Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 7.
Frank Moore, Ed.

About half-past 3 o'clock on Friday, the twenty-fourth of July, while on the march, doing escort duty in the centre, I received information from the General commanding that a large force of Indians were immediately in our front, accompanied by an order communicated by Lieutenant Beever to prepare my regiment for action, which order was immediately executed. Meantime the train was being corraled on the side of the lake, after which I received orders to form my regiment on the color line indicated for it, immediately in front of the corral and fronting outward from the lake, and to throw up intrenchments along this line, which was speedily done. The action of this day began on my right, more immediately in front of the Seventh, (which regiment, being in advance during the day's march, was entitled to the forward position,) by the artillery, under Captain Jones, when at half-past 4 P. M. I received an order by Captain Olin to deploy a company to support this battery. I immediately deployed company B, Captain Edgerton, and that company, though fatigued already with an ordinary day's march, continued with the battery, (marching for many miles on the double-quick,) during the entire pursuit of the enemy for fifteen miles, and throughout the night, till sunrise the next morning, when they returned from the pursuit to the camp, having made, during the day and night, the almost unparalleled march of quite fifty miles.

At about five o'clock I received an order by Captain Pope to send Lieutenant-Colonel Jennison, with four companies, to be deployed, and to follow in the direction of the retreating enemy, as a support for the cavalry and artillery. Colonel Jennison moved forward with companies A, F, C, and K, five miles, more than half of it on the double-quick, and reported his command to the General commanding, at that time in the front. After resting about one hour, by the order of the General commanding, Colonel Jennison was directed to return with his force to camp, and arrived a little after nine o'clock P. M.

At the same time that the first order above alluded to was given, I was directed to assume command of the camp, and make the proper dispositions for its defence, which I did by completing all the intrenchments, and organizing and posting such forces as were yet left in camp, not anticipating the return of our forces that night.

The action of the twenty-sixth of July took place on the side of the camp opposite from my regiment, and consequently we did not participate in it. We were, however, constantly under arms, ready at any moment for orders or an opportunity.

On Tuesday, the twenty-eighth of July, my regiment being in the advance for the day's march, we started out of Camp Ambler at five o'clock in the morning. The General commanding, some of the scouts, and a few of the headquarters wagons had preceded my regiment out of camp, and were ascending the long sloping hill which gradually rose from Stony Lake. I had just received directly from the General commanding, orders for the disposition of my regiment during the day's march, when the scouts came from over the hill on a full run, shouting, “They are coming! They are coming!” when immediately a large body of mounted Indians began to make their appearance over the brow of the hill, and directly in the front of my advancing column. I instantly gave the necessary orders for the deployment of the regiment to the right and left, which, with the assistance of Lieutenant-Colonel Jenison, and the great alacrity of the commandants of companies, were executed with the utmost rapidity, though a portion of my line was thrown into momentary confusion by the hasty passage through it of the returning scouts and advance wagons. At this moment an Indian on the brow of the hill shouted: “We are too late; they are ready for us!” Another one replied: “But remember our children and families; we must not let them get them.” Immediately the Indians; all well mounted, filed off to the right and left along the hill in my front with the utmost rapidity. My whole regiment was deployed, but the Indians covered my entire front, and soon far outflanked on both sides, appearing in numbers that seemed almost incredible, and most seriously threatening the train to the right and left of my widely-extended line. The position of the train was at this moment eminently critical. It had begun to pass out of the corral around both ends of the small lake to mass itself in the rear of my regiment, in the usual order of march. The other regiments were not yet in position, as the time to take their respective places in the order of march had not yet arrived. Fortunately, however, Captain Jones had early moved out of camp with one section of artillery, and was in the centre of my left wing, and Lieutenant Whipple, with another near the centre of my right, which was acting under Colonel Jennison.

Simultaneously with the deployment of the regiment, we began a steady advance of the whole line up the hill upon the foe, trusting to the speedy deployment of the other infantry regiments, and the cavalry for the protection of the train, so threatened on either flank at the ends of the lake. My whole line was advancing splendidly up the hill directly upon the enemy, the artillery doing fine work, and the musketry beginning to do execution, when I received a peremptory order to halt the entire line, as a further advance would imperil the train. So ardent were both officers and men for the advance, that it was with some considerable difficulty that I could effect a halt. Believing fully that the great engagement of the expedition was now begun, and seeing in my front, and reaching far beyond either flank, more than double the number of Indians that had hitherto make their appearance, I took advantage of the halt to make every preparation for a prolonged and determined action. Meantime long-range firing continued throughout the entire