brigade for the purpose of attacking and capturing Fort Scott, where I learned there were 1,000 negroes under arms. At the moment of his reaching me I received a dispatch from Major-General Marmaduke, in the rear, informing me that the enemy, 3,000 strong, were in sight of his rear, with lines still extending, and on the note Major-General Fagan has indorsed that he would sustain Major-General Marmaduke. I immediately ordered Brigadier-General Shelby to take his old brigade, which was on my immediate right, and return to the rear as rapidly as possible to support Major-General Fagan and Marmaduke. I immediately mounted my horse and rode back at a gallop, and after passing the rear of the train I met the divisions of Major-Generals Fagan and Marmaduke retreating in utter and indescribable confusion, many of them having thrown away their arms. They were deaf to all entreaties or commands, and in vain were all efforts to rally them. From them I received the information that Major-General Marmaduke, Brigadier-General Cabell, and Colonel Slemons, commanding brigade, had been captured, with 300 or 400 of their men and all their artillery (5 pieces).

Major-General Fagan and several of his officers, who had there joined me, assisted me in trying to rally the armed men, without success. I then ordered Brigadier-General Shelby to hold the enemy, who were pressing their success hotly and fiercely, in check if possible at the crossing of the Osage until the train could be placed in safety, which he succeeded in doing for several hours. I again formed the unarmed men, numbering several thousand, in line of battle on the prairie beyond the river. Major-General Fagan in the meantime had succeeded in rallying a portion of his forces, and assisted Brigadier-General Shelby in again holding the enemy in check upon the prairie and in front of the immense lines of unarmed men until night-fall, when I withdrew. The train having reached the Marmiton, a distance of ten miles, I there overtook it, having marched a distance of twenty-eight miles.

On the next morning, after destroying many wagons with broken-down teams that could not be replaced, I took up my line of march at 2 o'clock, there being but little forage in the neighborhood of my encampment. We marched over beautiful prairie roads, a distance of fifty-six miles, and encamped at Carthage, on Spring River, the nearest point that forage could be procured, as I was informed by Major-General Fagan and Brigadier-General Shelby, who earnestly desired me to reach Spring River, as no forage could be procured short of it. The Federal prisoners I had with me became so much exhausted by fatigue that out of humanity I paroled them. (For full particulars of this action see the several reports of Brigadier-Generals Shelby and Clark and other accompanying reports). On the next morning at 9 o'clock, after giving the men and animals time to rest and feed, I resumed my line of march and encamped on Shoal Creek, a distance of twenty-two miles. During the march a number of desertions took place among the Arkansas troops and new recruits. No enemy having appeared the morale of the troops had considerably improved.

On the morning of the 28th I resumed my line of march in the direction of Newtonia, Brigadier-General Shelby in advance, Major-Generals Fagan's and Marmaduke's divisions (the latter now commanded by Brigadier-General Clark) in the rear. On approaching Newtonia the advance of our forces was discovered by the Federal garrison, who commenced a retreat. On seeing this Shelby's advance endeavored to intercept them. The distance they had gained, however, was too great for this to be effected. They succeeded in killing the Federal Captain