Doc. 98. fight at Big hurricane Creek, Mo.
Mr. John McGee, an agent of the United States Government, gives the following details of this skirmish:Col. Morgan, whose regiment, the Eighteenth Missouri, is stationed at Laclede, in Linn County, Mo., having heard of the depredations of a gang of rebels near the joining lines of Carroll, Chariton, and Livingston Counties, started out on last Friday night about nine o'clock, with a force of two hundred and twenty men, composed of cavalry, infantry and artillery, with two six-pound cannon, in pursuit of them. He proceeded rapidly about twenty miles, in a southwest direction, which brought him to Big hurricane Creek, in Carroll County, where they learned they were in the neighborhood of the enemy. At this point they came upon an old man, whose name our informant does not recollect, who told them that a rebel force of five or six hundred men had crossed the creak, and were some distance along the road. Col. Morgan crossed the creek immediately, and while passing along the road, up a deep and muddy ravine, suddenly found himself ambuscaded — the old man having deceived him as to the whereabouts of the enemy. His command received a very distressing fire from the rebels, who were posted behind the trees and brush. As soon as the fire began to be returned, the rebels scattered, and were pursued in small squads, with great success. The two pieces of artillery, under Lient. Dawson, did excellent service in cleaning them out of the thickets. The pursuit continued until late on Saturday afternoon, when Col. Morgan called his men together, and with the wounded and prisoners marched back to Laclede. Two of his men were mortally wounded, and are probably dead at this writing. Their names are Aleck Scraggs, of the cavalry, and Benjamin Kirgan, of the infantry. The other wounded are as follows: James D. Hunt, wounded in the knee; doing well; Wm. B. Rouse, gun-shot in the hip; doing well; B. F. Jones, shot in the hip; Wm. H. Hamlin, shot through the right knee, the ball passing through the body of the horse and wounding his left leg; Henry Isenhower, flesh wound in leg; George Hamblin, gun-shot in hip; doing well; J. S. Z. Burnsides, flesh wound in the knee; Philip Faust, wounded in back, shoulder, and side; George W. Graham, ankle dislocated; B. S. Owens, gun-shot wound; Wm. Sexton, same; George Kneckler, slightly wounded; George Isenhower, fracture in the jaw; badly hurt; Edward Cheatham, slight gun-shot wound. The surgeons were Dr. N. S. Hamlin and Dr. Wm. Sorrens. L. A. Cunningham acted as assistant surgeon. The wounded were hauled back to Laclede by Mr. Cunningham, the assistant surgeon, and placed in a house. Mrs. Hill, a kind-hearted lady of Laclede, was very attentive to the sufferers. The loss of the enemy was fourteen killed and eight taken prisoners. A number of horses and camp equipage was also captured. The old man who decoyed Col. Morgan into the ambush, as soon as he saw the rebels running, attempted to make his own escape, but was shot dead by one of the cavalry, named James Raritan. Strange to relate, Mr. Raritan was accidentally shot and killed the following day at Laclede, as he was attempting to mount his horse. Col. Morgan and his regiment are doing splendid service in that part of the country, and will soon give a lasting quietus to the guerilla band's now infesting the northern part of the State.
