They’d been given time to recover from the march from Rolla, and were strong and hearty in their step. On their drive through Cassville and on to Arkansas, they discovered rebel soldiers huddled on the side of the Wire Road, left to die of cold and starvation. They’d been too weak to continue with their division, their clothing inadequate, and food running low. That was likely the reason the Federal army had been able to retake Springfield so easily. Hundreds of Price’s men were taken prisoner with no fight. Levi hoped the rest of their conflicts would be that simple, but he knew how unlikely that was. The Union Army of the Southwest marched over the Arkansas state line, with the military band playing joyous songs. The cheering of the soldiers didn’t last long, as within hours they were charged on by Price’s forces. With a new flag waving over them, red with a blue cross, the Confederate men seemed to battle with renewed vigor. The fighting was fierce, the infantry moving in first, followed by the artillery.
