, 1863-05-28
Qbica9o Qribu11r.
THURSDAY, MAY ae, 1868,
The Sl1irTni>F. Of f1s.. 5ffl HAM
sas Cavalry With Carriers
GueriI{s1s.

HELENA, ARKANSAS, May Is, 1863.
On thc morning Of the 9th ult., an expedi-
tiou lift this pnint, having for its object the
thorough securing of the country lying west,
10 the Witt: river. North to Bayou de Wen,
aud cast 10 the St. F1ancls, the destruction
ascertain The whereabouts Of Gen. Prices
forces, who were reportedas marching upon
the place from Little Rock.
The troops comprising this expedition
were the 5fb Illinois cavalry, 400 ,ncy; the
5tl Kansas caYalry, 3225 NTH; 1.t lndiant cav
alry, .35U ,s.e,', and QUO stctiun Of III. Dubu-
que battery, all un1er command Of Colonel
Powell Clayton, 5th Kansas cavalry, Ut present
commanding the I'd brigade, ID cavalry diyis-
ion, army OF the Tenuc=zer,
They III left the Little Rock road, but about
six miles out The Infantry tuvk the Morcau
and Cotton Plant loaa, expecting. to meet
Coleman q; 6mltzrr'-, cu the prairie, seven
1pilrs fruit. Cotton Plant. The cavalry march
ell 10 The crossing # b.; Greek the first day,
ard proceeded to build Il pontoon bridge, tie
rc.,r!= hayi,g burned the old bridge carly last |
fill. That ii, hit, hy midnight, the bridge was
completed, u d b. no IN the next day the
whs.lc command was safely over We then
= chtd 10 within ciglt 1utes of Clarendon,
and ercansl ed upon q plantation where tue |
he:R iscpt a riektt 1"oS'. Cur men fred upon |
their pickets, killing one aad taking one pri:-. |
cner. They also rot Euc Sharpcs tlrge:
rite sud unif r1n coat-Confeleratc, ofcouste.
We r. :.cl.ch S*itzer>s that night, and found
intn,trq aud I'll there. We hid met no enemy
Afs+r grazing our jadcd horses. (for there was
no cor1,,) We started mex. ex.molningfor Madison
O.. TIT re .,,..T FraEcis, and Witshuf.5, fifteen
or I. casy miles al ,yc, while the fnfAbt-y re-
t.'rned 10 Helena By way OF Morceau, slarsanna~
and 1-:,Hralg ge. 49,
The read from Switzer's to the rAuguillc
River is,knowi rs TIE Military Road, an1goes
to Memphis. For about six miles it leads
through level prairie, and then striking the
sitnbcI, 1t is n corduroy or causeway, not wide
OIL ciih.r side, until it strikes the fAnglille
nj a point known as the Bridge, some twenty
or twenty-five miles from Switzer's, and
twenty miles west and north Of Madison.
About one milo west Of the bridge Is where
thu 9Th Iowa cavalry was surprised and defeated
last fall by the Texans. Col Clayton stopped
here with the 1st Indiana and the artillery,
sending Col. jenkins forward to Taylor's
Creek, tiye miles distant, with the 5th Kansas
| ard 9th Illinois.
| Cobh's, one Of the mu1dcrcrs Of Lipps, a
Cuion man. This Cobb, With Lis brother and
| twcn.y- tive other Miscrsahts, went to Ltpp's
| house, knocked his wife down with revolver
I aud murdered Lipps in cold blood, and all
this foE his outsgoken and determined Union.
the very letter. Cobb had taken the plecau-
tim to ltasc, and is safr at Little Rack Let
| him beware, should ever tue 9Th Kansas get
hlm, u sAo'I eAut 'Aau ions' iot'e "11 w us
ieMala.
Inc ne1t motaihg 'u'., aogas Z p. u, a'epa.en a
came oIaellns tat tut"lsi f4'1h,, ~ 80 Nc ao4St -
Vernon, and ascertain the whereabouts OF
Lobbin's regiment Of guerillas, as we'll as the
practicability Of crossing 'he whole command
at that plIce, ana report 10 col' claYton ~
messags ihat aiteInYon: A. q: m; Of iic inc
Of Cr"Wlege rdse, ABOUT h1teen mnes, We
came down to tue pAngunie bottom. Mc
followed .I!e oase OF tAs fl'se uoMn " ny
D;nlc!' Mills, seven Iu'es 1plll M tAe icils ~
taking its owner prisoner. We onrned tns
mill, which had been grinding for the rebels
all winter, end IN this bottom alone, We ue'
siroyed by lire ubout 81, GU q $1,000 bushels
OF corn.
negro here came INTO camp, stating tna'
Gen. Marmadnke lad 6,0oo men up at Wits
burg, ind tlAt there WAS plan laid out Il
cnt lis of, as follows: Dobyns was to be al
the ferry with sou laen, while column WAS Il
attack us from above. 4 consultation wa
Il. Id, and then the 5'l Illinois started for tht
tie ridee to feed and as soon as our rcsi
J! 1uent had fed. the bugle sounded to horse
and We stated for TayIor's Creek, where Col
/ Cla,tou was to meet us, or remain to 1lea
frofu US. passinc the eth Illinois about fou
u. m. we procccdel to . point about 1iy.
miles bcyouC aud when hearing Mt Vernon
tie quick, sharp report Of the rifles OF thu I'D
yaucvd guard notified lis Of tho proximity o
, the enemy; a loud aud more sonorous yolle,
Informed us that they had replied with thci
doublc-barrellcd shot guns.
) Col jenkins immediately rode to the front
), ard The regiment came up at sharp gallol
d They found the enemy drawn up in i ltn
across tho ridge, about 10o yards in advance
. The Colonel how ordered the regiment to dtf
mouut, lcvpiu5 about eight or ten men |
hold eTcTg forty horses, ana Gon.pany ma :
spluycd to the right and another company
the left, and ordered to move forward
skirnishcts, ot1cr companies covering Ii
centre --..., -.....
AID no" eommeheea IN eneago,'en,, @ ,,, ~ 'ae
M aeout fnfeel1astcls VI ~ noul, vni ~. nl1
chcefs; breaking their Ane lhfee unets1
times, and pushing them Sesescly; A.,
AT 1eDgth thcs appeared III euen loiee ", l.,
}. II WAS tesnsd aasl'aois 10 ch"1se e. @ lasoeno o
posltlon anu nlAho a s.nu: E"s ~ Hs o1, W.
wsde OAK tlage, ana ~ n a9teeo LIZ en1A
q. paeh sspoal on1 ,an t,u ~ Isa- ,h,,un no,r
la'Ge "an 11Se ,s, taa ,ar,n nd Tho rood Il,
aeieee ,ue utt1o -. =, oet ornnnI t. having
,'ah. esuu ~ - sa:sr5c5 az nTceiIrnt corcT +
.',a,,t fn,tx men Her. VI: were ordered
hait TI,c rr,,ira Was now strcartlened II
< n,t nas ,nd r,.,r vel, " 1na1,ed md t],onph II
ID. n'n.1s ra1t ~, an almost cnn';nnons valley.
t.e,.nd ~ III f,.it hv hath of1icrrs and ne
s. -. tho;. ~, f,rce E,s cet n come
LII T,,s sat,..,- .,arn shnnt ;rhtr yaras from II
~ ~, ,oroes t1,r rntI tyhr,, fhev nnurel
~ ,,us ,.f,1,1, an5 nart.d tn ths rioht \,
~ ~ w. ;,n .n ', - those fam hr1;nd
4s's, .'.4n,s 4.', s;.;t;, ;net ar cvcs we'll ca1c
,,t,d ' 10 n' malr the sternest heart ou,u.
reoi,ncnt nr co,umn If cavalry was seen CO..
:, T. .o,rn u,,o,, nc vt fnf} snerd thc olfi,e
~, ~ W. ~ sohrrs cnronrafrinr their me
Than r;t,in s;xtv yards fl,e wbolr coin,
. ,n,.n ~. ~. ,.;ai ri, suc1, 40 ,ni,rht h.
uloAe ~, ta., ,hn'. e,, 5'om,nchn IS,1i,,,.
eo1'i 1'hrn y wos that o,,r Ifcu,cnanf Colo]
4. .,,'.,''aa .'e .,t.. stuff i. a-as wade Sill;
, snoMu ~ hH.is. -, ~. hor.a r;G,t a,ni,
S's - ,'nu ~ anno,r,r.ad n ~ 7bnn, hoth hv ora
rp, nd n,a aSa,nnle Rrssrye ronr fire: men u1
sTc au .i,. c,sc m so' and ,hn lei cyerr ii
aud III; ~ no. fhnr nhevcd The sou,,,.,
~ a ~, ~ ~,.cI1 H. .hnwa5 Wnrn within thirtv
Z ~ f,e,v ys,d. they were met nv such storm,
h,,,s Ss mndt. many = gal1ant rider bite
- dust: and though III. weight and impctuf
La III. column carried them almost to us,
fro was sn eryrre and concentrated they br,
w .;ts,,t ans Ian ,na -ctra.tod 1ravinfr scy,
~ ~ ad,, any 1 ,.,,,,3.; ,h, Tn tI,r Tonrs
aEau anu .,;,,,,tao unneo -.n-1,,s +h;rtv 5ur
sIly n:i, t. t;.,,i 4ha,, 1t,i ~ constant t;r;
ar "htcn 'im9 my heps ~ = E suHs'''u' ''''
LIZ sai,g anlns re- H., I'd ianl,no ofE
ihls tlme laFge a"u Mne ounins ';,t,a ~, W
|K Nas III sne.f ssss eau, "aiS ts1d oti;ror
~. stuc iuste a-';!5 ;,,s..,.,,,;nt..1p ~ C3,,
,iaa Sul n.en ~ ba,.;,..e 1,aa,, ~ mn c,mn Il
Gee' ~ XII 1shs ,,ors ssn ri,h ~ t1,r ~ frnc
At~ AaS 2 Atse A."1A "A-eo A"e.N ~ - - A't7 -