, 1864-01-24
.:.FRGM, CAIRO m,
Tho csptua. q. no Ii.,et..siSaI..a1as or ~
6Sth, h,N,Inola-Ge1lanny q: err Rsyk
-Reaeua or the ,RT1sonerE-tt1oMs1
Lynch Commanding . &xtGades 49,

1Ffon our cxa Co1Isspoedsnt]
s->.: ---. =GAtR6ss SAHn&rT %.
You received by telegraph on Acuday the
Information &tgta detachment Of tho 58th
Illinois, under, the guidance Of q citizen
.nlumed Hood, had met with the rebel guar
!: l1ra on Wednesday lakt In the vicinity of
N, yle]d, Ky, and had aEitmish which re-
suited In the capture Of nine Of our men, the
death Of our guide, and the severe injury Of
The Sergeant commanding the detachment
From pasty who Is 1ully acquainted with
Tic facts I have ,obtaincd the following para-
cninfs OF Tic 1fla1r:
It appcars. that. the citizens Of Mayfeld and
surrounding country arc ncarly all Of them
stpngly secesh, the Union men in the county
numbering but about 400, md they have been
In lie habit Of .secteting bushNhachers and
gu{ {rillas, and doing many things which loyM
Faftiee rnil lending aid and comfort to tue
emmy. This 1lle companies a and 3, ofthe
1, ssh, located in thu: vicinity, determined to
pu stop to. Hence scouting parties were
DIZZY sent ont to the distance Of eighteen or
twsnty miles from Mayfleld, with orders to
nrr%t and bring in ali suspicious characters,
;tlslthey might have o trial before the proper
I commission. Some fifty or sixty rebel guerll.
las, robbers, thieyea and murdcrefs, have al
reaV- been sent to Columbus rs the result of
tlee 1ecopnoiEsancee.. It WAS In the course
Of jDa Of these expeditions that the akirmish
ofncdnce<lay last occnrrced--s:a =.
yergeant ]. Rove, of Bureau county, with
sqnc hiteeu men, Including the scout Hood,
a resident Of. May field, bat Union
| ian, mounted: for the. occasion upon mules,
| 3arted out On "Wednesday to- catch: some
| iucrillas, reported TO the number OF: ten or
| Helve as being proving about the neigh.
yyal citizens, stealing horses and cattle, and
| hiking mischief generally. They had pro-
| eeeded come seventeen miles from Nayhell
when They werc Suddenly, brought to & halt
BY yo1ley fired upon them from the under
brush ut the roadside The Sergeant ordered
amin ais iand return the fire.. This was per-
! fefptd.: Hood, however, being used to horse.
bacA3ghting, preferred to remain mounted,
and US shot and instantly killed, FILLING
roadeide 2ergent Bone being much exposed
received q hall trough the hip, crushing the
I thigh bone and iAicting what Is supposed to
be a mortal womb: After he had got down
from LIS horse. htseser, and While enduring.
= Of the 5sth, named {ithn, standing near him
as though Observation-Disclosures to shoot Or not.
Tho Sergeant cried ont: tEirc-upon the
scoundre}s! Why don't yoa hre?,,'' The boy
answered., coolly as youth upon squirrel
shooting, intent, dodane his head about
searching for something: I'm not: going
! to shoot until / see sonethpg; to shoot; at!
There j fte somethingr", stpd, be uinea his
musket, fred, und q gucrilladropped to the
ground, shot through tho tea;t.
=: But Notwithstanding the sallant conduct
|; afsour boys, they we're ayerp|w cred BY nnm-
lbefs and fourteen captured, Including Ser.
gcant Rowe and Hood, killed. The prisoners
| were as follows. Privates Ltkins. and, Con-
| roy, Of Go. 4, and Shepherd, Scott, ScdyIllG,
Van Du2er and Davidson, o. CO. B, 5sth III.
Two Of tho 58th escaped IN gallant style.
/ The officer ccmmnndfug tir gueri1las rode mp
hia sur1ende1ed, orderefthem to stack their
iarms, and concluding. With the satisfactory
| 81 them on the spot. Young TifIin, the lad
| mentioned Us tirill, "atter be SAW something
to IRE q, n,tlinkng thia waa hint for him,
saia fonidatEes es ~ ~ dg9pped ddpap Lis 5ie
made some tall viking into the timber and
| Escaped although fired upon by the rebels
several lines. 1h example was followed by
Skinner, ,of comHny 3, another lad Of only
! fifteen, he also bhglng down Ids .man-ft BE-
Ing proyerbial VIII The 5ath that they leave;
but little for the fbc1 surgeons to do, when.
| they get ctancfto shoot-lnd making good
bis escape to talt ltimbe1s. With the ~Tefrent
| Of the two aHye, three others of'.the
| ..5Sth Joined In, tf entire five succeeding, Us
By miracle, in Faching the Union lines that
It may be ren4 rkea OF Tia1n, that before
shooting the reel officer, apd after being
threatened by I'm with hanging, his ready,
L wit did not des{t him. md be returtett that,
}"4he rebels ha| better not bc too lavish IN
TIE use, Of ropei Us the Union men would
sooi, have need + al the they haa 5n theis
of; sixteen this 7as not expected: THIN, has
made himself q4te;a hero by killing two
rebels and makiH. such a speech on the occa~
sion Of his debut pn the stage Of TaE He Is
now In 4is regimS int, read! to do further Scr
Eis atef tor ea11ss as 3 The dster which be-
1al1en his men, Capt. Lyns,, at Mayaeld, sent
ont Lieut.. Murphy and forty of the 5sth;
mounted on horses md miles, loaned b. the
uuionmen ofthe vicinity, tith orders to bring
back the prisoners at all hgards even II they
ble in the country The esidents generally
treated tue detachment With the greatest
courtesy, "a IT, pass a. through to
the town of Murray some, twenty:
mot .faE from Louisville. }0nce, moreover,
Murphy, and de3ayed him sc7eral hours. he
|. was accompanied ~ companies A and B,
51 tHTsa m9en VI d 9aa and cap
be. supposed they did not let grass grow
under their feet as they sped along after the
guciillas.. The weather was ralny, sleety and
cold nndth men suffered much, but they
bore 1t uIflinc1dugly, intent only upon fescu-
/ Ing their comrades or taking bloody revenge
,ppop The rebels.
I, while upon this mareh Lieut. Murphy WIS
the recipient Of orders to report with COM
panies'A and B at Cairo as quickly rs posi-
Nc. Upon his arrival at Murray q consulta.
Ton was held, and 1t -was luI1icdly debated
whether It was his duty to obey orders Or
keep on until he tound his missing men.-It
was 1nally decided to mako one last aud des-
peNte effort, and in the event Of its failure,
10 march to Mnytleld, Gu route for Paducah,
ind go thence by boat to Cairo. Orders
: were then issued, and sent by messengers to,
all the residents Of the place, that Tie de-
.tachment had marched Twenty-Five miles
through the enemy's country In search Of
their brotherB@in-aTtns. They We're bound
. to have; them. II the citizens Of the
town could produce them within q: limited
time! well and good. II not, the detachment
gavedu notice that they should devote the
Village to- fire and obstruction. This had the
desired effect. The citizens made diligent
search, aid the prisoners named above, with
the Eounned sergeant; Rowe, and the body Of
:Hooa,1 were MI produced in double quick
time ard'the Wellkatisded detachmert and
its cann1naing officer marched buck to Nay
tc1dj jwere soon In, fPaducab, mid, to-day are
sa1elt In Cairo. - The MaY1eld loyalists are
lorai In their praise Of the 5sth- They say.
and than MI the troops ever,
stationed In the vicinity. It will please al
. the friends Of tflIs command to- know that
Col ". F. Lynch, of the 5Btb, has been made
Brignde Commander Of the I'd Brigade 9th
division, 18th army corps, and has tskcn the
field for active service with his brAye men. :.
T. 81 W..