, 1863-10-16

Letter from Major General Blunt.
The Numbering Of rnarmed Men and sarreu-
deTed Prisoners.
BAXTER Spn1SGs, Sixty -thrce miles below
Fort Scott, Oct. Z, ,1e83-l0 o'clockp. II. :
Captains Tholt ard Loripg:

si5ass ses sfh5s ss eso"
Captains Tholtn ard Loring:
I \ r.
Everything in the stetf wagons is 1o,t; the
,s2{e wagons ~ers ou1nsa with mott Gf their CON
We have just fund The body of oIajor Cur
It's. Major .Cuztis' body, IS also that Of
Ju6gs Aavocate Lieutenant Ferr, arrived in
LeayenWorth on the 11tl inst.1 When I
Hrote TO Major Blair, 1ast Eight, it 1as sup
Eozed he was prieoner, AS nc had searched
the ground over near where his horse fell and
could not find him. Moreover, Quantsell's
Adjutant, cr person representing himself Us
ench, who came into Lieutenant Pond camp
with z flsg Of truce, said they had mT Assiss.
bnt A6jutant General q prisoner. To-day he
s;as found nea- Rhsre he WIS thrown from
bis horse, shot through the head, evidently
start bis bedy, with that Of Lieutenant FAR,
to Fort Scott, this evening. You will pro-
bably have heard come Of the particulars tof
tbs affair here yesterday, before you receive
this. The Escort, COMPANY l, I'd Wisconsin.
like drove Of frightened eattle. / did not
anticipate any difficulty until We got below
this point. We arrived near this camp about
twelve m, and halted On tbs hill almost
In sight Of the camp, md not more thsn
eeco1t and wagons to clcse up. The eacort
came up and dismounted, to wait for the
train, which Was but ehort distance behind.
At tLis time my attention nas called to .
body Of men, about oEe hundred, advancing
in llre from tie timber Of Spring River, oe
than three or four hundred yards from the
road: TIC left Of the Line Was not more than
tWo hundred yards from Lieutenant Pods
camp at the spring. They beicg nearly all
dressed IN Federal uDiforme, I suppoKed them
at first to be Lieutenant Ponrs cavalry (1ao
suspicious were aroused by some Of their
noEements. I ordered the wagons, which
had CT me mp, to the rear, and formed the es
eo1t in line, With their carbiEeE uraIunz, while
advanced aloEo toward the party fronting
advanced but skorf distance whan they
opened fire, at the came time firing WAS
heard down In Ponds camp. Turning around
to give the order to the escort to fire, dis
covered them all broken up and going over
the prairie to the weat at full speed. They
did Eot even dtscharge the loaded carblnes
they had In their bands except in fen cases.
HID the eeco1t stood their ground, ,as soldiers
should hare done, they could have driven the
enemy In ten minutes I endeavorsd in vain
= ith the assistance Of Ma1nr Curtis, to halt
and form portion Of them. When the e.
cert ttampeded, the enemy discovering. It
rushed on with q yell followed by another
lie Of about two hundred that emerged from
the edge Of the timber, Being better mount
ed than cur men they COON cloeed In on than.
The men Of the escort vera much kcattered,
ter going q mile I succeeded IN haltipg
fifteen men, including Lieut. Pierce, company
4, l4,h Ka1 sas, who has done his duty well
and robly throughout. As scon as I got
them IN line aud commenced advancing on
The pursuing enemy they fed and fell back to
H. %krf- -h-1 Il
hnndred) formed in line Of battle. The bal.
ace Of the escort that Ind escaped we're Ill
out Of sight in the Advance. Major Cur!ia
had been seen to fall from his horse, which
lad been wounded, and stumbled IN crossing
ditch. About one o'clock I sent Lieut. TAP
fopr men TO Fort Scott, while with the other
Zine determined to remain until the fate Of
these that had fallen could be ascertsined,
NJ whether the post at the spring had been
captured, which much feazed was the case.
As tney fel back to the road, I followed them
tile wounded, but all, with two Or three ex.
certions {"ho had escaped accidentally we're
kI}lcd, ehotttrough the heaa. All the wound
Cd had been murdered. Ikep. cloee to them
and witnessed tIsir plundeIing the wagons.
At one time they made da.h ut ne with
hut failed in thtir purpose. As they moved
eft on the road leacfrg south, went down
TO the spring and found them i'll o. f.
Lieut. Pond, CT the Sd Wisconsin, and also
his cor 1nmand, are entitled to great credit for
the manner they rspulsea The ensny and De;
Nth great gul1ant1y: All Of the wounded
were shot through the head, aud thus 1nur-
de1ed. The band wagon was captured, and
I'LL Of the boys shot In the se1ns way after
they we're prisoners. The tame Waa the case
win the teamsters and Mart, my driver.
NTH the band boys. All Of the Office clerks,
except one, we're killed; also, my ords,1y
[Ely.} Major Henning Is with me. But in
1t the esco1t who escaped have come In. I
suppose they hare gone to Fort Scott. The
dead are rot all buried, but the. number will
numbered six hundred -QusntEel Is and Cof-
fey's commands. They are evidently Intend
irg TO go souh Of the Ar9ansa.. I have
ecouts on the trail. Two have Just come in,