depredations in the neighborhood of Sidney, Ralls County, Mo. After leaving camp, I moved my command out on the Centerville road in the direction of West Ely, and after having marched eight or ten miles, I proceeded, in compliance with the provisions of the above mentioned order, to mount my men upon the horses of disloyal owners. When within a mile or two of West Ely I detached a sergeant, with four men, to enter town by a roundabout road in an opposite direction from that in which I was moving, with instructions to stop at the house of one Doctor Hays,in the edge of town, and get one of his horses. Upon reaching the house, the sergeant sent the men into a pasture to catch the horse, himself remaining mounted to patrol the road. While so doing two men sprang from behind the cover of a fence and commanded him to halt, at the same time cocking their guns. Instead of complying the sergeant drew down his piece to fire on them, but his horse shying and his saddle turning, he was thrown to the ground,m and as he fell the guerrillas jumped the fence and ran to the brush. About this time our men in the pasture discovered a squad of eight or ten men riding up an adjoining lane, who, as the word "halt" was given, wheeled their horses and took to the brush. This occurred about 3 a. m. of the 12th, and it being too dark to follow them when the column came up, I called a halt and waited for daylight, when I moved forward in the direction of Sidney. Near this place we were joined by Lieutenant Weldy, with twenty- five men of Company E, and with the whole force followed the bushwhackers into Monroe County, thoroughly scouring the woods and brush on Indian Creek and Slat River to Florida, but without success.

At Florida I learned of the skirmish at Paris, and that an attack was anticipated on the place from Frank Davis (a noted guerrilla) with 240 men; hearing which I deemed it my duty to move forward to the assistance of the town, which I did as rapidly as possible, arriving there on the afternoon of 13th instant. During the night the town was further re- enforced by a detachment of fifty men of the First Iowa Cavalry, under command of Lieutenant Dow. Next morning no attack having been made, and still hearing of the guerrillas in considerable force on the Middle Fork of Salt River, in the vicinity of Madison (after consultation with the several officers),it was thought best to make a strong scout in search of them. At the request of Captain Fowkes, commanding Enrolled Missouri Militia of Monroe County, and Lieutenant Dow, of the First Iowa Cavalry, I assumed command of the expedition (which consisted of fifty men of the First Iowa Cavalry, under Lieutenant Dow, fifty men of the detailed Enrolled Missouri Militia, under Captain Fowkes, and the fifty men under my command) and started on the hunt. About noon of the 14th our advance guard, part of the Iowa cavalry, came upon a squad of eight or ten of the guerrillas at the house of a men named Garnett (a notorious rebel, who has a son in the brush) and a skirmish ensued,in which 2 of the guerrillas were killed, the rest escaping to the brush. As this was the second or third time Federal troops had been fired upon from this house, an as it was well known as a rendezvous and harboring place for the guerrillas and horse thieves, I ordered the house burned, as a warning to the numerous families in that section who are aiding, encouraging, and feeding bushwhackers. After moving forward from this place a few miles I divided the command, and scouted down on both sides of the Middle Fork to within seven miles of Paris, where I turned the command over to Captain Fowkes (except my original command) and returned to Paris, reporting for orders to Major A. V. E. Johnston, of the Thirty