New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-09-13
other Free-stute settlements up the Kan.
sas-of which Topeka, about twenty-five

miles from Lawrence Is the prIncPai-in-
teyvene the Pro-Slavery towns Of Lecompton ana
Tecumseh-L ecompton being about ten miles west
Of Lawrence, and Tecumseh about the same DIS
lance east &C Topeka. Lccompton is the seat OF
government, the headquarters Of acting Governor
Woodson. who has been from the first Jealous
partisan and great favoriie Of tho Border Ruffians;
and in that vicinity is also camp OF dragons
charged, or which recently was charged, with the
custody Of the treason prisoners. West and north
of Topeka the Free-State men have some Other
considerable settlements, which, by their distance
from the Missouri border and the exclusively Free
State character Of their population, have been
quite or almost free from those BOrder-Rufan out
RACES and ravages Of which the more eastern set
Elements lave been the seats In these remote
western and northern settlements are the principal
strength and resources Of the Free-State men, and
their number has recently been increased by the
new settlements founded on the Nebraska road.
Msjor-General Richardson, commanding the
northern division of Kansas miitia-that is, the
rufans of Kckapoo, Atchison, DOniphan, &C.
had taken the liberty" as he expressed it in his
letter to General Smith, which we lately copied
from The Union, to call out his militia on his own
hook on the 18th of August, under pretense that
the Territory had been invaded by the body of
peaceable settlers who had lately arrived under Lane
and that it YVES then in state Of insurrection
against the constituted authorities. This volunteer
proceeding on the part of Richardson, as appears
by an official document which we publish to-day,
was cordially approved by acting Governor
WoOdsOn, who on the 21st gave special
directions for occupying the Nebraska road
and cutting of the new imaginary army of invaders
expected in that direction. Another portion Of the
division was ordered to assemble at Lecompton,
while the militia of the southern division were to
assemble at Palmyra, about fifteen miles east
Of Lawrence. These orders to the militia, acting
Governor Woodson followed up by proclamation,
which correspondent gives, dated the 18th, and
aimed exclusively against the Free-State men,
which proclamation declares the Territory sin
Estate of open insurrection and rebellion" Here,
then were three bodies of Border-R ufan militia, as
sembled under these orders and this proclamation,
surrounding Lawrence and threatening it in three
directions-One under Richardson on the Nebraska
road, another at LecomptOn under WOodson, cut
ting off Lawrence from Topeka and the western
settlements, and a third between Lawrence and
LeaVenwOrth.
In addition to these forces within the Territory,
force much larger was collected in Missouri, on
the strength of circular dated at WestpOrt, Aug.
16., and issued by Atchison and StringfellOw. On
the 25th more than q thousand men, called together
by this circular, had collected at Santa Fe, near
the Kansas border, where they organized them
selves into two regiments and chose AtchisOn
general. On the Goth, they advanced to Cedar
Creek in Kansas, and the next day (the 27th) to
Bull Creek, whence the evening of the 28th de-
tachment, with one or two pieces of artillery was
sent of under General Reid against Osawattamie.
The men of Osawattamie-some forty in number
had been lately engaged in breaking up and driving
back the gangs Of plunderers who hung upon the
borders OF that settlement. On the 26th they had
surprised body of MssOurians, at South Middle
Creek, had put them to fight, and following them,
the next day had recovered drove of stolen cattle
They had returned to Osawattamie on the evening
Of the 10Th, and early the next morning reused
from their beds by the that the Border Rufians
were upon them. The result of the battle, though
disastrous to the Free-State men, appears to have
been less 80 than the Rufians exultngly reported.
The exact loss is not yet known, but, according
to our Lawrence correspondent, considerable
number escaped by secret ford. As commonly
happens in these cases, the Free-State men, well
as the Rufians, had quite an exaggerated idea Of
the execution they had done. Instead of killing
twelve and wounding twenty, IS they supposed,
and as our correspondent reports, they had
only wounded FIVE. The same evening
company of Border Ruffans belonging to
the same party attacked, robbed and burnt
the house of an Ottawa Indian, who lives
about half way from Osawattamie to Lawrence;
but they did not succeed, it seems, in killing either
the Indian himself or the sick man in his house, of
whose murder they boast in their published ac-
counts. The next morning (the 30th) they
appeared at Prairie City, still nearer Lawrence,
but were frightened away without doing any damage,
as related in the letter of our Lawrence corres-
pOndent AS soon az all this news reached Law
renee Lane marched with 800 men to attack the en-.
emy's camp at Bull Creek, accomplishing that day
forty-fve miles, and that without food On the
3lst he approached the Missouri camp, but the
enemy, without stopping to fight, retreated before
him-an explanation of Atchison's retreat which in
the Border.Ruffian accounts appears so mysteri.
rious. Lane followed them up till they had
crossed the Missouri border, when he returned to
Lawrence, leaving, however, strong force at
Hickory Point At the last accounts this repulsed
army, having depOscd AtchisOn from command, lay
inactive and disorganized, calling for aid from the