The Federal Southwestern Expedition
Before heading upriver from St. Louis, Brigadier-General Nathaniel Lyon had ordered the Second Brigade, under the command of US Army Captain Thomas W. Sweeny, to move into southwestern Missouri with the following objectives:
- Intercept the retreating Missouri State Guard
- Hold onto the Granby lead mines
- Prevent Brigadier-General Ben McCulloch's Confederate forces from entering Missouri.
Sweeny had recently been elected Brigadier-General of Volunteers. Sweeny sent the expedition by train from St. Louis to the rail head terminus at Rolla, Missouri. From there the regiments of Colonels Sigel, Salomon, and Brown were to proceed to Springfield, Missouri. They began heading by rail to Rolla on June 13th and had all left by June 15th. Sent along with them were two batteries (six guns) commanded by Major Franz Backoff.
Sergeant Otto C. Lademann, Company E, Third Missouri Volunteer Infantry Regiment, recalled events when the regiment was ordered south: [21]
The regiment was ordered to take the field leaving the Arsenal about the middle of June, 1861. Our equipment for field service was a very poor one. We had no blankets, no knapsacks, no great coats, and barely any camp and garrison equipage. Our whole outfit consisted of an uncovered tin canteen and a white sheeting haversack, rotten white belts, condemned since the Mexican war, and cartridge boxes made by contract, flat—shaped like cigar boxes, without tin racks to hold the cartridges in place, consequently in a week's marching, you had your cartridge box full of loose powder,and bullets tied to the paper cases. Each company possessed one-half dozen Sibley tents and the same number of camp kettles and messpans. The baggage and provisions were carried by two four-horse contract teams, for each company. We went by rail to Rolla, Missouri, the then terminus of the Missouri Pacific R. R., Southwest branch, about 120 miles southwest of St. Louis.
Because of problems arranging transportation to carry supplies for the expedition after it would leave Rolla, Sweeny had opted to remain behind in St. Louis for the time being. Sweeny placed Colonel Franz Sigel in command of the Second Brigade. Sigel finally reached Springfield, Missouri on June 23rd. [22]
The 105 mile trek from Rolla to Springfield was hard and tiring on the Federal volunteers. Private John T. Buegel wrote the following in his diary: [23]
[Upon arrival in Springfield,] we resembled a rabble more than soldiers. Each wore whatever clothes they chose to wear. They had become torn on the march. In place of trousers they had slipped on flour sacks. Others had no shoes and were walking on uppers or going barefoot. Still others had no hats and used flour sacks for head coverings