The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1888-03-24


vantage of you, would yet shoot you |
with smile on his face. Why, tina,
man has killed a score OF men in open |
fight. The last | heard of Gregg he |
was deputy sheriff, or something,
near Kansas Clty-at Independence,
Mo. if my memory serves me right. |
Gregg was a fine cavalryman i'll every |
way.
"Well, QuantreIl turned to Gregg
and said: Capt. Gregg, take detail
of five men, ride ahead aud see in what
force the enemy are. We will follow
you closely; but be quick in your in
spection, and report if they are in too
great force to be attacked.'"
THE ATTACK.
"Gregg saluted, chose his men, ana
rode of at hard gallop. We rested
our tired animals for few minutes,
looked we'll to our girths and brides,
took a chew of tobacco, a drink of
whisky, or pull of a pipe, as inclina
ton prompted, inspected our weapons,
and then forming in two lines, we
rushed after Gregg at a killing pace.
Just H. we gained the edge of town we
saw Gregg and his detail at rest, and
on reaching them we We're informed
that camp of instruction filled with
federals guarded the town, and that
there was heavy force Oh the other
side of the river.
"We will ride through the camp,
them says Quanlrell, and then the bail
opened in earnest. About thirty men
rode down Massachusetts street and
some fifty more scattered in squads
through the town. Quantrell led the
remainder of the battalion, some 2U0
men, right on to the camp, which we
reached in less than five minutes Then
followed q scene | hate even now TO
talk Of, though mind you | have no
scruples of conscience about it. We
would have been served the sarno way
bad we been caught mapping as they
literally were. Ii was war, and as
such the only difference between Us
aud Lees and Grants big armies
was that We seldom gave. sell
dom a-kcd, aud never received
quarter. The first thing | knew we
were right on the camp. 1t was all
still, and save the seHtries and stray
man or So hanging around the fires,
there was not soul TO be seen. a
sharp cry rang out from the sentry
nearest US. Discharging his piece
Squarely at us, he shrieked ont: Cor
poral of the Guardl Post No. 6! aud
tell riddIed with dozen balls. That
brought them out like bees swarming
| from AN overturned hive. Right into
| them we rode, dealing death at every
Jump of our horses, We crashed
through tents and among sleeping ineu.
We struck them with the deadly fury
of cyclone. Nearly every one of It's
had some real or famcied grievance to
| "eveuge, and the slaughter was sicken-
ing. Thoy tried to rally and form Il
square; we broke it and traDped them
under foot. Their officers behaved
like heroes, but the deadly revolver
cracked, cracked, cracked again and
again. Bayonets were no defense
against the sweep OF the saber or the
quick work of the shooter. Up
| aud down that camp we rode, here
would be q score of halfdressed des-
perate men standing ut bay around an
overset tent, quick charge, u ringing
volley, and the riders would spur over
| pile of dead and writhing bodies to IL
fresh attack What hurried and ILL
organized defense there was lasted Il
moment, and then perfect panic seiZ-
ell the surviving federals. Wcran them
down and shot them remorsely. There
was no cry for quarter, though.
Three times their number could not
have resisted the impetuosity OF our
attack, surprising them as we did in
their sleep. Luck favored Quanireil
nero, as on many other occasions, for
| Df all hours in the twenty-tOur to
attack an enemy by surprise II was just
the hour we arrived there, for men
are harder to wake, more stupid and
weaker in mind and body AT about sun
rise than at any other time; lie beat y
weakly then, as every ono knows.
Well, in three minutes it was over, and
q camp had been turned into grave
ward in that brief space and scores
Of brave men had perished "a II
by lightning. | don't really think
there was one of those soldiers alive
dive minutes after we had struck the
camp. Quantrell immediately dashed
off into Massachusetts street wtli
Gregg, Tuck Hill, Woot Hill, mysni
and crowd of others, and shoe ing
every man who had the hardihood /,
show himself, while we were. il; tG"m
subjected to desultory tiGe irnm nppe'
windows, whioh, however, did l':;
damage. We were annoyed also DN
the steady firing Of body Of infantry
posted across the kaw river. We hi,
one man wounded severely by this fir
ing, Lieut.. Punk Blcdsue, u III,
regular &. ). \. service, and We los
Que man killed, u fellow named Ska2s
who got drunk aud remained behind
aud they filed him up with lead in,
! asSOOn US we lett, which We did by
0 clock.
THE RETREAT.
As to women and children being kill
, ed in Lawrence Dy us, it Is all non
I sense. If there was IA woman or chilt
| hurt that day il was by indiscriminatt
. iirin, of the command across the Kaw
river. Tho line of retreat chosen b,
| Ouantrell was the southern route, @
/ Osawatomie road. We made one hal
| about four miles from Lawrence for a,
, hour or two, and resumed our march
Our route lay southeast after passin:
? Black Jack Point, where the old SanIi
i Fe trail and the Osawatomie road
unite, and half a mile further Oa W
! ran full tilt against n body of about So
federal cavalry. We faced about an,
a retired slowly, and af,er II demom>lra
D.. lion which checked the enemy "
= crossed tho WaukaruSa river, and ia
= seueny, having received heavy reinicrc