one
place. I was obliged to detail portions of the command in
different directions to load the wagons, until nearly all of
my available force was so employed.

'At a point known as Cross Roads, four miles west of my
camping ground, I was met by a re-enforcement of three
hundred and seventy-five men of the 18th Iowa Infantry,
commanded by Capt. Duncan, twenty-five men of the 6th
Kansas, Lieut. Phillips commanding, forty-five men of the
2nd Kansas Cavalry, Lieut. Ross commanding, twenty men of
the 14th Kansas Cavalry, Lieut. Smith commanding, and two
mountain howitzers from the 6th Kansas Cavalry, Lieut.
Walker commanding,--in all, 465 men and two mountain
howitzers. These, added to my former command, made my entire
force consist of eight hundred and seventy-five, two hundred
and eighty-five cavalry, and four guns. But the excessive
fatigue of the preceeding day, coming as it did at the close
of a toilsome march of twenty-four hours without halting,
had so affected the infantry that fully one hundred of the
1st Kansas Colored were rendered unfit for duty. Many of the
cavalry had, in violation of orders, straggled from their
command, so that at this time my effective force did not
exceed one thousand men.

'At a point one mile east of this, my advance came upon a
picket of the enemy, which was driven back one mile, when a
line of the enemy's skirmishers presented itself. Here I
halted the train, formed a line of the small force I then
had in advance, and ordered that portion of the 1st Kansas
Colored which had previously been guarding the rear of the
train to the front, and gave orders for the train to be
packed as closely as the nature of the ground would permit.
I also opened a fire upon the enemy's line from the section
of the 2nd Indiana Battery, for the double purpose of
ascertaining if possible if the enemy had artillery in
position in front, and also to draw in some foraging parties
which had previously been dispatched upon either flank of
the train. No response was elicited save a brisk fire from
the enemy's skirmishers.

'Meanwhile, the remainder of the first Kansas Colored had
come to the front, as also three detachments, which formed
part of the original escort, which I formed in line facing
to the fron