about 100 men, and 25 men, under Captain Freund, of the Sixtieth Regiment Enrolled Missouri Militia. As Major Kelly was the ranking officer, we were placed under his command. We proceeded to Smithton, where the rebels had been the night previous about 9 o'clock, and sacked the town, tore down the telegraph line, &c.

The next point was Otterville. There are met some of our captured men who were taken at the bridge the night previous. The rebels did no damage nor made any stay at Otterville. They procured a guide, went hurriedly to the bridge, where we had Captain Berry, of Company D, with 28 men, stationed. They captured and swore or paroled the captain and 17 of his men; the rest of the men made their escape. The enemy burned the bridge, block-house, all the tents, wagons, commissaries, &c., and took their horses, a lot of clothing, &c. They left the bridge about midnight, in the direction of Syracuse. We made no halt at any of these places, but pushed on at a brisk gait until we came near Syracuse. There we came on the enemy's pickets and drove them in; run them out of town. Found their force to be about 120 men. We pursued them to a point of timber north of Tipton; there we exchanged quite a number of shots with the enemy; captured 2 horses and some goods that were taken the night previous at Smithton. Here we drove out their whole force, and, after they shot at us several times with their cannon, we retired out of their reach in the direction of Otterville. They did not follow us far. We then made a detour around Syracuse, and formed a junction with Colonel Lazear, First Missouri State Militia, at Tipton at 11 o'clock that night. We all set out on their trail next morning, and came upon their pickets, about 5 miles from Boonville, at sundown, and drove them in. We pursued them on the following morning by the way of Boonville, Choteau Springs, Dug Ford, on the La Mine, Dick Marshall's, on Blackwater, Salt Fork, near Jonesborough, skirmishing at intervals all day long. We encamped near Jonesborough for the night. We were posted on picket that night without fire, it raining during the whole night. Just at the dawn of day we set out with the commands of Colonel Lazear, Major Kelly, and my own,by a circuitous route, to try, if possible, to head the enemy at Marshall, which we did.

We arrive at Marshall about 7 o'clock in the morning, and were ordered to get breakfast and horse-feed wherever we could, which order was promptly obeyed, as we had eaten nothing since we left Tipton, except just as we could catch it. We made apples and cabbage suffer along the roadside. We scarcely had time to get breakfast for ourselves and horses when our pickets were driven in by the enemy. Captain parke, with about 30 men, was ordered to hold the enemy in check, whilst I was ordered to support him, which order was promptly obeyed on the part of my command. I heard the rebel officer give command to his command for every fourth man to hold horses, whereupon I followed his example. My men fought well; did as good service as any troops engaged. When the enemy ran, we pursued them to Tete Saw Plains, to Van Meter's, where we encamped for the night.

We were ordered on the following morning, and [moved] from there in the direction of Sedalia, to see if any portion of the enemy had crossed in a southwest direction, but we found no traces of them. We arrived at Sedalia about 9 o'clock that night.

We were ordered on the following morning, under the command of Colonel G. H. Hall, of the Fourth Missouri State Militia, to intercept, if possible, about 500 or 600 rebels, under command of Colonel Hunter, who were bearing southeast of Sedalia. We proceeded by the way of