Monticello might be captured, I sent Lieutenant Drummond and fifteen men back with orders to protect them and arrest, if possible, any unauthorized bands they could find. Lieutenant Drummond has not yet returned.

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

J. H. NORRIS,

Captain, Commanding Scout.

Lieutenant WORTHINGTON,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

MAY 24, 1865. -Skirmish near Rocheport, Mo.

Report of Captain Warren W. Harris, Howard County Company Volunteer Missouri Militia.

HEADQUARTERS,
Post Fayette, May 25, 1865.

I have the honor to report to you that Sergt. Robert Digges, with a detachment of my company, had a fight with eleven bushwhackers, supposed to be under Jim Anderson, yesterday morning at 7. 30 o'clock. The bushwhackers were at the house of Elias Thompson, in this county, about six miles from Rocheport. We killed 4 bushwhackers and captured 4 horses and equipments, several pistols, overcoats, &c. Sergeant Digges is satisfied that there were several wounded who escaped. Our loss was Private Ben. Reeves, severely wounded in the shoulder; we also had two horses killed. The names of the bushwhackers killed, as obtained from a rebel deserter just from Price's army, are Theodore Cassell, of Jackson County; --- Kelly, of Saint Louis (right arm off); John Chapman, of Clay, and Thomas Maupin, of Callaway. The last named has the forefinger off his right hand. I inclose you two letters* taken off the body of Cassell. Sergeant Digges was on the trail of Jim Jackson the evening before. He started it in Boone County, and was following in up when he heard of Anderson's gang. We heard of Jackson yesterday at 10 a. m., with six other men near Boonsborough, in this county, going west. One citizen reports that Rider was along, and another reports that he recognized a man by the name of Finley with them. Finley was bushwhacking in this county last summer. I regret very much that there could not be a scout sent up after these last-mentioned bushwhackers. All my men who had serviceable horses were out, either with Sergeant Digges, with myself, who went out as soon as the fight was reported to me by a citizen, or with Lieutenant Davis, who had started from here the night before with forty men, under orders from Colonel Denny to proceed to Brunswick. I have been informed that Captain Meredith, with his command and a detachment of the Ninth Missouri State Militia, under Lieutenant Thompson, are out in the Boon's Lick country after Jackson. Lieutenant Davis returned this evening from Brunswick. I hope that it will not be deemed necessary again to have my men ordered so far from home, especially when I have my hands full in my own county. The affair of yesterday is the third fight that my men have had with the bushwhackers. The first two came off in Boone County. Lieutenant Davis had a fight with Jim Jackson at the house of the Widow Cornelius, in Boone County, a week or ten days [ago]. Only his

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* Omitted.

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