, 1864-01-25
From onr Own Correspondent

-zRescue OF tho Frisoners-Colo1
lynch Commanding = Brigade.
From our cwn Correspondent
CAIRo, January 20.
You received BY telegraph on Mord1y the
information that detachment Of the 5Stl
Illinois, under the guidance Of citizen
named Hood, had met with the rebel guer
Has on Wednesday last in the vicinity o.
Msyfeld, KY, and had a skfrmish which r.
suited in the capture Of nine Of our men, the
death Of our guide, and the severe injury o.
the Sergeant commanding the detachment
From party who is fully acquainted with
the facts have obtained the following parti
culars Of the affair:
1t appears that the citizens Of Mayfield and
surrounding country aze nearly all of them
strongly sccesh, the Union men In the county
numbering but about 400, and they have been
In the habit Of secreting bnshEbackers md
gneIlIas, and doing. many things which loyal
parties call lending aid and comfort to the
enemy. This the companies A and B, oftho
5sth, located In the vicinity, determined to
put stop to. Hence scouting parties were
daly sent out to the distance Of eighteen or
twenty miles from May1cld, with orders to
arrest and bring in all suspicious characters,
that they might have trial before the proper
commission. Some fifty OF sixty rebel gucril-
las, robbers, thieves and murderers, have al.
ready been sent TO Columbus as the result of
these 1etonnoissanccs. It>.Vas in the course
Of one Of these expeditions, that the skirmish
Of "Wednesday last occurred. =
Sergeant j. Rove, Of Bureau county, with
some fifteen men, including the scout Hood,
resident, Of Maydeld,- but. a Unlon
started out on Wednesday to catch some
gueri1las, reported to the number OF ten or
twelve as being prowlfng about the neigh
borhood, threatening to burn the houses Of
loyal citizens, stealing horses and cattle, and
milking mischief generally: They had pro-
ceeded some seventeen miles from Mayt1eld
when they were suddenly. brought to q halt
brush at the roadside, The Sergeant ordered
halt, told the men to dismoant from their
animals and return the fire. This was per-
formed. Hood, however, being used to horse
back fighting, preferred to remain mounted,
and Was shot and instantly killed, falling
roadside. sergeant BONE, being much exposed
RECEIVED ball through the hip, crushing the
thigh bone aud intlicfing what IL supposed to
be mortal wound. Alter he had got down
from bis horse, however, and while enduring
almost mortal agony, he saw young private
Of the 5sth, named Tifiln,, standing near him
as though hesitatiug whether to shoot OF not.
The Sergeant cried ont: Fire upon the
scoundreIs! Why don't you fire?'' The boy
answered, coolly as youth upon squirrel
shooting, intent, lodging his head about
searching for something: "rm not going
to shoot until see something to shoot at
There. 1sce somethingv' And he aimed his
ground, shot through the heart.
But notwithstanding the gallant conduct
OF our boys, they were ovcrpowerc BY num-
bers and fourteen captured, including Ser
geant Rowe and Hood, killed: The prisoners
were as follows: Priyates Larkins and Con-
Van Duzer and Davidson. Of Co, B, 5sth III.
r., Two Of the 58th escaped In gallant style.
The officer commanding the guerillas rode mp
to our men as they were standing where they
had surrendered, ordered them TO stack their
arms, and concluding with the. satisfactory
th1est that he Was goirg to hang at least two
mentioned as firing after be saw something
to fire at," thinking this was q hint for him,
said lie "cou1dn't see it,' dropped his rife
to rnnge, fired, killed the officer, aud then
made come tall walking into the timber and
escaped, although fred upon by the rebels
Skinner, Of company B, anotheT lad Of only
fifteen, he also bringing down bis man-it be-
ing prorerbfal with the 58th that they leave
but little for the rebel surgeons to do, when
they get chance to shoot-aud making good
his escape to ta1l timbers. With the retreat
Of the two above, three others Of the
By miracle, IN reaching the Union lines that
night in safety. .....
It may be remarked Of Tifan, that before
shooting the rebel officer, and after being
Threatened by him with hanging, his ready
wit did not desert him, and he zetorted that,
"1he rebels had better not be too lavish In
the use Of ropes, as the Union men would
soon hare need Of all the they had in their
country in hanging up, guerillas." Ina lad
Of sixteen this was not expected. Titln has
made himself quite hero by killing two
rebels and making such speech on ths occa-
sion Of bis debut on the stage Of war. He is
now IN his regiment, ready to do further ser:
After learning Of the disaster which had be-
fallen his men, Capt. Lynch, ut Mayfeld, sent
out Lieut.. Murphy and forty Of the 58th
mounted on horses and mules, loaned by the
Union men fthe vicinity, with orders to bring
back the prisoners at all hazards, even If they
treated the detachment with the greatest
courtesy, Us IT passed throug il to
two miles :. from Mayaeld, and
not far from Louisville. Once, however,
some rebel sympathizers misdirected Lieut..
Murphy, and de12ycd him several hours. He
from which the killed, wounded and can.
tured Of the 58th had been taken, and It NAV
be supposed they did not let grass grow
under their feet as they sped along aftoT the
gnerhlns The weather was ratn7, sleety md
cold, and the men suffered much, but they
bore 1t nnfiinchingly, intent only upon rescu-
ing their comrades or taking bloody revenge
upon the rebels.
While upon this-.narch Lieut.. Murphy was
the recipient Of orders to report with com
Drk Hrf[ I'll =
bic. Upon his arrival at Murray q consulta-
ton was held, and It was hurricdly debated
whether 1t Was his duty to obey orders or
keep on until he found his missing men. It
was finally decided to make one last and des-
perate effort, aud In the event Of Its failure,
to p'arch to Mayaeld, en- route for Padueah,
were then issued, apd sent by messengers to
all the residents Of the place, that lie de-
tachmcnt bad marched twenty-five miles
through the enemy's country in search Of
their brothers-in-arms. They were bound
town could produce them within limited
time, .Hcll and good. Ifnot, the detachment
gave due notice that they should devote the
village to Are and destruction. This had the
desired effect. The citizens made dtliseut
search, and the prisoners named above, With :
re Wounded sergeant, Rowe, and the body Of
time, and the we1.satlsfled detachment md
its commanding officer marched back to May
field, we're soon IN Paducah, and today are
safely in Cairo. The Maydeld 1oyalists are
loud IN their praise Of the 5Sth. They say
they have done more to clear out guerillas
and treason.moDgers than all the troops ever
stationed in the vicinity. It will please ali
the friends Of this command to know that
Col ". +. Lynch, Of the 5sth, has been made
Brigade Commander Of the I'd brigade, 9Th
division, 10th army. corps, aud has taken the
f1eld for active service with his brave men.
=: T. INV.
M. Stefan has communicated to the Yten-
ma Academy some mathematical researches
on the propagation Of heat, and considers
Ehat the results ha has obtained Justify the
tsthat heat prppaqates itself Nv