Newbern weekly progress., 1862-12-06
From Ozark. Mo.

u
Successful Expe7f ION 9r tie Sfcoad Bafta-
lion. fosfstsenth Guedlsg. M s. y. !. 4 9disss
the sStcesh
E Had Qaarters second gatfazioa. Isurts<atl
/ Cardlry. M s. M., 0sark, DO, Norsasber II
Eaitors Missouri Democrat Having offer
made the determination 70 post YOU up on oul
travels 10 Southeastern Missouri and as offer
failed TO night Icannot refrain;
We are unusually jubilant over our pet bat
! talon, for two reasons Firs1-Ws have just
made another Secesh haul. Second There
i are inst now about twelve thousand troops
] {SchsfeId's Army Of the Frontier) under com
/ mand Of Brigadler General Totten at the pre-
| sent time, encasnprd IN our midst, and. ol
course, we like to show them that We (the
Second Battalion Of the Fourteenthl know
how to do business.
On the evening Of the 8th 0ast Saturday,
Captain Milton Birch, of Company II. Four~
| teenth, was ordered TO take eighty men,
together With Lieutenants Day and Kclso,
and proceed IN a seuthweste.ly course about
! thirty miles, to see certain Secesh sympathi.
zers we had heard from occasionally in that
section of country, and, if possible bring
them to justice. He did not meet with very
good success there, bnt learning shat there
! was q rebel nest in Dubuque, Artz-. together
with rebel recruiting office and two conpa-
mes Home Guards, be ventured on further.
and then play Yankee. will leave yon to be
the judge whether he was ell right.
Lieutenant Kelso, who, By the way, is q
regular, honest, hurtnobody looking sort of q
man. but up to snuff, yau bet, D. wasse serxlered
to take four men from the battery as prisoners,
be having ten or twelve men, looking as hard
or nearly SO as himself, for his commaFd and
proceed into town with them as captured plis
seners. When the Secesh got around thick
enough to make an object to do business, he
would send one of his men out as picket guard
Whe would post Captain Birch as to the proper
time to close in on than.
Through some fault ofsthe picket the signal
was gwen too soon, the Captain made the
charge. but there were only three of them in
the office They ran, when two of them were
shot and the Others captured. One oil them
was rebel surgeon and the other postmaster
They rested here until midnight when they
rode uR. to elapp's Mills, where they found
part of company just sitting down to break
last, they having killed q fine deer.
Our boys made prisoners of the whole parry
and then walked into the venison, sweet pota-
toes, biscuit and apples they BAD prepared, Of
coarse thanking the rebels for the boaiities of
a kind Providence and diooh;ng} upon the whole
thing as providentials smile, but the rebels
could not see it in that light.
They arrived in camp last evening, having
killed five rebels, taken twenty five prisoners,
together with thirty.fve horses and twenty
five stand of arms. The boys think nothing
strange OF this, however, but have standing
offer to meet. fhe rebels on their own ground,
giving the rebels the advantage of three to one,
and whip them thoroughly or die trying. and
we never think of dying3 These skirnishes
occur so often we have got past that
Too much praise cannot be given Captain
Birch, Lleutenants. Day aud Kelro, together
with their commands. for their nnexampisd
bravery and general attention TO business.
Remember this was done in four days. run
ming into the jaws of death and still alive;
iatc the fire and not burned More anon.
Yours &C., CRAMP.
i forget to say one Of the prisoners was a
captain, another adiatant, The other lieutenant,
the balance priyates.