Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 6.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[184] and I determined to make an effort to capture their artillery, of which they had six pieces. A large force of their best cavalry was acting as a rear-guard, with a portion of their artillery just in front of them waiting for my cavalry to come up. I called for volunteers to make a charge. Three companies of the Kansas Sixth, nearest at hand, responded promptly to the call, and under command of their three field-officers, Col. Judson, Lieut.-Col. Jewett, and Major Campbell, dashed on to the rear of the rebel column, cutting and shooting them down with sabres, carbines, and revolvers.

The charge continued for about half a mile down the valley to a point where it converged in a funnel-shape, terminating in a narrow defile. At this point a large body of rebels were in ambush in front and upon the flanks where cavalry could not approach, with their battery also masked in front. As soon as the party we were pursuing passed through the defile, they opened on us a most destructive fire, which, for a moment, caused my men to recoil and give back, in spite of my own efforts and those of other officers to rally them. Whereas, if they had, after receiving the enemy's fire, pressed on two or three hundred yards, we could have secured in a moment more what we so much coveted, the enemy's artillery. Emboldened by their success in defending the defile and checking our advance, they raised a wild yell and advanced toward us.

With the aid of Colonel Judson, Major Campbell, and Captains Green and Mefford, I succeeded in rallying the three companies of the Sixth Kansas, who had suffered severely in the charge, and formed them across the valley; and the four howitzers coming up at the same time, and opening on the enemy with shell, soon forced them to retire, yet they seemed determined to dispute the passage of the defile to which I have referred, a position admirably adapted for defence, and beyond which, as I afterward learned, there was a wide open valley; hence their obstinate resistance at this point, in order to save their guns. I resolved, however, at all hazards to force my way through this gorge, and as darkness was approaching, and I had no time to get up infantry and send them out upon the flank, I prepared to make an assault in front. Loading the four howitzers and one section of Rabb's battery with double canister, I ordered them up by hand, in battery, with the three companies of the Kansas Sixth, with Sharp's carbines, advancing in line in rear. I had directed that not a gun should be fired until I gave the word.

When within about four hundred yards of the enemy, who were defending the gorge, and as I was about to give the word to fire, an officer from Gen. Marmaduke came galloping up with a white flag. On sending an officer to receive it, they requested the privilege of taking off their dead and wounded. Consideration for the fate of Colonel Jewett and others, who had fallen upon the ground they then occupied, and whom I feared they might brutally murder, induced me to respect their flag of truce, convinced though I was that it was a cowardly trick resorted to to enable them to make good their retreat and save their guns. It being now dark, and my men entirely exhausted and without food, I considered further pursuit useless, and returned with my command to Cane Hill. The casualties in my command were four killed and thirty-six wounded, four of them mortally, since dead.

Among the latter was Lieut.-Colonel Jewett, of the Sixth Kansas. He was a brave and gallant officer, whose noble example is worthy of emulation. Lieutenant J. A. Johnson, of the same regiment, a daring and excellent young officer, received a desperate wound from a musket-ball, which passed entirely through his body; yet it is hoped he will recover. The enemy's loss is seventy-five killed; wounded not known, as they took a large portion of them away. The officers and men of my command who took part in the engagement, behaved, without exception, nobly. To the following members of my staff--Major V. P. Van Antwerp, Inspector-General; Captain Lyman Scott, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General; Lieutenant J. Fin. Hill, Aid-de-Camp, and Lieutenant 1). Whittaker, Acting Aid-de-Camp, I am indebted for efficient and valuable services during the day.

I am, General, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Again we have put the enemy to flight. I will briefly give you the particulars of the battle of Cane Hill, or Boonsboro.

Gen. Blunt's division of the army, consisting of three brigades, four batteries, and six mountain howitzers, under the command of General Solomon, First brigade, Col. Ware, Second brigade, Col. Cloud, Third brigade, were in camp near Lindsey's Prairie on the evening of the twenty-sixth. Orders were issued for detachments from each regiment to move at daylight on the morning of the twenty-seventh, with three days rations of hard bread and salt in their haversacks. Most of the artillery was ordered to move, and all the ambulances accompanied the column.

Promptly at daylight the column was put in motion, General Blunt commanding in person. The country over which we passed (south-east) was extremely rugged, rendering the passage of our artillery and ambulances slow and tedious. Nine o'clock in the evening, however, found us within ten miles of our enemy, who were camped in a force of from seven to eight thousand strong at Boonsboro. From our scouts we learned that they were determined to fight at this point. The rebel forces were under the command of Major-General Marmaduke, Brig.-General Shelby, and other lesser confederate lights, such as McDonald, Quantrel, Livingston, etc. It was a concentration of all the “bushwhacking” gangs, united to Marmaduke's forces. It was evident that they