boy, with his leg bleeding where the Indians had shot him.  We marched about half a mile farther, when we could see the Indians leaving this man’s ranch.  We had a running fight with them from that time until about 5 o’clock that evening, August 18th, 1881.  Having no rations, we returned to Lake Valley with the intention of resting that night and taking the trail the next morning; but about 9 o’clock that night a ranchman came into camp and reported that the Indians had marched into a milk ranch and burned up the ranch, and had gone into camp near by.

Lieutenant Smith ordered me to have the command in readiness to march at 12 o’clock sharp, and said we could surprise those Indians and capture many of them and kill a few also.  I went and made my detail as ordered, with five days’ rations in haversacks, and at 12 o’clock reported as ordered.

About half-past 12 o’clock the command pulled out and marched within about a mile and a half of the milk ranch and went into camp; and at daylight in the morning saddled up and marched to the ranch.  The Indians had pulled out a few minutes before our arrival.  We took their trail and came up with them about 10 o’clock, finding the Indians in ambush.  Lieutenant Smith was the first man killed, and when I heard his last command, which was “Dismount,” then the whole command fell upon your humble servant.  We fell back, up a canon and on a hill, and held them until 4 o’clock, when a reinforcement came up of about twenty men from Lake Valey and the Indians pulled off over the mountains.  The following-named men were killed in the engagement: 

     Lieutenant G.W.  Smith; Mr. Daily, a miner; Saddler Thomas
     Golding; Privates James Brown and Monroe Overstreet. 
     Wounded—­Privates Wesley Harris, John W. Williams and
     William A. Hallins.

After the Indians ceased firing and fell back over the mountains I cared for the wounded and sent Lieutenant Smith’s body to Fort Bayard, New Mexico, where his wife was, which was about sixty miles from the battle-ground, and Mr. Daily’s body to Lake Valley, all under a strong detachment of men under a non-commissioned officer; when I marched with the remainder of the command with the dead and wounded for Rodman Mill, where I arrived about 5 o’clock on the morning of August 20 and buried the dead and sent the wounded to Fort Bayard.

One thing that attracted my attention more than anything else was the suffering of Private John W. Williams, Troop H, who was shot through the kneecap and had to ride all that night from the battle-ground to Brookman’s Mill.  Poor fellow!

I buried all my dead, and then marched for Fort Cumming, where we arrived about sunset and reported to General Edward Hatch, then commanding the regiment and also the district of New Mexico, giving him all the details pertaining to the engagement.