As I sit in my beautiful campground on the edge of St. Louis with the falling leaves around me and about 100 kids dressed as goblins and fairies going trailer to trailer trick or treating, where I was earlier seems a lifetime away....the Battle of Lexington.  Not a big battle but a real belt notcher for General Sterling Price (no, not my roommate!) as this was the last battle he won for the Grey.
   It's called the Battle of Hemp Bales because the Confederates attacked a tiny scouting Union troup of about 2500 by rolling hemp bales in a wall in front of the armed soldiers and Price's troops basically rolled right over the Union.  Price's, pictured on top, adversary for the Union was James McMullin, pictured below Price, and his Irish brigade but they were no match for Price's 10,000 rowdy  Confederate troups.
   But here's the thing....as caustic and NASTY (gotta use that word!) as this election has become, it's good to remember that the town of Lexington was literally torn in half, neighbor against neighbor on this issue.  Half of town had slaves, half were German decent and strong Union supporters.  By the time Price showed up, half the town had killed the other half.
   Susan McCausland on the bottom, refused to take down her Confederate flag when the Union troops originally showed up and was willing to die for that flag...till Price's troops took the pressure off.  And then things got really ugly.
   The Anderson house, a Confederate household with 40 slaves, was taken over by the Union as a hospital for both sides but Price demanded it be for his troops only.  What ensued was the house was heavily shot thru.  I had a private tour of that house today and many holes in the walls attest to the fighting. The hospital needed a hospital.   They say the house is haunted....and the park that maintains the house has "SATURDAY NIGHT AMPUTATIONS" where paying guests come to get something hacked off....and I'm told it's packed all evening.
   Price won the battle and allowed all the union soldiers to go free as long as they didn't take up arms again (hahaha) but McMullin refused and became a prisoner of war.
   I'm off for a walk in the woods and thru the graveyard before it gets dark.  I'll take pix of all the carved pumpkins in camp....St. Louis tomorrow.
  hugs to all.