No. 32. Report of Lieutenant William C. Gibbons, First Kansas Colored Infantry, of engagement at Poison Spring.

CAMDEN, ARK., April 21, 1864.

COLONEL: In obedience to your order I have the honor to submit the following report of the part taken by Companies C and I, First Kansas Colored Volunteers, during an engagement with the enemy 14 miles west of this place, on the 18th instant: In obedience to your orders I assumed the responsibility of the movements of Companies C and I, which composed the extreme left of our advance line, posted on the left-hand side of the road and supporting No. 1 piece of Rabb's battery, and awaited the development of the enemy. Owing to the continued fire kept up by this piece, the gunners had used up their supply of ammunition except solid shot, and the piece was limbered to the rear about 100 yards in the rear of its former position. At this juncture I knew by the heavy musketry discharges on my right that the eight companies under Major Ward were heavily engaged, but I could see nothing in that quarter owing to the density of the smoke. Accordingly I kept a sharp lookout to the front to prevent a flank movement by the enemy, which I anticipated. While the right was engaging the enemy with musketry, the six-gun battery of the enemy planted in our immediate front continued to throw shell on our left, and the piece above referred to limbered still farther to the rear in order to adjust ammunition. I then ordered the two companies to fall back opposite the advance wagon of the train, which they did. Just them both horse and footmen to the number of about 100 crossed my front dressed in blue. Captain Graton and myself supposed them to be our own men, the Second or Sixth Kansas Cavalry, and the infantry I supposed to be a few Eighteenth Iowa men, who were acting the part of sharpshooters in the former part of the engagement, but i was soon undeceived by the appearance of a large body of infantry dressed in gray, following directly after, and the appearance of 400 or 500 rebel cavalry crossing the road farther off on the right of their infantry. I immediately ordered the men to fire, which was kept up for a few minutes only, but with such effect as to check the enemy's advance. Being sorely pressed by an overwhelming number, and seeing the cavalry about to flank me on the left, I ordered a retreat and formed again about 60 yards to the rear. Again our men poured a deadly volley among the enemy, but it was impossible to hold the ground. However, I would not suffer the men to fall back farther, until I saw that the left of the right wing was broken and making their way across the road between the mules and wagons, then I ordered the men to fall back in as good order as possible.

During this maneuver I was on foot leading my horse, and in the attempt to mount my saber tripped me, my horse became scared and dragged me about 5 yards. During this, the infantry had all passed me and the enemy were bearing down on us with a yell. I need not say I mounted quick and rode away quicker. At the distance of about 100 or 150 yards, I came to the southwest corner of a fence surrounding an open field. Here I found nearly all of Companies C and I, who had escaped the fire of the enemy, with a few men of other companies, and with the assistance of Captain Graton, Lieutenant Harris, and Captain Armstrong, whom I found there, I succeeded