“Brigade Head Quarters, 5 miles from <​ Letter​> Carroll County: “— Sir Immediately after my express to you, by Mr. Warder, was sent, I proceeded to this place, which I reached yesterday with two companies of mounted men from . I ordered Col. Jones to call out three companies from this County to hold themselves in readiness, to join me at Carrollton on the 5th. inst., which order has not been carried into effect. None of the Carroll Regiment is with me. [HC 3:155] On arriving in the vicinity of , I found a body of armed men, under the command of Dr. Austin, encamped near , besieging that place, to the number of two or three hundred, with a piece of Artillery, ready to attack the Town of . On the other side, has in that place three or four hundred Mormons to defend it, and says he will die before he is driven from thence. On the 4th. inst. they had a skirmish— fifteen or thirty guns fired on both sides— one man from Saline wounded in the hip. The Mormons are at this time too strong, and no attack is expected before Wednesday or Thursday next, at which time Dr. Austin hopes his forces will amount to five hundred men, when he will make a second attempt on the Town of , with small arms and cannon. In this posture of affairs, I can do nothing but negotiate between the parties, until further aid is sent me. I received your friendly letter of the 5th. inst. by Mr. Warder, authorizing me to call on , which call I have made on him for five companies from Platte, , and Clinton with two Companies I ordered from , of which I doubt whether these last will come, if they do, I think I will have a force sufficient to manage these beligerents. Should these troops arrive here in time, I hope to be able to prevent bloodshed. Nothing seems so much in demand here (to hear the Carroll County men talk) as Mormon scalps— as yet they are scarce— I believe , with his present force and position, will beat Austin with five hundred of his troops. The Mormons say they will die, before they will be driven out &c. As yet they have acted on the defensive as far as I can learn. It is my settled opinion, the Mormons will have no rest until they leave— whether they will, or not, time only can tell” ”