ed and eight
prisoners. The loss on our side was eight killed and twenty-five
wounded, including Major Foreman, who was shot from his horse while
attempting to lead his men across the creek under the fire of the enemy,
and Captain Ethan Earl, of the 1st Colored, who was wounded at the head
of his company. This was the first battle in which the whole regiment
had been engaged, and here they evinced a coolness and true soldiery
spirit which inspired the officers in command with that confidence which
subsequent battle scenes satisfactorily proved was not unfounded.

"The road being now open, the entire command proceeded to Fort Gibson,
where it arrived on the evening of the 5th of July, 1863. On the 16th of
July the entire force at Fort Gibson, under command of Gen. Blunt, moved
upon the enemy, about six thousand strong, commanded by Gen. Cooper, and
encamped at Honey Springs, twenty miles south of Fort Gibson. Our forces
came upon the enemy on the morning of the 17th of July, and after a
sharp and bloody engagement of two hours' duration, the enemy was
totally defeated, with a loss of four hundred killed and wounded, and
one hundred prisoners. At the height of the engagement, Gen. Blunt
ordered Colonel Williams to move his regiment against that portion of
the enemy's line held by the 29th and 30th Texas regiments and a rebel
battery, with directions to charge them if he thought he could carry and
hold the position. The regiment was moved at a shoulder arms, pieces
loaded and bayonets fixed, under a sharp fire, to within forty paces of
the rebel lines, without firing a shot. The regiment then halted and
poured into their ranks a well directed volley of 'buck and ball' from
the entire line, such as to throw them into perfect confusion, from
which they could not immediately recover. Col. Williams' intention was,
after the delivery of this volley, to charge their line and capture
their battery, which the effect of this volley had doubtless rendered it
possible for him to accomplish. But he was at that instant rendered
insensible from gunshot wounds, and the next officer in rank,
Lieutenant-Colonel Bowles, not being aware of his intentions, the
project was not fully carried out. Had the movement been made as
contemplated, the entire rebel line must have been captured. As it was,
most of the enemy escaped, receiving a lesson, however, which taught
them not to despise on the battle field the race they had long
tyrannized over as