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Coffee's reinforcement of Cockrell's troops proved to be his finest hour. Arriving where fighting was the heaviest, they caused the Federals to flee as their dwindling ammunition gave them no chance to successfully repel the superior force. Brawner acknowledged as much in his report of the battle, "...the force under Coffee...again appeared on our left flank, with the evident design of surrounding our worn-out troops and cutting off all retreat." (49) Because he had sustained minimal losses, had been in the right place at the right time, and ranked as the senior colonel in Price's army, Coffee believed he deserved the rank of brigadier general. For months, he and Shelby would vie for the brigadier's star. The Confederate objective to occupy Lexington had been thwarted by Foster's desperate defensive action at Lone Jack. At the same time, Union forces, commanded by General James Blunt from Fort Scott, Kansas, and Colonoel Clark Wright's cavalry, plus Iowa troops under the command of Colonel Fitz Henry Warren had been ordered by James Totten to try and cut off the Confederate withdrawal. Coffee's hard-riding cavalry fled southward, avoided a confused Wright, crossed the Osage River near Clinton, and successfully escapted to the Arkansas line. Shelby followed at once. All efforts to intercept Coffee and Shelby failed, despite General E.B. Brown's empty boast on August 17 to Schofield that Coffee's cavalry "are in a constant state of alarm, prepared to run and not to fight, and more afraid of the Feds than they are of the devil." (50) Theodore Gardner, a member of the First Kansas Battery, testified as to the frustration experienced by the Union pursuers attempting to capture Coffee's horsemen:
On the twenty-first, Colonel Wright reported to Brown of his chase of the Confederates: "Coffee, Cockrell...and all the rebel bands are together, heading for Dixie. They can outrun Jordan....Their course has been direct, their speed high, and their exercise perpetual since I struck their trail." (52) Once again the Union army controlled Missouri, but the Confederates would return. (53)
On August 26, General Schofield confidently advised Totten, at Springfield, that "the enemy's forces in western Arkansas are not all that formidable. They will probably content themselves with raids like that of Coffee." (55) General Curtis, from his headquarters at Helena, Arkansas, told Schofield that "Raines and Coffee [apparently waiting court-martial trials] at Fort Smith... Price gone east. No invasion of Missouri."(56) Fair Use Notice: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. It is being made available in an effort to advance the understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, and so on. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. |
Three weeks after the battle of Lone Jack and following hot pursuit by the Federals, three regiments of Confederate cavalry (one under Coffee's command) met in Northwest Arkansas. The regiments were attached to General Thomas C. Hindman, who had assumed command of the Trans-Mississippi Department. A reorganization of the Confederates under Hindman ensued. He approved the resignation of General James S. Rains and relieved him from duty because of drunkenness. At the same time, Hindman arrested Coffee on charges of drunkenness and ordered a cortmartial. (54)