HDQRS. LINN COUNTY ENROLLED MISSOURI MILITIA,
Brookfield, June 20, 1864.

GENERAL: On the 18th of this month a band of rebel bushwhackers came into the town of Laclede, Linn County, and robbed several of our Union citizen and shot 2 of them. There were 16 of the bushwhackers, commanded by Holtzclaw, of Howard County. The greater portion of the men composing his company were known to our citizens. They came into the town from the west, and arrested the citizens as they came to them and marched them to the public square. One man (an esteemed soldier) by name of Crowder, shot 1 of the devils through from a windows, and the same man urged and shot him (Crowder) dead, through the window, after he was wounded by crowder. About this time one of the citizens started to run (a Mr. Jones) and was immediately shot by some of the bushwhackers. On their first appearance in town a messenger started immediately for Brookfield and informed Lieutenant Billings, who detailed as manymen as he could mount and started with them, and also sent a few soldiers on a engine, with such railroad employes as were at hand to volunteer. they ran the engine to Laclede, and the bushwhackers had loaded their wounded men into the hack that carries the mail from Laclede to Linneus, and had gone west toward Locust Bottoms. Our men who were on the engine followed up the back, which had some distance to go by the side of the track, before they could turn, off. When they came within shooting distance they commenced a running fight. The wounded man (James Nave) was killed. The other man in the hack and the driver were both wounded, and the 2 escorts riding on horseback were mortally wounded, 1 of them since killed. The driver was taken back to Laclede, as he was pressed with the hack. The other 2 wounded men have not as yet been found. One had his leg broken and the other had one side of his face torn all to pieces by two charges of buckshot. Lieutenant Lewis has been after them ever since and has returned to-night, after riding some 60 miles in pursuit, and to our surprise they were at 4 p. m. last night within 2 1/2 miles of Laclede again. This trip has again proven to me the perfect folly of chasing bushwhackers while the country is full of law-abiding citizens to harbor and feed them. Lieutenant Lewis heard of them from place to place., and from rebels that they had just gone on such a road but a short time before, but after riding in that direction 8 or 10 miles, would hear of them in another direction, but in no instance could he hear who fed them or their horses. Lieutenant Lewis followed the trail of 8 or 10 men across Grand River, and stopped at a rebel's house for breakfast, and, after some considerable argument, prevailed upon them to get some, and while they were at this house some one of the men picked up a copy of the New York Day-Book, and noticing some article not particularly pleasing he tore up the copy he had and all the other copies of the same paper found in the room; that was the extent of damage done at that place. At the next place they stopped to injure for the bushwhackers, and could find out nothing. The same soldier who tore up the Day-Book at the other place saw a copy at this house, and that had to be destroyed. A young man living there said something insulting to one of the soldiers as they were moving off, and the soldier dismounted and knocked the said rebel down, and then mounted and followed his company. This Lieutenant Lewis did not know of at the time. At this house our boys found two loaded guns, and as they knew the