7 horses, 1 wagon and team, the driver (a negro) taking to the brush; captured a rebel mail from McBride's camp in Oregon County going to Potosi, Mo. McBride has gone to Batesville to organize, and tells his men he intends taking Greenville very soon. He has 2,000 poorly armed; many without arms. The purport of all the letters tends to this information. We were (that is, myself and orderly) fired upon by 5 butternuts from a hill. No harm done. I arrived to-day.

I am, most respectfully, your obedient servant,

S. H. BOYD,

Colonel, Commanding.

C. W. MARSH,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Saint Louis, Mo.

AUGUST 12-14, 1862.-Expedition from Fort Leavenworth, Kans., to Independence, Mo.

Report of Lieutenant Colonel John T. Burris, Tenth Kansas Infantry.

HEADQUARTERS,
Fort Leavenworth, Kans., August 15, 1862.

SIR: I have the honor to report that on the 12th instant, being officially informed of the capture of Independence, Mo., by the enemy, and that a large rebel force was threatening Kansas City and the State of Kansas, I embarked on board the steamer A. Majors at 3 p. m. of that date, with Company E, First U. S. Infantry, Captain Offley; Companies A and F, Eighth Kansas Volunteers, Captains Abernathy and Conover; two pieces of artillery, under Lieutenant Bowman, and a battalion of the Third Wisconsin Cavalry, commanded by Major Schroeling. Arriving the same evening at Kansas City, I was there re-enforced by Major Ransom, of the Sixth Kansas Cavalry, with one company of that regiment, Captain Watson's; two companies of the Third Wisconsin Cavalry, commanded respectively by Captain Derry and Lieutenant Perry, and a company of the Seventh Missouri Cavalry, commanded by Captain Loring, leaving the latter officer, with a portion of his command, together with the militia and citizen soldiery of the city, to guard the place and public stores there collected.

I marched at daylight on the 13th instant, via Westport and Byron's Ford, to Independence, a distance, by that route, of 20 miles, arriving at the latter point at 5 o'clock same evening. I found that the city had the day previous been taken by a rebel force of about 400, under Colonels Hughes and Thompson; that the Federal troops there, under Lieutenant-Colonel Buel, had all been made prisoners except 50 or 60, who had cut their way out, and that all the arms, ammunition, and public property of every description had fallen into the hands of the enemy. Not being able to obtain any definite information concerning the enemy, further than that he had fallen back in the direction of Lexington and had been considerably re-enforced, and the troops under my command being very much exhausted, I ordered a halt, sent out a heavy picket guard, placed our guns in position, and had the men sleep on their arms.

On the morning of the 14th I sent our scouting parties, with the view of ascertaining the strength, position, and intention of the enemy. On the same day, at 2 p. m., a party consisting of

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