeeded Gen. Fremont in command of the
Department of Missouri, Nov. 9, 1861, had been pointed to as a
brilliantly shining example of what West Point could produce. He was
born in 1819 near Utica, N. Y., of a very good family, and had graduated
July 1, 1839, from West Point, third in a class of which Isaac
I. Stevens, afterward to conclude a brilliant career by dying a
Major-General on the field of battle, was the head. Other conspicuous
members of the class were Maj.-Gens. James B. Ricketts, E. O. C. Ord,
H. J. Hunt, and E. R. S. Can-by, of the Union army, and A. R. Lawton, a
Confederate Brigadier-General. Halleck was commissioned in the Corps of
Engineers, and during the Mexica