in selecting positions and making dispositions of troops along the border and on the Blue, visiting for that purpose Wyandotte, kansas City, Independence, and Hickman Mills. At this point General Curtis directed General Blunt, with the brigades of Colonel Moonlight and Colonel Jennison, to move eastward until he found the enemy, and to learn the exact position and line of march which had hitherto, from all information obtainable from any quarter, been but mere conjecture, with instructions to harass and impede him in every possible manner, at the same time ordering me to accompany the expedition, while he returned to Wyandotte to superintend the further organization of his army. Acting upon the information received of the capture of Sedalia by the enemy, and supposing him marching upon Warrensburg, General Blunt moved in that direction, leaving Hickman Mills after dark, and making a march of thirty miles the night of the 15th, to Pleasant Hill. Between Pleasant Hill and Holden we met 200 or 300 Missouri militia falling back from Warrensburg, who joined our force and were engaged in the further operations of our detachment. At Holden, receiving definite information that the column which had destroyed Sedalia had moved north toward Lexington, General Blunt at once determined to move direct to Lexington, with the hope of reaching it in advance of the enemy, with a view of saving the Government property. Arriving here we found the town evacuated by our troops, who had taken away the greater part of the public property, and the bushwhackers, under Poole, in possession of the place. Colonel Moonlight was ordered to charge, which he did gallantly, driving out the enemy, killing and wounding some and taking several prisoners.

General Blunt established headquarters in the town, and made such disposition of his force as would best defend the several approaches to the place, and awaited the approach of the enemy, whose advance was then but a few miles distant. At 1 p. m. of the 19th the head of Price's column struck our force under Colonel Jennison on the Waverly road. Colonel Moonlight was ordered to move at once to the scene of action, General Blunt and myself preceding him. The two brigades, then consolidated, were disposed across the road from Lexington to Independence. By the stubborn fighting and skillfull management of the troops, General blunt held the enemy for five hours, falling back slowly at night down the Kansas City road, not, however, until almost surrounded and enveloped by the vastly superior number of Price's advancing columns, which pursued us closely for seven miles to the Little Blue. On the morning of the 20th we took up a position on the north bank of the Little Blue, determined to dispute the passage of that stream with all our force, while I was dispatched to General Curtis, then at Independence, having formed his forces on the Big Blue, and being engaged in fortifying the fords on this stream, determined to make his final stand on that line. He then ordered all of General Blunt's force back to this position, except Colonel Moonlight's brigade,which was left with orders to burn the bridge and delay the enemy as long as possible at the Little Blue. About 9 o'clock on the morning of the 21st information reached us that the effort to burn the bridge on the Little Blue had failed, that the enemy were forcing the passage of the river, and were engaging Colonel Moonlight; Colonel Jennison's brigade and Colonel Ford's brigade, including McLain's battery, were at once ordered forward under General Blunt, General Curtis following quickly after and superintending movements on the field. The engagement here was severe and desperate, the troops fighting with courage and