ould 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 atten