This account can be found on page 37-39 of Reminiscences of the Boys in Gray by Mamie Yeary.

Bryce

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CAPT. A. B. BARNES, Greenville, Texas.— Was born Sept. 16, 1839, near
New Castle, Pa. Enlisted in the Confederate Army in Missouri as a pri-
vate in Company C, Second Missouri Cavalry, Jelf Thompson's Brigade,
Missouri State Guards. My first Captain was John Casey and first
Colonel, Jack Smith. I was changed from the Missouri State Guards,
Dec. 31, 1861, and accepted a Recruiting Sergeant's commission and went
north in Missouri into the enemy's lines and raised a company, of which
I was elected Captain. Of the forty-three men enlisted, mostly within
the enemy's lines, only four lived through the war and only three died
of disease.

I was captured Jan. 6, 1862, and was in prison in Alton. 111., fifty-six
days and escaped March 6, 1862, in the following way: An old Dutchman
was employed to haul water from the Mississippi River to the prison, and
it was the duty ^f the prisoners to unload the water from the large bar-

38 Reminiscences of the Boys in Gray, 1861-1865.

rels to smaller ones. On this occasion I was left to finish the unloading
and when the last was out and the sentinel was just returning on his
beat I jumped into the barrel and was carted off towards the river. When
well down to the river I jumped out and, disguised by a heavy citizen's
overcoat and with a half smoked cigar in my mouth, no one supposed
I was an escaped prisoner. I made my way to the depot, and with fifty
cents, my last change, I bought a ticket to St. Louis, Mo., and was soon
amongst friends. I don't know what went with the Dutchman.

In a skirmish in Southeast Missouri on Feb. 14, 1863, I was shot
through the left lung and was wounded in the thigh on May 22, north
of Pine Bluff, Ark., while carrying a message from Gen. Price's head-
quarters at Camden, Ark., to Gen. Joe Shelby, north of White River.

Was in the battles of Frederickton, Mo.; Elk Horn, Poison Springs,
Mark's Hill, Saline River, Ark.; Mansfield and Pleasant Hill, La., as well
as a number of other cavalry skirmishes.

To tfie Daughters of the Confederacy and all others interested in a
correct history of those who bared their breasts to the leaden hail during
the trying times from '61 to '65, I present this small sketch, which prob-
ably differs but little from that of many others, but they all illustrate
more or less what we went through.

I can remember many acts of heroism and the details, but can not
remember the names of all the participants and so for fear of seeming
to do injustice to some, I had better not call names, as all were equally
entitled to mention.

In the fall of 1864, Gen. Price organized a raid into Missouri, with
about six thousand cavalry, in which Gens. Marmaduke, Fagan, Shelby,
Cabell, Thompson, Dockery, Phelps and perhaps others were engaged.
On our retreat, after crossing Little Blue River and when at least twenty
thousand of the enemy could be seen on the broad prairies, I witnessed
the most daring, desperate and determined cavalry charge, I think, of the
war.

In order that even the old soldier may understand our position I will
'try to describe it. Shelby's Brigade, perhaps 1,100 strong, was the rear
guard of Gen. Price's Army, consisting of about 8,000 men, many of
them recruits and very poorly equipped. The brigade faced north with
two ten-pound Parrott guns on our right, commanded by a one-armed
Irishman named Kelly. On the north and northwest the whole face of
the earth was blue with Federal Cavalry, while on the northeast, distant
about one-quarter of a mile, was a grove of black jack timber of six or
eight hundred acres. Suddenly about 1,200 Federal Cavalry, in columns
of companies, appeared around that grove and coming directly towards
our right flank. Hard pressed by at least 5,000 cavalry in front, our
left threatened, and this new command, larger than our entire brigade,
already on our right, certainly made it look like a show-down. Just then
Gen. Price sent Gen. Shelby the following dispatch: "Remove your com-
mand one-half or three-fourths of a mile immediately south of your
present position and take up the most practical position and hold the
enemy in check till further orders." Gen. Shelby said: "Capt. Barnes, your
company and (apt. Orchard's company will please check those fellows
coming down the hill." 'the order was repeated to the company when
Major Kelly of the battery said: "Wait a moment, Captain, and I will
help you." Then turning to the battery, "Action right rear. Double shot
with eanioter; lire." Simultaneously I gave the order to charge. The ef-
fect was terrific. The Federal cavalry evidently considered us already
captured and were coming directly on our flank without firing a shot.

Reminiscences of the Boys in Gray, 1S61-1865. 39

The double shotted guns literally tore the front of their column to pieces
and immediately behind tiie death-dealing shot came the no less deadly
cavalrymen. Close at hand they hired their carbines and dropping them
on their slings, they used their deadly revolvers and often at a distance of
not more than six or eight feet, for the squadron charged squarely into
the enemy's ranks, utterly and completely routing them. When the little
band of eighty-three men returned tney drove forty-seven horses with
their equipments before them. They lost three men who were never heard
of and seven or eight wounded. I do not think there is a parallel in his-
tory where eighty-six cavalrymen charged a column of 1,200, who believed
themselves charging, utterly routing them.

Gen. Hindman was in command of Little Rock and was threatened
by a force of 18,000 men under Gen. Curtis. Gen. Hindman was prac-
tically abandoned by the Contederate government. He had only 1,200
men. He called the young ladies of tne city together and asked each of
them to write to their supposed sweethearts, brothers and kinsfolk east
of the Mississippi River, telling them what a fine time you are having,
about the balls and how much they enjoyed themselves watching the sol-
diers drill and about the big guns and about our reinforcements, and then
bring the letters to him and he would do the rest. The General then had
a lot of handbills printed in the form of a proclamation to the people of
North Arkansas telling them that the enemy was at their doors and to
help retard them by every process possible. To burn all feedstuff and
utterly destroy all means of subsistence (and a lot more). These procla-
mations and about 100 letters were given to a young scout named Scott
with instructions to take two saddled horses and proceed by the way of
the Batesville road until he came upon the Federal pickets and as soon as
he was halted to change horses and make a run for it. After running
some distance, if he and his horse escaped unhurt, he was to throw away
his blanket and then his overcoat, and lastly the saddle pockets containing
the letters and proclamations, then to get away as fast as possible. Scott
escaped. The Federals captured the precious letters and carried them
to Curtis. By 10 o'clock the next day the camp at Batesville was aban-
doned and Curtis and his 18,000 invaders were on their way to Helena
for the protection of their gunboats, where they made their first stop,
and Gen. Hindman and his 1,200 men, with about enough ammunition
to last them twenty minutes, breathed easier. The gallant Hindman de-
clared that his female auxiliaries had won the day.