HEADQUARTERS, Saint Joseph, September 27, 1864.

Brigadier-General FISK:

On my way to Brookfield from Burnswick yesterday, and when within five miles of Laclede, I met a party of men who afterward proved to be the Laclede militia, forty men, under Lieutenant-Colonel DeGraw, drawn up in line of battle in the open prairie. Upon making my appearance and before I had fully settled upon their indentity or ordered the charge, they broke and fled in the utmost confusion and disorder, leaving their flag, guns, hats, blankets, &c., which fell into our hands. After capturing the flag I ordered a halt and earnestly endeavored to get communication with any of their various scattered parties through a small party of men sent out for that purpose. One finally became bold enough to meet one man. I did not fire upon them at all and only chased them about a mile, but the majority of their men did not stop running until out of my sight, and this without a shot being fired on either side. Lieutenant-Colonel De Graw afterward came to me and politely informed me that it was their first time out and they supposed me after them to the number of some 300 or more, and, therefore, they deemed discretion the better part of valor, bearing in mind, I suppose, that-

He who fights and runs away

Lives to fight another day.

He also told me that the flag which my escort captured was his and requested it returned. That I declined, informing him that we had been fighting three years for the honor of that flag, and that we could not consent to return it to the care of miserable set of cowardly poltroons who would again disgrace in on the approach of danger. Some of their men informed my men that Colonel De Graw ordered a retreat several times before it was obeyed and was himself the first to turn his back upon us. I respectfully request that uniform he wears, of which, by the way, I was strongly tempted to strip him them and there.

I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,
D. J. HYNES,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief of Cavalry.

SPECIAL FIELD ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS U. S. FORCES, Numbers 5.
Glasgow, Mo., September 27, 1864.

1. A citizen telegraph guard is hereby constituted whose duty it shall be to maintain the U. S. Military Telegraph line, from Boonville, on the Missouri River, via Glasgow, to Allen, on the North Missouri Railroad. The parties hereinafter named will be held jointly and severally responsible for the maintenance of said line.

Division superintendents will see that the section repairers make daily patrols of the line, and put the same in working order without delay where it shall have been disturbed or town down, and will make weekly reports to the operator at Glasgow of damages sustained and repairs conducted in their several divisions.

The line from Glasgow to Allen will constitute three divisions, the first division extending from Glasgow to Roanoke, and will be under the superintendence of Rev. Noah Flood. The first division will be divided into four sections. The first section will extend form Glasgow