Letter from Captain Lyon to Mrs. Lyon.
“De Soto–October 17, 1861.
“We are forty miles from St. Louis, southwest, and just leaving for Pilot Knob, forty-two miles farther southwest. We are in ‘Secessia.’ Last night we slept on the ground with our arms by us. We had the whole regiment in line three times during the night, by reason of alarms. By reason of this practice we could form the line in three minutes. A bridge on a railroad we traveled on was burned on Monday by the rebels, and they had a little fight there with a small guard from the 11th Wisconsin, one killed on our side. I do not believe the enemy are near us in force. Where we go there will be four or five thousand troops when we get there.”