Question. By whose order?

Answer. Lieutenant Owen was placed there in command, and he being absent the command devolved upon me.

Question. What orders did you have?

Answer. To command the post at Keytesville, to protect the neighborhood, and defend the post against all attacks.

Question. State what occurred on the morning of the 20th day of September, 1864, at Keytesville, Mo.

Answer. Between 7 and 8 o'clock a flag of truce was brought to me, with a demand for the surrender of the post, stating that there were 250 men, under the command of Major Thrailkill, who would burn the town and kill all my soldiers if the demand was not complied with, giving me fifteen minutes' time to decide in and granting full protection to life and property if I should surrender. I asked Mr. Robert Carman, sheriff of Chariton County, what I had better do. He inquired upon what conditions the surrender could be made, and upon being informed he replied "we can do nothing with these men" (meaning the guerrillas). I then marched my men out of the court-house, and surrendered to Major Thrailkill, he giving each man a parole.

COPY OF PAROLE.

CHARITON COUNTY, MO., September 20, 1864.

This is to certify that Lieutenant Pleyer and a detachment of Captain Owen's company was captured by me, and put on parole of honor not to be broken on the penalty of death.

By order of-

JOHN THRAILKILL,

Major, Commanding Recruits

(Copy of an almost illegible pencil scrawl, badly written, and worse spelling now in the possession of Lieutenant Pleyer.)

Question. How many men did you surrender?

Answer. Thirty-five.

Question. How many men were there in the court-house fit to bear arms when you surrendered?

Answer. Twenty-five, all of whom would have obeyed an order to fire upon the enemy if I had given one.

Question. What was said by Thrailkill when you surrendered?

Answer. He said if we had fired a gun he could not have kept his men from burning the last house in town and killing every man at the same time, pointing out to me the notorious bushwhacker Todd. Todd remarked to me that I need not consider him a Confederate officer, but that he was the bushwhacker Todd, and intended to follow bushwhacking as long as he lived.

Question. How much ammunition did you have at the time?

Answer. About 1,300 rounds.

Question. Did you ever hear any of your men say that they would not fight bushwhackers or Confederate soldiers?

Answer. I did not, and believe they would all fight.

Question. How many of your men went off with the bushwhackers?

Answer. Seven.

A. PLEYER,

Second Lieutenant Company I, 35th Regiment Enrolled Missouri Militia.

Sworn and subscribed to before me this 25th day of September, A. D. 1864, at Brunswick, Mo.

D. J. HYNES,

Lieutenant Colonel, and Chief of Cav., District of North Missouri.