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| Dave Gallon's Battle of the Hemp Bales |
No Relief
September
19 saw a return to sporadic shooting. One reason for the lowered intensity of
the fighting was an intercepted Federal message. From it Price learned of
Sturgis’ relief column, only a few miles away. He sent Parsons and Jackson’s
divisions north to block him. While they moved out, Price shifted his men
around, trying to find the most advantageous position from which to launch
another assault. Guardsmen with squirrel rifles perched themselves on tree
limbs. These sharpshooters had a good view of the Federals in their trenches
and caused “many hasty and shallow burials.” When the battle was over, one of
these poorly dug graves resulted in a protruding foot.[1]
The situation grew ever more desperate for the defenders. Throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th no reinforcements appeared to relieve them. Water was running low and many of the wounded were suffering the agony of thirst. On every day the two sides engaged in shootouts, which the defenders had to fight “without water, their parched lips cracking, their tongues swollen, and the blood running down their chins when they bit their cartridges and the saltpeter entered their blistered lips”. Fortunately there were brief rainfalls. As their water sources were gradually cut off, the defenders spread their blankets on the ground to collect the rainwater. Once the blankets were saturated, they “wrung them in their camp-dishes.” Bevier recalled how the Federals would send out a woman to collect water for them. Though the State Guardsmen were “rough and uncouth” and given to hurling “profane language” at the female, they could not bring themselves to shoot her, and any attempt to stop her physically resulted in fire from the Federal works.[2]
