halted near Newtonia, and as General Blunt approached was ready to receive him with all arms of the service. General Blunt deployed his brigades and immediately engaged the enemy, the forces moving forward and back alternately, but retaining general position and doing great damage on both sides. I arrived with General Sanborn's brigade near sundown, and saw our troops, some of them hard pressed and giving away. McLain's battery, badly cut up, was falling back for safety, under orders, and some stragglers also, for the first time in this campaign, were ordered to face about and return to the support of our comrades. Captain McLain, under my direction, immediately turned his guns upon the enemy and the stragglers turned back with a shout. General Sanborn threw his forces immediately into line on General Blunt's left and poured in a heavy fire. This was the occasion of new energies on the right, and a general advance of our forces routed the enemy, who retreated, leaving his dead and wounded in great numbers scattered over the field. It was now too dark to follow through the timber, and, the rebels scattering considerably, continued their flight, a small detachment going toward Cassville, but the main force changing their direction westward, taking the road toward Pineville. this brilliant affair at Newtonia is thus described by Major-General Blunt, who commenced the battle and sustained it gallantly until re-enforced, and afterward until the enemy were entirely conquered and routed. This is his report:

The rebel forces had encamped in the timber south of the town, on the Pineville road, with the view of remaining there until the following day, thinking that the pursuit of our forces had been abandoned, but on discovering my advance coming in view on the high ground overlooking the town of Newtonia from the northwest, they hastily broke camp and attempted to move off. To cover this movement they deployed a force of about 2,000 men upon the prairie to protect their rear. Being convinced of their intention to avoid a fight, if possible, I determined to attack them at once. The First and Fourth Brigades were with me in the advance. I had directed the Second Brigade to halt early in the day to procure forage for their horses to enable me to put them in the advance to press the pursuit at night; consequently I did not rely upon them to participate in the early part of the engagement. I had supposed that General McNeil's brigade of General Pleasonton's division, was close up in my rear, and sent back to hurry it forward, while the First and Fourth Brigades of the First Division were quickly deployed in line, and under the cover of the fire of the First Colorado Battery (McLain's), posted upon the bluff, they swept across the plain at a gallop until within musket-range of the enemy's line. Skirmishers were rapidly deployed, and but a few minutes elapsed until the engagement became general. I now ordered forward the First Colorado Battery, which, with a section of howitzers attached to the Fifteenth Kansas Cavalry, and under command of Sergeant Patterson of the Fourteenth Kansas Cavalry, poured a destructive fire into the enemy's ranks. It soon became evident that I was engaging all the available force of Price's army, which outnumbered me more than eight to one. Their superiority of numbers enabling them to press upon my flanks with a large force compelled me to fall back about 500 yards from my first line, which was done in good order, and the line reformed in the face of a terrific fire. The enemy pressed forward their center, but were promptly checked by the canister from the First Colorado Battery. It was now near sundown, and my command had been engaged near two hours and their ammunition nearly exhausted, while a large force of the enemy were passing under cover of a corn-field around my left flank, and my force being too small to extend my line in that direction, I was about to direct my line to fall back and take position on the bluff, when very unexpectedly the brigade of General Sanborn, of General Pleasonton's command, came up. I immediately placed them in position on my left, directing General Sanborn to dismount his men and advance through the corn-field, which was promptly executed, repulsing the flanking column of the enemy, who now abandoned the field and retreated rapidly under the cover of the night in the direction of Pineville, leaving their dead and wounded in our hands.

The general specially names Colonel Ford, Lieutenant-Colonel Hoyt, Major Ketner, of the Sixteenth Kansas; Captain W. D. McLain, of the