The town was taken after a fight of two hours and fifty minutes, with a loss of 5 killed, including Captain Emanuel Mayne, of the Third Iowa, and 25 wounded.

We have captured about 200 horses, as many arms of all descriptions, many of them being recently captured Government arms. The loss of the enemy killed and wounded may be safely stated at 150, and 40 prisoners.

We are out of rations and our horses worn-out, but will take up the pursuit as soon as we can seize subsistence enough to keep us up.

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,

JOHN McNEIL,

Colonel, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS McNEIL'S COLUMN,
Palmyra, September 17, 1862.

MAJOR: I have the honor to send you herewith report of Lieutenant-Colonel Shaffer, commanding Merrill's Horse, and of Major Caldwell,* commanding detachment of Third Iowa Cavalry, and of Major Benjamin, commanding detachment of the Eleventh Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, of their operations in the action of August 6, 1862, between the force under my command and the army under the guerrilla chief Joseph C. Porter.

I also append as brief a narrative of the events of the march and engagement as I deem their importance to allow, with such mention of the conduct of individuals as their merits justly entitle them to.

My command was composed of a detachment of the Merrill Horse, under Lieutenant-Colonel Shaffer, of 14 officers and 320 men; detachment of Second Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, under command of Captains McClanahan and Edwards, 5 officers and 117 men; detachment of Eleventh Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, Major Benjamin, 320 men; the command of Major Caldwell, Third Iowa Volunteers, composed of detachments of his own regiment, the Ninth Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, and Red Rovers, Missouri State Militia; detachment of the First Cavalry, Missouri State Militia, under Major Cox, 5 officers and 132 men; section of Third Indiana Battery, Lieutenant Armington; section of steel 2-pounder battery, Lieutenant McLaren; Sergeant West, with a 12-pounder howitzer, Second Missouri State Militia; making an aggregate of --- officers and --- men.

The train guard and those required to hold and guard horses while combatants dismounted for action, the support of the artillery and reserve deducted, left us about 500 men with which to engage the enemy.

The pursuit which had preceded and led to this action had been long and arduous, and most of the troops engaged had been constantly on the march since the middle of July. I had hung on the trail of the enemy from the time I struck it, on the 29th of July. Beginning the chase with 120 men and a 12-pounder howitzer, with which I marched from Palmyra on July 29, augmented at Clinton, in Monroe County, by Major Cox with 160 men and two small steel guns, I marched to Paris at night, expecting to find Porter in that place, as he had sacked it that evening. Finding that he had moved to the Elk Fork of Salt River, we prepared to attack him there, when suddenly he made a feign of an attack on us in Paris. This kept my men on the qui vive all day, our

---------------

*Not found.

---------------