to destroy that portion of the town within the valley between High Street and the hills beyond it, it being a cover for the enemy to approach our lines of defense. As fast as intrenching tools and labor could be obtained they were put the works. There was some necessary destruction of property, but it consisted almost entirely of fences and a few old out-houses of but little value. On the 24th I was authorized by His Excellency the Governor to call into active service as many of the Enrolled Missouri Militia as I deemed necessary, and on the 25th I directed Brigadier General R. C. Vaughan to order out all the militia in the Fifth Military, District, Colonel Crawford's regiment in Pettis County, and Colonel Hickox's two regiments in the Fourth Military District. By the alacrity with which the citizens obeyed this call I was enabled to add about 1,500 effectives to the force concentrating for the defense of Jefferson City. The fortunate arrival of 1,500 stand of arms, which had been sent to Brigadier-General Douglass, gave the armament necessary and they are now the only infantry troops guarding the city. As soon as the troops arrived a force of 800 men mounted and two pieces of artillery, commanded by Colonel Philips, were moved forward across the Osage, with orders to strike the enemy's advancing column hard, and at the same time all the cavalry in the command was sent to watch the fords by which the enemy could approach this post. On the 4th I sent Captain Steger, with a locomotive, down the railroad to obtain information of the movements of the enemy. On arriving at the Gasconade bridge he learned that there had been commanding a few miles below at Herman the evening previous, and that there were movements of the enemy toward that river from the east. After the work of intrenching had been begun it had been pushed forward with all the means in my power. Tools suitable for the work were collected from the stores, railroad company, and surrounding country. Citizens of all classes volunteered or were forced into the trenches. With less than 1,000 men at first and never to exceed 3,000, including citizens, that could be spared from the field to carry on the work, and not tools enough to employ over 800 men could be found, yet in six days they repaired the two partially constructed forts, built three substantial new ones, which, with nearly three miles of intrenchments, palisades, rifle-pits, chevaux-de-frise, put the lines in a condition so strong that the enemy's topographical engineer, after a careful reconnaissance, informed General Price, when he had massed his troops for an assault upon them, that the place was invulnerable against any attack that he could make. On the night of the 4th Brigadier General John McNeil arrived at the Osage with the mounted troops and eight pieces of artillery of his and Brigadier-General Sanborn's brigades. The enemy having appeared in force near the mouth of the Osage bridge, the possession of which they had obtained by capturing the guard and block-house at the east end and by the desertion of the guard at the west end, all of which, with the depots and mill, were burned, and reported to have crossed to this side, I moved the command of Colonel Philips down the river, with orders to drive the enemy across the Osage, ordering at the same time Brigadier-General McNeil to hold the upper fords. Both were instructed to contest the crossing of the Osage as long as possible, and if compelled to do so fall back and form on the west and north sides of the Moreau, contesting every inch of the ground fiercely against the advance of the enemy. At this time Brigadier-General Fisk assumed of all the forced by right of rank, and I was ordered to the command of the First Brigade and the supervision of the construction of the defenses at this post.