the enemy in their last attempt to make a stand, and they had retreated under cover of the night to the timber of the Marmiton. I there learned that General Pleasonton, with the remainder of his command, had marched to Fort Scott. My command needing subsistence and forage I made a detour to the right, passing through Fort Scott for the purpose of supplying them and be in readiness to follow the pursuit the next morning.

Early on the morning of the 26th, in pursuance of orders, I marched with the First, Second, and Fourth Brigades of my division in pursuit of the retreating enemy, striking his trail near Shanghai, Barton County, Mo. Moving by way of Lamar, Carthage, and Granby I came up with the enemy at Newtonia at 2 p. m of the 28th. The rebel forces had been abandoned, but on discovering my advance coming in view on the high ground overlooking the town of Newtonia from the northwest, they hastily broke camp and attempted to move off. To cover this movement they deployed a force of about 2,000 men upon the prairie to protect their rear. Being convinced of their intention to avoid a fight, if possible, I determined to attack them at once. The First and Fourth Brigades were with me in the advance. I had directed the Second Brigade to halt early in the day to procure forage for their horses to enable me to put them in the advance to press the pursuit at night; consequently I did not rely upon them to participate in the early part of the engagement. I had supposed that General McNeil's brigade, of Colonel Pleasonton's division, was close up in my rear, and sent back to hurry it forward, while the First and Fourth Brigades of the First Division were quickly deployed in line, and under the cover of the fire of the First Colorado Battery, posted upon the bluff, they swept across the plain at a gallop until within musket-range of the enemy's line. Skirmishers were rapidly deployed, and but a few moments elapsed until the engagement became general. I now ordered forward the First Colorado Battery, which, with a section of howitzers attached to the Fifteenth Kansas Cavalry, poured a destructive fire into the enemy's ranks. It soon became evident that I was engaging all the available force of Price's army, which outnumbered me more to press upon my flanks with a large force compelled me to fall back about 500 yards from my first line, which was done in good order, and the line reformed in the face of a terrific fire. The enemy pressed forward their center, but were promptly checked by the canister from the First Colorado Battery. It was now near sundown, and my command had been engaged near two hours and their ammunition nearly exhausted, while a large force of the enemy were pressing under cover of a corn-field around my left flank, and my force being too small to extend my line in that direction, I was about to direct my line to fall back and take position on the bluff, when very unexpectedly the brigade of General Sanborn, of General Pleasonton's command, came up. I immediately placed them in position on my left, directing General Sanborn to dismount this men and advance through the corn-field, which was promptly executed, repulsing the flanking column of the enemy, who now abandoned the field and retreated rapidly under cover of the night in the direction of Pineville, leaving their dead and wounded in our hands. In this engagement (battle of Newtonia) the disparity in numbers made the contest unequal, and the fighting on

37 R R-VOL XLI, PT I