Today in History:

704 Series I Volume XXII-I Serial 32 - Little Rock Part I

Page 704 MO.,ARK.,KANS., IND. T., AND DEPT. N. W. Chapter XXXIV.

carried out when our patrol on the Old Missouri road was driven in, sharp firing having taken place. The whole command were in line of battle without loss of time, and all expected a fight. No enemy appeared, and the work of moving to the public square was again commenced. During the night a formidable breastwork was built around the square from the materials found in the ruins of the town. Dispatches were sent to General McNeil at night, via Cassville.

At 9 p. m. a well-known citizens came in from Brook's command, and reported that in had been Brook's intention to attack the place; but he thought that there would be no attack made.

During the day of the 14th work was continued on the wall around the square. At night Captain Freeburn, with 150 men, came in from Cassville, reporting Brooks as having been at Black's Mill, near Cross Hollows, but that he had gone. With this re-enforcement, I considered all danger from that quarter over, but kept out the same patrols, and exerted the same vigilance as before, until relieved of my command by your arrival.

My thanks are due to the officers and men for their hearty assistance at all times. They seemed anxious to have an opportunity of proving themselves in a fight, and I have no doubt would have sustained themselves nobly against Brooks and his superior forces.

T. J. HUNT,

Major First Arkansas Cavalry, Commanding Post.

Colonel M. LA RUE HARRISON,

Commanding Arkansas Volunteers in the Field.

OCTOBER 12-16, 1863-Scout from Fort Garland, Colo., and killing of outlaw Espanoza.

Report of Lieutenant Horace W. Baldwin, McLain's Colorado Battery.

FORT GARLAND, COLO., October 16, 1863.

SIR: I have the honor to report that, in compliance with Special Orders, Numbers -, dated Fort Garland, October--, 1863, I left Fort Garland at 11 o'clock a. m. on the 12th day of October, 1863, and proceeded up the road toward the Sangre de Cristo Pass, to a sport in the road where a man, supposed to be Espanoza, had committed certain outrages a day or two previous. Camped near this spot the first night. Next morning we discovered the trail of the party or parties who were supposed to have committed such outrages as were known to have been committed, from the fact that two miles had been shot and one carriage burned, the remains of which were then lying in the first-mentioned spot in the road, about 18 miles from Fort Garland, Colo., on the Sangre de Cristo Creek. We followed this trail until it led us into the main traveled road, when and where we were obliged to leave it. Going again to the ruins in the road, we took a new direction, directly opposite to the one we had taken the day before. We followed along the mountains on the north side of the road until we struck the range of the Sierra Madre Mountains. Finding no signs of importance, we followed along this range in a southern direction, entering the Great Canon at its mouth, near the main road. Here we discovered a moccasin track, which we followed a num-


Page 704 MO.,ARK.,KANS., IND. T., AND DEPT. N. W. Chapter XXXIV.