Camp Wright. If the men of Captain Willis' company who decided not to drill with the knapsacks on are still in confinement, you can exercise your discretion whether to keep them there and have them tried, or whether, in the event that they will now obey the order, you will release them. In case you decide to have them tried, forward without delay the charges against them. Notify your beef contractor of the prospective increase of the strength of your command. I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, HEADQUARTERS HUMBOLDT MILITARY DISTRICT, Capt. THOMAS E. KETCHAM, Fort Humboldt, March 8, 1862. Comdg. Company A, Third Infantry California Volunteers: CAPTAIN: You are charged by the colonel commanding the Military District of Humboldt with the establishment of a new post on the northerly side of Van Dusen's Fork, at Neil's ranch, about twenty-eight miles to the eastward of Hydesville, to be called, subject to the approval of the proper authority, Fort Baker. Your command is designed specially for the protection of the district of country lying between Van Dusen's Fork and Eel River from the north of Van Dusen's to the coast on the south and Mad River on the north, and your military operations will be confined to that district. This is not intended to prevent a temporary crossing of either of these rivers whenever you may have strong reason to believe that some important object may be subserved by so doing. By order of Colonel Lippitt: JOHN HANNA, JR., Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS HUMBOLDT MILITARY DISTRICT, Capt. C. D. DOUGLAS, Comdg. Company F, Second Infantry California Volunteers: You are charged by the colonel commanding the Military District of Humboldt with the establishment of a new post on the northerly side of Redwood Creek about a mile below Minor's ranch, to be called, subject to the approval of the proper authority, Fort Anderson. Your command is designed specially for the protection of the district of country lying between Redwood Creek on the south and Klamath River on the north, and your military operations will be confined to that district. This is not intended to prevent a temporary crossing of Redwood Creek whenever you may have strong reason to believe that some important object may be subserved by so doing. By order of Colonel Lippitt: JOHN HANNA, JR., Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS HUMBOLDT MILITARY DISTRICT, Capt. CHARLES HEFFERNAN, Comdg. Company K, Second Infantry California Volunteers: CAPTAIN: You are charged by the colonel commanding the Military District of Humboldt with the establishment of a new post on the northerly side of Mad River, at Bremer's ranch, opposite the Blue Slide, about twenty miles to the eastward of Arcata, to be called, subject to the approval of the proper authority, Fort Lyon. The ground selected for the post, consisting of eight acres or more, will be pointed out to you by Mr. Bremer. Your command is designed specially for the protection of the district of country lying between Mad River and Redwood Creek, and your military operations will be confined to that district. This is not intended to prevent a temporary crossing of Mad River or of Redwood Creek whenever you may have a strong reason to believe that some important object may be subserved by so doing. On the first of every month one-half of the men of your command who are for duty will take the field under a company officer for the purpose of capturing and bringing in all the Indians that can be found, whether men, women, or children. The detachment will be kept fifteen days in the field, and on its return the remaining half of all the effective men at the post will be sent out, also under the command of a company officer, and will return at the end of the month. In other words, it is intended that one-half of your entire effective force shall be kept constantly in the field. For these expeditions a reliable guide will be furnished you from these headquarters. The men's provisions and necessary camp equipage will be packed on mules. If at any time there should not be enough of public mules for this purpose you are authorized to hire private ones, provided that they can be had at reasonable rates, but you will hire no citizen packers. As great celerity of movement will be often required the mules should be packed very lightly, not exceeding, it is recommended, 150 pounds for each mule. Fresh mules will be sent with each expedition. The purpose for which the military force in this district is to be employed is not to make war upon the Indians, nor to punish them for any murders or depredations hitherto committed, but to bring them in and place them permanently on some reservation where they can be protected against all outrages from hostile whites. The end in view in all your expeditions will be, therefore, a friendly one. You will avail yourself of every opportunity to impress this truth upon all the Indians with whom you can communicate, directly or indirectly, and to assure them that from the moment they surrender themselves at your post, or at any other in the district, they will have entire protection for themselves and their families; that if they do not come in voluntarily they will be brought in by force, and that in the meantime any outrage or depredation that may hereafter be committed on the whites by Indians will be promptly and severely punished. The officer in charge of each expedition will have strict orders to effect the capture of such Indians as he may find without bloodshed whenever it is possible to do so. You will make and publish an order without delay, prohibiting any man of your command from killing or wounding an Indian, unless in self-defense, in action, or by orders of a superior officer. For any disobedience to this order you will cause the offender to be immediately arrested and sent to Fort Humboldt for trial by a court-martial, which has power in such case to sentence the guilty man to death. The guides employed must be made to understand that under the Articles of War they will be subject to this order equally with your own men, and will be equally amenable to trial by a court martial. For any depredation upon stock or other private property by men of your command you will immediately bring the offender before a garrison court for trial and punishment. From the moment any Indians are captured, or give themselves up, you will take measures for their protection from outrage from any quarter whatsoever, and you will send them as soon as practicable to Fort Humboldt under an escort strong enough to insure their complete protection on the way. You will discourage by all means in your power the hunting of Indians by parties of whites in the district specially under your charge, and you will not permit any such parties or any individual citizens to accompany an expedition sent from your post under any pretext whatsoever. Within five days after the return of an expedition its commander will make to you a written report of his operations, which you will forward to these headquarters without delay. By order of Col. F. J. Lippitt, commanding district: JOHN HANNA, JR., Lieutenant, Second Infantry California Volunteers, Acting Assistant Adjutant-General, Humboldt Military District. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC, Brig. Gen. L. THOMAS, San Francisco, March 10, 1862. Adjutant General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.: GENERAL: Since my communications forwarded to you by the last steamer March 1, nothing special has transpired on this coast. The Union feeling is greatly in the ascendant; nevertheless there is a strong disloyal element in this country, which will be dealt with in a summary manner should any acts be committed demanding the interposition of the strong arm of the Government. My troops in the southern district, under Colonel Carleton, are in position to advance, but at this moment the roads are not in a condition to pass loaded wagons. I expect that by the 1st of April we shall be able to make a forward movement. Confidential agents have returned from Arizona, and I am fully satisfied that the rebel force reported as in the neighborhood of Tucson has been greatly exaggerated. My information from New Mexico is meager. The strength of Sibley's force of rebels on the Rio Grande, as rumored forth in the papers, I regard as fabulous. With Canby in his front and Carleton on his flank I cannot doubt the result. The health of my troops is good, and although their instruction has been somewhat retarded by the unprecedented severity of the winter, yet they have been steadily improving in a knowledge of their duties. From the districts of Oregon and Humboldt I have nothing special to report. The large number of persons going to the Nez Percés and Salmon River mines will make it necessary to send a command through that country to preserve peace and good order between the Indians and our people. Colonel Lippitt, Second Infantry California Volunteers, commanding the District of Humboldt, will, as soon as the waters subside and the trails become passable, make expeditions throughout his district for the purpose of gathering up those Indians and placing them. on the reservations. We are still excessively embarrassed for the want of funds. Our credit is well nigh exhausted; not that any doubt exists as to the ability of the Government to meet all demands, but our large creditors are absolutely in want of money to enable them to go on furnishing the supplies which we must have. I have had a conference with the Governor of this State and the military committees of the Legislature now in session on the subject of coast defenses, and a bill has already been introduced making an appropriation for temporary fortifications for the protection of this city. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, G. WRIGHT, Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC, Brig. Gen. L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.: GENERAL: I have this day received from your office a copy of a letter from William Danford to the Hon. W. H. Seward, dated December 23, 1861, Oroville, Butte County, Cal., also copy of communication from the Secretary of State to Secretary of War, dated 28th of January, 1862, and from the Assistant Secretary of War to Adjutant-General of the Army, dated on the 31st January, 1862, with your indorsement thereon of February 4, 1862. I have no information of the organization of such a body of men as Mr. Danford speaks of. I shall take immediate measures to ascertain the facts in the case, and take such action in the premises as the public safety may require. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, G. WRIGHT, Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, Commanding. SALEM, OREG., March 10, 1862. General L. THOMAS, Adjutant-General U. S. Army, Washington City, D. C.: SIR: Your communication of January 4, 1862, in which you request me to forward to your office a "return of the two and three years' regiments and independent companies of volunteers furnished up to this date under the authority of" the State of Oregon, setting forth their strength and the arm of the service to which they belonged when transferred to the General Government, and in which you also desire "a similar return of all two or three years' volunteer troops raised within this State upon what has been called independent acceptances,"" and in which you further request a report of the number of regiments or independent companies now organizing in this State, their present strength, and the time at which they will probably be completed and ready to take the field, is received, and without delay I make the following reply: The authorities of this State have never been called upon for any troops by the President. In September last Colonel Wright made a requisition upon the Governor of this State for one company of mounted volunteers for the Indian service on the frontiers of this State, but before the company was mustered into the service of the United States the order was countermanded and the company disbanded. There has been no two or three years' volunteers either by regiments or independent companies furnished the General Government by the authorities of this State; nor has this State furnished any volunteers upon what you call "independent acceptances," unless it I am, general, with great respect, your obedient servant, SPECIAL ORDERS, Į HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC, No. 39. 1. As soon as the weather will permit, Maj. Charles McDermit, Second Cavalry California Volunteers, will proceed to and take post at Fort Churchill, Nev. Ter. 2. Maj. Edward McGarry, Second Cavalry California Volunteers, is assigned to duty at Camp Alert, to the commanding officer of which he will report without delay. * By order of Brigadier General Wright: No. 23. RICHD. C. DRUM, Assistant Adjutant-General. SPECIAL ORDERS, Į HDQRS. DIST. OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, San Pedro, Cal., March 10, 1862. 1. Lieutenant-Colonel Evans, Second Cavalry California Volunteers, will order Captain McLaughlin's company (D), Second Cavalry California Volunteers, to Camp Latham without delay. The horses in this company which were exchanged for horses in Company B, Second Cavalry, will be transferred back to that company as soon as Company D arrives at Camp Latham. When this is done, Colonel Bowie, Fifth Infantry California Volunteers, will order Captain Cremony's company to report to Lieutenant-Colonel Evans, at Camp Drum. By order of Colonel Carleton: BEN. C. CUTLER, First Lieut., First Infty. California Vols., Actg. Asst. Adjt. Gen. HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, Maj. R. C. DRUM, U. S. Army, Assistant Adjutant-General, San Francisco, Cal.: MAJOR: Inclosed herewith please find a copy of a letter from Major Rigg, commanding at Fort Yama, stating he has at length received the two guns the general ordered to that post. I have ordered Lieutenant-Colonel Dobbins to New San Diego to assume command of that post. He has at present Captains Ffrench and Soper with their companies of the Fifth Infantry California Volunteers. I have ordered Colonel Bowie to Camp Latham, where he has five companies of the |