of Watie's command. Learning that Adair and his company, whom I had expected to meet, had certainly gone south, and that Brown, if in the country at all, was north of me, I moved to Rhea' Mills and camped. On the morning of the 23d, deeming his assistance no longer necessary, I ordered Captain Pearson, commanding 100 dismounted men, to return to Fayetteville, Assistant Surgeon Tefft accompanying him. The orders from headquarters District of Southwest Missouri to Captain Hughes, commanding detachment Sixth Cavalry Missouri State Militia, requiring him to proceed to Neosho, Mo., with such assistance as he could obtain from your command, and he being particularly desirous of arriving there in time to enable him to be at Springfield, Mo., to-day, to muster his command for pay, and transact business connected with the enlistment of a number of his men as veterans which could not elsewhere, or at any other time, be disposed of, I determined to thoroughly scout the country, proceeding ultimately to Neosho before returning to Fayetteville. With this view I moved westwardly to Cincinnati, distant ten miles, hearing meantime that Brown also had gone south; thence northeast by north, crossing Norwood Prairie to John Carter's farm, on Illinois Creek, in Benton County, when our advance ran on a party of three bushwhackers, dispersing them, wounding 1 and capturing by Captain King, First Arkansas Cavalry, discovered the retreat, near David Loveall's, six miles from Carter's, on the road to Fayetteville to Norwood Prairie, of a gang of bushwhackers apparently numbering from fifteen to twenty. A few feeding at the time escaped. Loveall himself, a notoriously bad man, was killed. Eighth head of horses and 3 guns were here captured. That night I camped at Carter's, traveling from twenty-two to twenty-five miles during the day.

On the 24th I moved generally in a northwesterly direction, crossing Lindsey's Prairie, thence five miles northeasterly, going into camp on the headwaters of Flint Creek. During this day I kept out as usual a force on either flank, but developed no enemy save an occasional bushwhacker whose speed seemed to be the only good usual a force on either flank, but developed no enemy save an occasional bushwhacker whose speed seemed to be the only good quality he possessed. Distance traveled, twenty miles during the day. On the 25th I moved northwardly across Spavinaw Creek, thence in a westerly direction down Honey Creek, camping on the latter immediately north of the Missouri line and six miles from the Seneca Nation. I had intended to destroy an important mill on Spavinaw, but a blunder on the part of my guide, who led the column several miles from its proper course, rendered it impracticable for me to do so at that time. This mill, known as Williams', affords sustenance to none but disloyal people, and should be disabled or destroyed at the earliest feasible moment. Our march on the 25th was from twenty to twenty-five miles. No enemy of moment was discovered. On the 26th we crossed Cowskin Prairie and river and proceeded thence northeasterly, moving up Buffalo Creek on the Neosho road and going into camp ten miles south of that place. Distance traveled, same substantially as on the 25th; no enemy discovered. On the 27th we moved to Neosho, arriving at noon. The same day Captain Hughes left with his command for Springfield. 28th, I moved with detachment First Arkansas Cavalry and the howitzer toward Fayetteville, passing through Pineville, Mo., and camping a mile and a half below that place. Here we ran some bushwhackers into the woods, and captured 2 horses with their equipments. A flouring mill in this locality I burned; none but rebels living in its vicinity. Distance traveled during the day, twenty-three miles. 29th, I moved in the direction of