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.
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