New-York Tribune US
FIGHT NEAR HELENA, ARK.
Lieut.-Col. Giddings and Nine of the Rangers Captured.
Three Union Soldiers Killed and Nine Wounded.
From Our Special Correspondent.
HELENA, Ark., Oct. 12.1862.
A sharp encounter occurred yesterday afternoon between a small force of Union troops, if about 16 miles out of Helena, toward Little Rock, on what is called the Trenton road, and a body of mounted Texan Rangers, commanded by Lieut.-Col. Giddings, who is now in our hands a prisoner. A detachment of the 4th Iowa Cavalry, consisting of 60 mounted men, were sent out toward White River on a scout the expedition, under Major Rector. After proceeding about 20 miles, they started on their return, when they were suddenly attacked in the rear by a body of all over 100 mounted Texan Rangers, under Lieut.-Col. Giddings of the Rebel army. The Union cavalry were taken by surprise and thrown into confusion. About half of them fled in a panic, and the other stood the fire of the enemy, discharged their carbines at him, and then also fled. Three of our troops were killed in this encounter, nine wounded, and several taken prisoners, among them Major Rector. The Rebel Lieut.-Colonel, whom we afterward captured in a second encounter, says his force took 40 prisoners, with Major Rector; but this is known to be an exaggeration. Many of those supposed to be captured have since come into camp.
After this first encounter between the Rebels and the detachment of the 4th Iowa Cavalry, they pursued a running fight for about seven miles, toward Helena, and our troops retreating and the Texans pursuing.

On reaching a cross-road from the Clarendon road, they came upon another detachment of our troops, the 1st Missouri Cavalry, consisting of about 50 mounted men under Capt. Barbour Lewis. This body put themselves in line of battle and received the Rebels with well-aimed revolving carbines, unhorsing several of them, causing the main body to fly in confusion, and by a skillful detour cutting off the retreat of the advance guard of the enemy, of whom they captured nine, with their Lieut.-Colonel. These they brought in to Helena, and they are now held as prisoners of war.

Lieut.-Col. Giddings is a tall, fine-looking man, over six feet high, and evidently a brave officer. He converses freely on the subject of the rebellion, contends that the whole South is a unit, and that we are mistaken in supposing there is any Union sentiment, even in Texas, where it is supposed there are large numbers of Union men. He denies the statements of Mr. Hamilton in his speeches at New-York and Brooklyn; and on my inquiring of him about the Germans of Western Texas, he said that for a while they held back, but are now coming forward freely and entering the ranks of the Confederate Army.

These are the statements of an inveterate Rebel chief, and to be received with a great deal of allowance. Lieut.-Col. Giddings informed me that he was a native of Pennsylvania, but denies any relationship to the Hon. Joshua R. Giddings, no afterward confessing that he had probably descended from the same stock. He has lived in Texas twelve years, and is thoroughly devoted to the cause of the Rebellion, believing firmly in its ultimate success.

In a few days I will forward a statement from the Chaplains of this army, concerning the contrabands at Helena.

Everything here remains as it was, except the removal of a portion of the army. The gunboats lie floating in the stream, and the two divisions of Gen. Carr and Gen. Hovey, under command of the former, are encamped at convenient distances above, below, and back of the town. Should the Rebels venture to make an attack on us they will find hot work.

Cooler weather has at last come, the musketoes are disappearing, and we may now reasonably expect a diminution of the malarious influence which surrounds and over spreads Helena like an atmosphere. GUILBERT.