The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
Merchant of Venice.
The Battle of Wilson Creek.
On the 10th of August, at Wilson Creek, two hundred and forty miles southwest of St. Louis, occurred the hardest-fought battle of the year. General Lyon had pursued the Rebels to that corner of the State. He had called again and again for re-enforcements, but at Washington nothing could be seen except Virginia. Lyon's force was five thousand two hundred men. The enemy, under Ben McCulloch and Sterling Price, numbered over eleven thousand, according to McCulloch's official report. Lyon would not retreat. He thought that would injure the Cause more than to fight and be defeated.
To one of his staff-officers, the night before the engagement, he said: "I believe in presentiments, and, ever since this attack was planned, I have felt that it would result disastrously. But I cannot leave the country without a battle."
On his way to the field, he was silent and abstracted; but when the guns opened, he gave his orders with great promptness and clearness.
He had probably resolved that he would not leave the field alive unless he left it as a victor. By a singular coincidence, the two armies marched out before daybreak on that morning each to attack the other. They met, and for many hours the tide of battle ebbed and flowed.
Lyon's little army fought with conspicuous gallantry. It contained the very best material. The following is a list—from memory, and therefore quite incomplete—of some officers, who, winning here their first renown, afterward achieved wide and honorable reputation:
| At Wilson Creek. | Afterward. | |
|---|---|---|
| Frederick Steele | Captain | Major-General. |
| F. J. Herron | Captain | Major-General. |
| P. J. Osterhaus | Major | Major-General. |
| S. D. Sturgis | Major | Major-General. |
| R. B. Mitchell | Colonel | Major-General. |
| Franz Sigel | Colonel | Major-General. |
| D. S. Stanley | Captain | Major-General. |
| J. M. Schofield | Major | Major-General. |
| Gordon Granger | Captain | Major-General. |
| J. B. Plummer | Captain | Brigadier-General. |
| James Totten | Captain | Brigadier-General. |
| E. A. Carr | Captain | Brigadier-General. |
| Geo. W. Deitzler | Colonel | Brigadier-General. |
| T. W. Sweeney | Captain | Brigadier-General. |
| Geo. L. Andrews | Lieutenant-Colonel | Brigadier-General. |
| I. F. Shepard | Major | Brigadier-General. |
Daring Exploit of a Kansas Officer.