The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-09-08

fourmule ambulances early in the even
ing, and sent them on ahead in charge
of Hugh Poland. The regiments and bat
teries, with their wagons, pulled out ON the
| road south as fast as they crossed.
Daylight was just beginning to appear
in the east as l mounted my mule and
rode onto the boat with the last team,
tired, hungry and wet, but anxious to get
to the head of the column, or at least to
my train, for my outfit had been showed
ahead so that l knew it would be near
the advance of all the teams.
NEARING TIE ENEMY.
Leaving guard to take care of the
ferryboat, j struck out as fast as l could
travel along the road, which was incum-
bered with struggling teams and their at
| tcndants, and by sunrise had reached the
prairie outside the river bottom-abOut
four miles from the river.
BY 10 O'Clock / had overtaken my train,
just in rear of the main column, which
was now moving slowly, hating occa-
si0nally to give the rear a chance to close
up. Shorty after this time We heard
few scattering shots some distance ahead,
which proved to be an exchange of cOmpli-
ments with the enemy's pickets as they
were driven back to their command
About noon. July II, '63, we had reach
ed a point some two miles from Honey
Springs, where the rebels had been per-
| manently camped for some time, but yet
there was very little sign to indicate the
near presence Of an enemy, as the strip
| Of timber along the creek (where, as we
| line Of battle waiting for iIs) completely
hid them from our view. Up to this time
| we had been in hilly prairie, and the
| rebels had probably not seen much of our
| force. Before exposing his command to
their view Gen. Blunt-or Col. Tom
Moonlight, rather-decided TO pull up be-
| hind some hils-previous to coming out
into the last stretch of open prairie-and
wait for a final closing up Of our rear
Taking advantage Of the halt, l or
defed my transfers to unrein their teams
| and let the mules nip a little grass with
| cat unhitching; and also to get out any
available grub they could, and eat a
front of US were doing the same. We
were all as hungry as wolves, and hard
| tack, raw bacon and branch water tasted
| fine.
AS the rear came up the troops who had
| been guarding the TANKS and rear of the
trains moved to the front, and were all
| massed in q body behind the hills that
screened us from the observation of the
rebs who were supposed to be waiting
| for us over behind the timber So cool
and unconcerned did Blunt and his Off
GERS take it, and as there was no sign yet
Of the enemy-except an occasional
mounted man who would ride out of the
timber onto some elevated ground and
seem to be taking a look in our direc-
! ton with Il field glass, and then ride ba ok
out of sight, began to doubt that there
was any rebel force of consequence in
front of us at all; but l suppose Blunt
knew they were there.
| GOING IN TO BATTLE
| About l O'clock D. M. without any
| bugle calls, orders were quietly passed
around by staff officers and orderlies to
| everybody to prepare to move out again.
The cavalry and artillery mounted, the in
fantry shook themselves together, and i'm
close column the little army Of about
1000 fighting men moved out by the
road through a gap between the hills, that
brought them out into an open plain of
about q mile and half across, through
which they had to advance in face of the
enemy, who was yet invisible in the strip
OF timber along the creek.
AS soon as our column began to de-
bouch onto the plain it was adroitly de-
ployed TO the right and left into line of
battle. So quiet had everything been
on -enemy's side up to this time that
felt sure there could be only a small
force before us, if any remained probably
only a rear guard left to cover their re.
treat, / thought-for we knew they had
been established here in camp for some
time.
j had received no orders to the con.