On September 5, 1862 the order was given by General Price to move forward. Marching day and night the 3rd Texas Cavalry entered Iuka, Mississippi on September 14th. The 3rd Texas was assigned to Major General Henrys Little’s Division and on September 19th they were ordered to deploy as skirmishes by Brigadier General Price. As they deployed forward they were hit by cannon fire. Captain Will Green of Company I told his men to be steady and at that moment, he was decapitated. As his Lieutenant took command he too was hit and killed by grapeshot. The order was given to charge the Yankee artillery.

" Unhindered, the Yankee cannoneers poured grape shot and canister into the gray masses. Private John Sherrod died instantly and Will Bonner, the regimental color bearer, was cut down a few feet in front of a Federal battery, the Confederate Battle flag sill clutched in his hands. At the head of the charge, Lieutenant Dan Alley pressed on. With sabres, ramrods and gun butts, the attacker grappled fiercely with the enemy artillerymen on the crest of the hill. Most conspicuous on the field was Private Rush Wallace, son of a San Augustine Judge. Hopelessly surrounded at one point in the action, he refused to surrender but fought his way out of the trap and back to his own lines." 

The Texans sustained their assault and drove the enemy some six hundred yards to the rear. The 3rd Texas lost 33 killed out right, 74 wounded and out of 388, one out of every four fell that day. The then Colonel of the 3rd Texas, Mabry was wounded three times. The Colonel was captured and was offered a chance to sign a letter of exchange. He didn’t like the wording and refused to sign it. He was placed in a Yankee prison camp but later released on an exchange.

General Sterling Price was born in Virginia in 1809. He led a regiment of Missouri troops during the Mexican War in 1847. He was Governor of Missouri from 1853 to 1857. Price was not considered a highly skilled General and though promoted to Major General in 1862, his career was unimpressive. He is credited with defeats at Iuka and Corinth. He did better during the Red River campaigns in 1864.

 
He lead an unsuccessful cavalry raid into Missouri in 1864 and was turned back. He went into Indian Territory and at the war end, refused to surrender. He exiled himself and some of his command to Mexico immediately after the war. In 1866 he returned to Missouri and died in 1877.