MAY 23-25, 1864.-Scout from Warrensburg, Mo.

Report of Colonel James McFerran, First Missouri State Militia Cavalry.

HDQRS. FIRST CAVALRY, MISSOURI STATE MILITIA,
Warrensburg, Mo., May 25, 1864.

GENERAL: I have the honor to state I have been absent from this station since the morning of the 23rd instant; that at about daylight that morning I received information that about 20 guerrillas, at 5 p. m. day before, 4 miles northeast of Chilhowee, had attacked Solathel Stone, orderly sergeant, and 5 men, one of them Judge King, of Captain W. H. Thompson's company of citizen guards, and killed Judge King and captured the sergeant and 3 of his men; 1 escaped. The party were scouting at the time. The guerrillas got the arms of the captured men. I also learn messengers about the same time that another of 15 were seen the night before near line of the railroad east of Holden. I also received a communication about the same time from Lieutenant Hardesty, at Germantown, on Saturday night, 21st instant, that 100 guerrillas had crossed the Osage at Taberville, coming north; Lieutenant Goodbrake, commanding at Clinton, indorsed this communication, on that he had reliable information that the number was much large than stated by Lieutenant Hardesty. I immediately started for Holden with 47 men, and on the way learned from learned from a woman that 30 guerrillas had taken her Husbank's horse the night before about 6 miles east of Holden and north of the road, and that they went north. We reached Holden at 12 m., and not being able to hear of any guerrillas south of that point, I sent Captain Wyckoff with 27 men of his company to scout the Black Water timber, and after having dome so to return to Warrensburg of Company A with me. Upon inspection of Company M, I found but 12 men for duty at Holden. IU went to Kingsville the same evening, where I found 20 men of same company, which I inspected and returned to Holden.

Captain Eads informed me that he had sent his two teams to the vicinity of Hopewell, la Fayette Country, Mo., for forage under an escort of 20 men, and that they would return next day. Sat dark a messenger came to Holden from Captain Taggart with the information that Quantrill with 200 men was about 6 miles south of Holden marching in the direction. I immediately sent messengers to Kingsville for the men at that place to join me, and with the 22 men marched for Hopewell, taking the railroad; transportation and company property with me. About 8 miles from Holden we were joined by the 20 men from Kingsville and 15 citizen guards of Captain Jones' company. We reached Hopewell about daylight. I immediately sent messengers to Captain Burris to join me, which he did at 10 a. m. with about 65 men, and we marched immediately for Holden, where we arrived at about 4 p. m. Upon communicating again with Captain Taggart we learned that the guerrillas had left his neighborhood the night before and gone north, but was unable to learn their course. We remained at Holden last night, and this morning I sent captain Burris with his command to scout the country between Lone Jack and Capel Hill, on his return to his camp on Walton's farm, in Texas Prairie, and I came to this place. I learn since arriving here that Captain Wyckoff returned to this place on

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