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were moved back two miles and parked out of the range of the enemy's artillery. While these preparations were being made the enemy were not idle. During the night, he [Price?] had moved up on a road two miles west of Gen. Curtis' position, at Sugar Creek, removed obstructions placed in his way, the trus[?] having been filled to block up the road and by 7 o'clock on the morning of the 7th, Gen. Price, with 15,000 men, was marching up from the direction of Springfield to attack Gen. Curtis' army in the rear. The first information received by Gen. Curtis of the presence of this force was that his commissary supplies sent to the rear for safekeeping had been captured. While Price was marching to the attack on the rear, McCulloch and McIntosh were closing in on the right with 20,000 Texas troops. About 8 o'clock Gen. Curtis ordered Col. Carr's Division to meet the enemy at Elk Horn Tavern while Col. Bussey with a crigade of cavalry, and a thru[?] pieces artillery was ordered to march to the road on the right on which the enemy were known to be passing to the rear and attack the enemy. Gen. Osterhouse was ordered to follow Col. Bussey with our brigade of Sigel's command while Gen. Sigel, with Asboth's Division and one Brigade of his own division, was held in reserve at Sugar Creek, expecting an attack from that direction. Gen. Curtis' rear now become his right while his front became his left. The engagement commenced as soon as Col. Carr had reached the enemy's position near Elk Horn Tavern. Col. Bussey moved through Leetown, a distance of one mile from Gen. Curtis' Headquarters, where the enemy were discovered passing around to reinforce the troops engaged with Col. Carr. While Col. Bussey was reconnoitering the woods in his front to ascertain the position of the enemy, Gen Osterhouse arrived on the ground in advance of his brigade and ordered the battery with Col. Bussey into position in a small open field surrounded by thick brush. Col. Bussey formed his command in line of battle to support the guns, which immediately opened fire on the enemy 800 or 1000 yards distant and in plain view on elevated ground. Before a single shot was fired, Gen. Osterhouse ordered Col. Bussey to send forward a detachment of his cavalry to attack the enemy, if practicable. The 3d Iowa Cavalry were in front, followed by the Benton Hussans [?] & the Fremont Hussans [?]. While the 1st Missouri Cavalry Col. Ellis were in line of battle on the right and left of the battery, Col. Bussey communicated Gen. Osterhouse's order to Lieut. Col. Frimble who was in Command of the 3d Iowa Cavalry and immediately ordered the Benton Hussans [?] into line of battle to supply the place of the 3d Iowa, in support of the battery.