pose of scouting through the swamp in search of rebels, or in order to discover, if possible, their number or whereabouts. I visited the house of Pierre Diegle, a man whose loyalty has been suspected for a long time. Seeing that his boat was not moored in its accustomed place, I asked him where it was. He replied, without hesitation, "My son has it fishing. " Scarcely crediting this statement I left him in charge of the men. After having waited about two hours for his son's return I went into his back yard. Here I found the uniform of two men of my company hidden under some old lumber, said men having deserted from my company the night before last. I asked Diegle to whom the clothing belonged. He said he did not know, but that he had found it near the water and had hidden it himself. Now, the point at which this man lives (at the mouth of Bayou Chemise) is the only point of ingress the rebels across the lake have for this section of country. All the men who go into the Confederacy must pass his place, and the doubts concerning his loyalty are founded on the suspicion that he materially assists deserters and smugglers across the lake. Again, had his son been fishing with the boat it would have been almost impossible for him (the son) to have been beyond the range of my eyesight. Lastly, colonel, I can say, setting aside my personal dislike for the man, I firmly believe that his son was, at his instigation, taking the two deserters over the lake at the time I visited his house.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

NUMA A. POMPONEAU,

Second Lieutenant Company K, First Louisiana Cavalry.

Lieutenant Colonel JOHN L. RICE,

Commanding Troops, Bayou Boeuf.

MARCH 24, 1865-Affair near Rolla, Mo.

Report of Sergt. John Y. Baldwin, Fifth Missouri State Militia Cavalry.

Waynesville, MO., March 26, 1865.

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report to you:

I was ordered, by Special Orders, Numbers 52, with six enlisted men to escort Government train to Raolla, Mo., on the 23rd day of this month. On my way to return, about seven miles west of Rolla on the Springfield road, I, with two of the escort, went into the house of the Widow Yowell to get a drink of water, while the other four sat down on the side of the road. Immediately an officer and a sergeant and three privates, dressed in Federal uniform, made their appearance with their revolvers cocked, at the place where the four of my men were sitting, and demanded their surrender. The men were taken by surprise and surrendered, when the leader of the gang made the inquiry whether there were more of them. The answer was that three of them were in the house, when three charged upon the house and asked me to surrender. I leveled my gun at him and told him that was the way that I would surrender. I fired and shot him off his horse. The balance of the gang, shooting in through the window after seeing their comrade killed, took refuge, and put to run, when I and the two with me put after them as hard as we cold run, as we were on foot, to recapture our comrades, who were also on foot. Again I took aim at once of the gang and pierced him through, when the balance of the bushwhackers commenced shooting at the