SEPTEMBER 23, 1865. - Skirmish in the Harney Lake Valley, Oreg.

Reports of Captain loren L. Williams, First Oregon Infantry.

HEADQUARTERS SELVIE'S RIVER EXPEDITIN,
Camp Wright, Oreg., September 24, 1865.

Colonel GEORGE B. CURREY,

First Regiment Oregon Infantry,

Commanding Dept. of the Columbia, Fort Vancouver, Wash. Ter.:

SIR: Inclosed find official report of engagement of yesteday; also list of casualties int he engegement. The scuts consisted of ten men of Company H, and two men of Company F, First Regiment Oregon Infantry.

All of which is respectfdully submitted.

I am, very resepectfully, your obedient servant,

L. L. WILLIAMS,

Captain, First Oregon Infty., Commanding Selvie's River Expedition.

HEADQUARTERS SELVIE'S RIVER EXPEDITION,
Camp Wright, Oreg., September 24, 1865.

SIR: I have the honor to make the following report of an engagement between twelve men under my command and 75 or 100 Indians ovf Harney Lake Valley, which action commenced at 12 m. on September 23, and ended at 7 p. m., same day.

On September 23, 1865, I set out with twelve men from camp on Selvie's River to scut a few miles down the valley to locate a permanent camp, and search for a place to cut hay. proceeded down the valley seven miles, when we discovered th fresh trail of two Indians on foot going int the direction of Harney Lake. Following the trail a short distance, the Indians were dicovered about one mile distant entering an extensive sage plain. We immediatelly gave chase, not ecpecting to overtake them, but soon discovered one of them to be a boy of about nine or ten years old, which impeded their progress, so that we soon found ourselves gaining upon them. After a pursuit of about weven miles, and when within long range of our guns, they were met by two mounted Indians from the opposite side of the sage plain, and were taken up and made good their escape. We had been marching at doulbel quikc over the sage plain for seven miles, and consequently the men were very tired. I thierefore ordered a rest, placing two sentinels in a e. We rested for an hour, and that hour's delay came near proving fatal tot he scouting party. We were now sixteen miles from our camp. A solitary Indian mounted on a fine iron- gray horse now appeared in sight, and riding about at full speed circling around us, then rode off to a distaance of half a mile and fired his gun, and sounded the war whoop[. Directly we discovered thirteen mounted Indians approaching, and as that was just our number, we had no fears for our ownsafety. As they came up the encircled us on every side, nand firing was at once opened by them and promptly returned. We now turned toward camp and steered stringht for a high mountian point which lay direct between us and our camp, whihc would make the distance much nearer than to go round. The Indians kept up their firing and howling, and were very soon re- enforced by twenty or thirty horsemen and twenty- five or thirty footmen, who joined in the conflict. Their forces were placed on every side of us, horse and foot mixed up promiscously, and now firing became very brisk fromfront, flank, and rear, but the Indians were kept at a distance of from 250 to 500 yards by our long- range guns. We were still moving direct for the