The sun., 1903-07-05

HIS BRILLIANT FIGHT WITH THE
GUERRILLA OUANTRELL.
Saved tho Union Fort NJ Baxter Springs
by HHs Personal COurage-N Was on
tho same Day That Most Of Gen.
Blunt's Party Were Massacreti.

Pond emphasizes the words Of Gen. Sher-
man in his celebrated letter to the Mayor
OF Atlanta in 1894: War is cruelty and
you cannot refine it.
Behind his genial exterior Major Pond
had the mettle Of which heroes are evolved.
He was man of decision and supreme
physical courage, one Of the kind who do
not lose their eQuipoise when faced by
unexpected danger. He was "a soldier in
the civil war. Few of his closest friends
are aware of it, yet it is fact that though
past 90 when the Spanish war began, this
quiet gentleman Of semi-literary pursuits
was paseiUnately desirous Of a commission
then
In the fall OF 1888 he was First Lieu
tenant in command Of a crude dirt fort
at Baxter Springs, in southeastern Kansas,
garrisoned by about one hundred Union
Volunteers, Of whom one small company
were negroes. As showing the high esteem
in which he was held as soldier at this time
it IL only necessary to quote paragraph
from an official letter to Major H. z. Curtis,
Assistant Adjutant- General on the staff
of Major General Blunt. to the department
headquarters at st. Louis, giving informa-
tion OF the establishment of this outpost
at Baxter Springs. OF Pond he said;
This Lieut.. Pond has greatly nguished
himself during the past six months in this
country in fighting guerrillas, fighting them
at all times In their own style. principally
at night, by Watching the crossings Of streams.
suspected houses. &c. He is brave and
gallant officer, &c.
Two days after Ponds arrival at the post
an event occurred which served to justify
this high opinion OF his soldierly qualities.
There was no threat of danger yet Pond
proceeded to enlarge the small work to cover
the additional force he had brought in.
This extension was unfinished when an
unexpected attack nearly ended his career.
Although the rebel General 10 Shelby
about that date had entered Missouri from
Arkansas on one OF his harebrained raids
and was rapidly advancing to the Missouri
River the band of guerrillas under Col.
W, c. Quantrell, some six hundred strong,
who six weeks previously had sacked
Lawrence, were retreating by equally
swift and stealthy marches out of the State.
At daylight on Oct, 2, 1853, all unknown to
Pond, Quantrell left the Missouri River.
entered southwest Missouri and moved
up to Pinevile, where he was Joined by
the rebel Col Coffee, with 400 recruits.
Why did not Quantrell and his band also
join Shelby? They passed within thirty
miles of each other on the 4th or 5th, Shelby
bent to the northward and Quantreil going
the other way.
Ponds dirt fort was exactly on the
line Of Quantrells retreat. Two days after
Quantrell left the Missouri River to escape
into the prairie Businesses Of the Indian
Territory. Major-(ien. j. G.. Blunt, COM
manding the District of the Frontier, ac-
companied by his staff and the musicians
Of the Third Wisconsin band and escorted
by eighty-five mounted men, started from
Fort Scott for Fort Smith, Ark, to assume
personal command on that threatened
front.
Blunt knew nothing of Quantrells march,
hence the smallness of his party, not above
l25 mon all told one-third being non combat
ants. Quantrell was also unaware of the great
prey almost within his clutches. Neither
did Pond know of his commanding Cen
erals approach.
The country thereabouts ia wide, open,
rolling prairie. with only scattering timber
and brush along the streams. There were
no settlers. About ? O'Clock in the after
noon on Oct. o. 1863. Quantrell's advance
reported train ahead This was Blunt's.
of course, and consisted of eight six-mule
wagons
Nearby Quantrells scouts also discovered
camp. which they naturally assumed
to be that of the train in sight, This was.
in fact, Ponds fortified camp. Quantrill
directed his attention first to the camp.
After carefully recommending Ponds
position the contingent for the attack
was formed under cover of some low timber
and brushwood just to the eastward About
an hour previously Pond had sent his cav
airy out on a scout, up the very road on
which Quantrell had previously arrived.
while the balance Of his little garrison was
at dinner, part of tho men necessarily out
side the protecting line of breastworks.
which had not yet been closed in to cover
the new arrivals.
The attack by mounted men under one
OF Quantretl's lieutenants came like a whirl-
wind, and was a complete surprise TO the
Unionists of course. Pond was in his tent,
some 200 yards west and outside of the fort,
when he heard the first firing. 1t was
under these trying conditions that his ca
pacity for leadership was put to tho test
When he looked out he saw the camp sur
rounded on all sides. Rebels we're between
him and the fort.
Calling to all the men nearby to get into
the camp at all hazards as quickly as possi-
BILE, Pond himself made dash for il through
the scattered ranks of the guerrillas. BY
a miracle he reached the inside in safety.
But he found some of Quantrells men
had also penetrated the fort, where n close
fight ensued, the guerrillas firing pistol
shots into the tents With cool energy he
cheered his men on. Lieut.. Cook of tho
negro company was killed, but soon the
fort was cleared.
just outside the intrenchment on the
north side was a small howitzer which
Pond had brought down. This, single
handed and alone, Pond trained it upon the
mass of the enemy, and they were repulsed
from further attack after he had fred
three rounds.
His act In jumping outside the works to
serve this gun al a critical moment, while
his soldiers were busy, was the determining
factor in this quick fight Events prove
that had the guerrillas captured the fort
massacre would have followed But by
his magnificent courage Pond saved the day
after complete surprise, and held the
fort, with the loss Of only nine men killed