The division and large contingents of infantry from the XVI and other corps were sent to Arkansas to keep the White River open to river traffic. Shelby and troops under his command had been operating in that vicinity.
The 2nd division with its two brigades numbered 3200 sabers, was taken away from Grierson by Washburn who commanded both banks of the Mississippi from Memphis, Tennessee. The division was posted at Clarendon where Col. Karge, commanding 1st Brigade became ill along with many of the men of the two brigades.
Upon learning that Sterling Price was en route to Missouri Gen. Frederick Steele, commanding the District of Arkansas, sent
Mower's division of infantry and the cavalry in pursuit of Price. Starting out on Sept. 18th the cavalrymen marched through
the wilds of Arkansas and Missouri until they reached Cape Girardeau at noon on Oct. 5th, having marched 316 miles. They were shipped by steamboat to St. Louis, the 1st brigade arriving on October 6th and the 2nd brigade on the 8th.
Maj. Gen. William Starke Rosecrans, commanding the Department of Missouri, was responsible for defending the state from the rebels. He was ably assisted by Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton. However, the state had been stripped of regular cavalry and neither Rosecrans nor Rosecrans believed the missouri state militia and enrolled missouri militia could stand up to Price. Hence they chose to defend St. Louis and Jefferson City until Winslow's division arrived.
If Steele had sent the cavalry directly to St. Louis from White River Price might never have made it to Missouri.
Upon joining Pleasonton around Oct. 14th the division's status was changed from a division to the 4th brigade, Pleasonton's cavalry division. Karge's 1st brigade was kept together but was never referred to in reports, and this has prevented people from knowing that the 2nd New Jersey Cavalry, 19th Pennsylvania Cavalry and 4th Missouri Cavalry participated in the battles from Oct. 23-25, 1864.
Much of this material can be found in George P. Walmsley, Sr.'s "Experiences of a Civil war Horse-Soldier".
Bryce