stripped and plundered also. The gang then pursued the two remaining number of the squad in a direction not directly toward Richfield, but reached that place in about twenty minutes after the first firing, the two boys beating them in and escaping from them. In the mean time, some one passing near where Rapp, was brought him in to town, and was having his wounds dressed. After the devils entering the town, and learning that Rapp was not killed, one of them went directly to him and shot him three times more, and left him for dead the second time. (He yet will probably recover.) They then commenced to pillage the Union citizens particularly, but really made but little distinction between the loyal and disloyal; and after doing this pretty effectually, and destroying the Union flag, cutting the pole, &c., they left the place on the same road they entered, about 9 or 10 o'clock the same night.

After my command reached Richfield, on Wednesday morning, and finding the true condition of things, the detachment of the Twenty-fifth, not being mounted, returned here, with the exception of the doctor and one man of my company as a guide, who paraded with the Provisional Reserve Missouri Militia to the mouth of the Fishing River. After arriving there, they found out that Lieutenant Story left there an hour in advance of them. They scoured the west side of the river, and returned to Liberty without finding anything except a camp where the bushwhackers camped a few days before.

The citizens around that country are all sympathizers, with very few exceptions, and it is hard to get information from them.

On yesterday I sent Lieutenant Cornell, with a detachment of 30 men, to Richfield, and Lieutenant Carlile, with 20 men, to the island below, to prevent the bushwhackers from crossing, and to arrest every one in that region that might be suspected of complicity in the affair of Tuesday evening. I also sent Captain Tourney, of the Provisional Reserve Missouri Militia, with his company, from Plattsburg to a place 12 miles north of Liberty, where the scoundrels were reported to have been all day Wednesday, and where he was to take their trail and follow them to their end, if possible to do so by that means, and, otherwise, to proceed from that point to Smithville, and from there to Centreville (both in this country), where he would meet and act in conjunction with the provost-marshal of Richmond, who has taken the field in person, with some of Ray County Militia, and Sergeant Lyle, with 10 men of my command.

From the best information that I can obtain, there were but 16 or 18 men of the bushwhackers, and were under command of one Ferdinand Scott, who was reorganized by persons who know him well; so also were the following-named: Frank Turner, L. Easton, Frank James, Louis Vandever, Louis Gregg, and Churchill, and Moses McCoy, the husband of Mrs. McCoy, now on parole at your place. Joe Hart was to with the gang at Richfield on Tuesday evening, but was reported to have met them at the place before mentioned, 12 miles north of Liberty, on Wednesday (by the men at the house they stopped). Hart said then that he came from Saint Joe (direct) and visited mrs. McCoy.

I have all the old arms of the militia boxed up, and will send them to Saint Joe by the first boat. I wish the arms, also tents for which requisitions are sent in, would be forwarded to this post; also stationery and blank reports.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOSEPH SCHMITZ,

Captain Twenty-fifth Missouri Infantry.

Colonel CHESTER HARDING, Jr.