five men and went rapidly forward, reaching Mud Springs about 2 o'clock the morning of the 6th instant. The balance of the command followed under Captain Fouts, Seventh Iowa Cavalry and reached Mud Springs about 8 o'clock the same morning, having made 105 miles in thirty-six hours, including stoppages. The small party with me made the same distance in seventeen hours, actual travel, and thirty hours, including the delay at Camp Mitchell. I found that the Indians had been in great numbers on Pole Creek on the 3rd instant: that on the 4th they began to appear about Mud Springs, attacked the station, stole the stock there, consisting of about 15 ponies and horses belonging to citizens, 1 mule and 3 horses belonging to the Government; also the cattle herd of Messrs. Creighton and Hoel, which was on Rankin's Creek about four miles distant; that on the morning of the 5th soon after the arrival of Lieutenant Ellsworth they had appeared around Mud Springs in large numbers, seemed surprised at the increase of men at the station, and after a little firing their attack ceased, but many continued in sight on the hills all day. At daylight on the morning of the 6th instant the began to come over the bluffs from all directions and about the time of the arrival of the main body they commenced a desultory firing and made efforts to cut off some of the party coming in. It was evident that they had come to take the post and expected to do so. The men and stock were fatigued by night travel, all chilled and many frost-bitten. The station is also utterly indefensible, being surrounded by hills and knolls full of gullies, enabling the Indians to ambush and creep upon us at points where they could not be reached by a cavalry charge. Shortly after our main body got in they attacked us in force and with great boldness. The suddenness of the attack, the condition of the men, and the character of the ground interfered with proper discipline and system on our part, and the fighting at first was rather miscellaneous. We found it necessary to imitate the Indians get under banks and creep up to favorable positions, watch for an Indian's head, shoot the moment it was shown, and pop down at the flash of his gun. The men got quite handy at this game and soon made any ground occupied by the Indians too hot for them. It was common to see a soldier and an Indian playing bo-peep in this manner for half an hour at a time. At one time there were some 200 Indians behind a hill and in its ravines, where they could come within seventy-five yards of the buildings at the station. From this point arrows came in showers, the Indians shooting them keeping entirely out of sight. The arrows were apparently discharged at an angle of about forty-five degrees, making a curve and descending upon us at about the same angle. Many horses and mules and some men were wounded in this manner. It became evident that this point mut be cleared, and arrangements were made for two parties to charge, one on foot to drive them out, the other on horseback to head them off, when the Indians, finding half a dozen rifles leveled at each head that was shown abandoned this position. We immediately took possession of it, dug a rifle-pit on the highest point, and no more trouble from that quarter. After about four hours' fighting, we began to press them back in all directions and soon drove them off.

About 2 o'clock their fire slackened and they withdrew into the hills, but many continued in sight on the bluffs until dark. In this day's fight we had seven wounded, three of them seriously, and some horses and mules killed. The loss of the Indians must have been at least thirty in this engagement. Most of the officers and men estimate it to