Moving at the rate of from eight to twelve miles per day I continued up the river, having to cross it occasionally to avoid bluffs whose bases sometimes were washed by the stream, and seeing nothing more of the Indians until September 8, when Colonel Walker, Sixteenth Kansas, who was in my advance about three or four miles, sent back a courier, informing me that he was attacked by between 3,000 and 4,000 Indians, who were driving him back. I was crossing my train over the river at the time, and ordering it moved up out of the timber and corralled I pushed on with one battalion of the Second Missouri Artillery, leaving the balance of this regiment to guard the train, and sent the Twelfth-Missouri Cavalry to skirmish through the woods along the river-bank to drive out a body of Indians who were posted in the timber. I also moved the section of artillery up to the front and opened upon a large force in a ravine, who were apparently preparing to take in flank a skirmish line of the Sixteenth Kansas. My pioneer company (Captain Boardman's company M, Second Missouri Artillery) had been marching with the Sixteenth Kansas, and in conjunction with them constructing roads. When the attack was made it had been judiciously dismounted and deployed as skirmishers upon the right flank of Colonel Walker's line, and with the Spencer carbine was making its way some hundreds of yards in advance of all others, clearing the front entirely of Indians, who turned their attention to the after and more poorly armed troops, whose rapid evolutions had damaged much of their ammunition and were now firing but little. Driving the Indians from a well selected position for attack, I could them exerting but little of the energy they had displayed on the 5th instant, as they gave way before every attack made on them boldly by parties of even half a dozen men. On a divide across the river a number of squaws were seen, and soon almost all who had been driven from the bottom lands joined them, to the number of about 1,200 or 1,500. I sent a detachment of men to disperse them, who ascended the steep side of the divide with much difficulty, skirmishing as they went. They were successful in scattering this large force without the loss of a man. A number of Indians were seen to fall. The bodies of the fallen were almost invariably carried off by the living warriors when it was possible for them to do so. The conformation of the ground necessitated crossing the river at this point before proceeding farther, and to prevent this a large force had gathered in the timber as if to dispute our passage. I directed the fire of my rifled pieces among them and killed a number as they endeavored to escape across the river, having an enfilade fire on them whilst they were huddled together at the various gulches running through the bank to the water. Crossing to the opposite side of the river, camp was formed of both commands together.

After getting into river camp a storm blew up, which grew worse as night came on and finally became terrific in its fury. From rain it turned to hail, then rained again, then in succession snowed and sleeted, yet freezing all night long. My picket officers were forced to march their men in circles at the rprevent freezing, as fires were not admissible. Nothing could be done to protect the stock from the peltings of this terrible storm, and numbers of them died during the night. When daylight dawned it had not abated in he least, and owing to the unsheltered position of my camp was especially severe on the men as well as the stock, so much so that I determined to move to some point within a few miles where I could shelter in heavy timber to save the remnant of my rapidly failing animals. I moved two miles and a half, marking my trail with dead and horses and mules. Arriving at