No. 3. Report of Surg. E. H. Abadie, U. S. Army, of events at San Antonio, Tex.

MEDICAL DIRECTOR'S OFFICE,

San Antonio, Tex., February 17, 1861.

SIR: I have the honor to report the political changes which will or have already closed our military functions in this department.

In the night, or a little before day, of the 16th, some 1,200 or 1,500 Texan troops, commanded by Major General McCulloch, acting under the orders of commissioners appointed by the Convention which had passed the ordinance for the secession of Texas, quietly took possession of the arsenal and arms, quartermaster and commissary property at this depot, and demanded its unconditional surrender by General Twiggs. After a stormy conference between the department commander and the commissioners, who had been here with their demands since the 8th instant, the general has acceded to their demands, and the two companies of United States troops marched out of the town in the afternoon and went into camp until arrangements could be made to transport them to the coast.

No orders have as yet issued from the headquarters,nor is it known what disposition will be made of the remaining troops. The medical and hospital property is yet under my charge, nor has the hospital been disturbed. So soon as orders issue they will be duly communicated.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,

E. H. ABADIE,

Surgeon, U. S. Army, and Medical Director.

Brigadier General THOS. LAWSON,

Surgeon-General U. S. Army, Washington City, D. C.

No. 4. Report of Lieutenant Colonel Wm. Hoffman, Eighth U. S. Infantry, of the seizure of U. S. property at San Antonio, Tex.

HEADQUARTERS SAN ANTONIO BARRACKS,
Texas, March 1, 1861.

SIR: Pursuant to the orders of the commander of the department, I have the honor to submit the following report of the taking possession of the public property in San Antonio on the morning of the 16th ultimo:

That the matter may be clearly understood, I will premise by stating that when I assumed command of this post (on the 11th) negotiations were in progress to fix the terms on which the public property would be tuned over to the State authorities. Soon after the receipt of the order relieving General Twiggs, and placing Colonel Waite in command of the department, it was reported that a body of State troops were being collected to come into the town to take possession of the property by force. To meet such a state of things I inquired of the general commanding under what circumstances I should use ball cartridges. He replead, under no circumstances, and added that he would not be the first to shed blood, or to that effect. I gave orders accordingly, and directed that the arms should not be loaded; but on reflection I deemed