Four anxious days longer Lyon remained at Springfield. He called a council of his principal officers, and the unanimous decision was that the army should retreat.
On Aug. 9 he sent the following letter to Gen. Fremont, the last he ever wrote:
General: I retired to this place, as I before informed you,
reaching here on the 5th. The enemy followed to within 10
miles of here. He has taken a strong position, and is
recruiting his supply of horses, mules, and provisions by
forages Into the surrounding country, his large force of
mounted men enabling him to do this without much annoyance
from me. I find my position extremely embarrassing, and am
at present unable to determine whether I shall be able to
maintain my ground or be forced to retire. I can resist any
attack from the front, but if the enemy move to surround me
I must retire. I shall hold my ground as long as possible,
though I may, without knowing how far, endanger the safety
of my entire force, with its valuable material, being
induced by the valuable considerations involved to take the
step. The enemy showed himself in considerable force
yesterday five miles from here, and has doubtless a full
purpose of attacking me.
N. LYON, Commanding.
The simple, soldierly dignity of this is pathetic. There is no murmur of complaint, such as a man treated as he had been was eminently justified in making. After sending this note, Gen. Lyon received intelligence that one of his cavalry parties had been attacked by rebel cavalry, but after a brief fight had beaten them off. He thereupon sent out a reconnoitering party to learn if the Secessionists had moved forward, and the party presently returned with two Texan and two Tennesseean prisoners, from whom Lyon learned for the first time of the junction of McCulloch's forces and Price's. He at once decided upon a bold stroke. Everything was prepared as if in readiness for retreat, with the tents struck and the Quartermaster's and Commissary's stores in the wagons. Quartermaster Alexis Mudd went to headquarters and asked Gen. Lyon:
"When do we start back?"
The General fixed his keen blue eyes upon the Quartermaster and said, clearly and firmly:
"When we are whipped back, and not until then."
An order was at once issued for every man to be prepared to march at 6 o'clock that evening, without any luggage, and with all the ammunition he could carry.