company with Captain Turley, Company D, Seventh Missouri State Militia Cavalry, and several citizens, proceeded up the railroad west cautiously upon a locomotive, with the design of ascertaining whether the La Mine Bridge had been burned on the night previous by the enemy. I had not gone more than 2 miles from Tipton before I came upon a squadron of the enemy draw up in line upon the left,and within 20 yards of the road, under the command of Major Hayden, who had taken the precaution to blockade the road in front of his position. He immediately rode out in front and to the right of his command,and demanded a surrender of the locomotive, at the same time ordering his men to "close around the machine," using his language. I ordered the engineer to reverse the locomotive and go backward with all possible speed, which was done with commendable coolness, under a furious volley of musketry by the enemy, whose balls pelted vigorously the locomotive and tender, but fell as harmless as snowflakes, as we were ironclad. Captain Turley, with his usual dauntlessness and skill even amidst the heavy fire of the enemy at short range, took deliberate aim with his faithful Sharps' rifle, before which many guerrillas had fallen, at one assuming secondary command under Major Hayden, and as we receded I saw him fall a lifeless corpse from his horse. I returned to Tipton; ordered Captain Turley and Lieutenant Argo, assistant provost-marshal for the Second Turley and Lieutenant Argo, assistant provost-marshal for the Second Sub-Military District, to gather the few soldiers of the Seventh Missouri State Militia Cavalry then remaining in town, and as many of the Enrolled Missouri Militia as could be secured, and proceed up the Syracuse road, and ascertain where the main body of the enemy was, promising them a the same time that I would go up the road again on the locomotive, to ascertain, if possible, the damage the enemy had done to the track, and to discover whether they were approaching the town through some corn-fields adjoining the road. Accomplishing my purpose, I returned to Tipton, and was soon notified by Captain Turley that they had driven the squadron under Major Hayden, with only 20 men, from the road into the brush south of town, assisted by F. L. Parker, of Sedalia, formerly captain of a company of Home Guards at the battle of Lexington, and Charles Leonard, of Cooper County, formerly captain of a company of the Enrolled Missouri Militia, in Colonel Pope's regiment, to whom I must favorably call your attention, as they exhibited the true bravery of their nature by at once using every exertion to repel the common enemy. Captain Turley also informed me that the brush south of town was full of rebels; that they were proceeding down the railroad rapidly, and unless I moved east immediately on the locomotive, I would lose it and be captured. I ordered Captain Turley to retreat toward California, in command of the soldiers in Tipton, and it would have been utter folly and a foolish sacrifice of life to have attempted longer to resist the numerous foe.

I have not gone more than a mile down the road before I discovered a large body of cavalry a mile or more ahead of me, on the road running east and parallel with the railroad, moving with great rapidity toward Clark's Station. I at once conceived that their effort was to intercept the locomotive at that point. My supposition was confirmed by the desperate exertion made by them to reach the desired goal before I could; but steam and iron were tireless, were too fleet and enduring for horse flesh. I passed the station just as they reached the mouth of the lane leading to it, about 300 yards distant, and, without other incidents of moment, I passed on to Jefferson City, in compliance with a telegram from General Totten. Upon my arrival at Jefferson City, I reported to General Totten for further orders. He soon notified me by