driven back by the troops of the Northwestern Division, under General Loan, which force at the same time drove Porter back upon McNeil and compelled him to disperse his band to save it from destruction. Poindexter, being forces back by Loan, was again struck by Guitar, and after a running fight of nearly forty-eight hours his entire force was killed, captured, or dispersed. The banditti leader himself, after wandering alone through the woods for several days, fell into the hands of the militia.

Colonel Guitar and his troops deserve great credit for their gallantry and untiring energy. To the promptness and energy of General Loan and his command in throwing themselves between Porter and Poindexter was due in a great degree to speedy destruction of the latter. The rebel forces under Porter and Poindexter having been broken up, the band of robbers under Colonel Cobb soon dispersed or broke up into smaller parties, the more securely to continue their systematic plunder and murder of loyal men. To dispose of these fragments of the recently formidable bands of guerrillas then scattered over the entire State was necessarily a work of time. Many of them still held together with great tenacity in small bands, and endeavored to continue the system of petty war which had been going on for some time previous to the general insurrection; but, through the activity of our troops and the important aid of the militia, now organized in large numbers and thoroughly acquainted with the country and people,the outlaws were soon hunted down, and either killed, captured, or driven out of the State.

It would be impossible to give a detailed report of all the minor affairs in which our troops were engaged during this period or to do justice to the many gallant officers and men who were distinguished in this arduous and most unpleasant service.

From the 1st of April to the 20th of September our troops met the enemy in more than one hundred engagements great and small, in which our numbers varied from 40 or 50 to 1,000 or 1,200 and those of the enemy from a few men to 4,000 or 5,000. In not more than ten of these were our troops defeated.

Our entire loss, so far as reported, was 77 killed, 156 wounded, and 347 prisoners, most of the latter taken in the capture of Independence and Newark; that of the enemy was 506 killed, about 1,800 wounded, and 560 prisoners taken in battle, besides the large numbers who have recently surrendered or fled from the State. The whole number killed, wounded, captured, and driven away cannot fall short of 10,000.

In closing this part of my report I desire to express my obligation to the principal officers who aided me in the difficult task of restoring peace to Missouri. Brigadier-General Davidson, Loan, Totten, and Brown, and Colonels Merrill, Glover, and McNeil performed most valuable service in the wise administration of the affairs of their respective divisions. Colonels McNeil, Guitar, Wright, Smart, Philips, and Warren; Lieutenant-Colonels Shaffer and Crittenden, and Majors Clopper, Hunt, Caldwell, Banzhaf, Hubbard, Foster, and Lazear showed on numerous occasions gallant and officer-like qualities, which on a larger field would have secured for them the highest commendation. I regret that the absence of detailed reports, much too common in this kind of warfare, renders it impossible for me to mention the names of junior officers and men who were particularly distinguished for good conduct.

Tidings of the disasters to the rebels in Northern Missouri having reached the enemy in Arkansas, a powerful effort was made, by throw-