I wrote to you on the 15th of August I marched with a small cavalry force down the Rio Grande to a point below Fort Quitman, where the San Antonio road leaves the river. I had heard that Colonel Steele, C. S. Army, had left some 50 or 60 wounded, sick, and disabled men at Fort Davis, on the Limpia River, and that these men were guarded by a company of troops of Mexican lineage, under command of a Captain Mararro, from San Antonio. I detached a portion of my command to proceed to Fort Davis to look after the wants of the sick, to capture the company,and to hoist the colors upon the fort. This force has returned, having found not a single living person at the fort, but having found one dead soldier in the hospital, who had evidently been left by his comrades and had afterwards been butchered by Indians. He had been shot in the head, and an arrow was still remaining in his body. The fort was very much dilapidated and had been left in great disarray.

It is said that Colonel Steele destroyed much of his ammunition and some of his wagons at Fort Bliss and more at Eagle in his hurried flight, as he had heard the California troops were in pursuit of him, and that you had sent a force to intercept him somewhere near the Pecos. The force which I sent to Fort Davis had a fight with some Mescalero Indians near that post. We had 2 men and 1 horses wounded. The Indians had 4 killed and 20 wounded. Captain Edmond D. Shirland, First Cavalry, California Volunteers, commanded the handful of men sent to Fort Davis. I recovered at El Paso some 12 wagons loads of hospital and quartermaster's stores which had formerly belonged to the United States. The Texan prisoners, 26 in all which I found at Franklin, I sent to San Antonio, starting them from Franklin on the 1st instant. They were furnished with provisions, transportation, and an escort.

I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES H. CARLETON,

Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, Commanding.

Abstract from return of the Department of New Mexico, Brigadier General James H. Carleton, U. S. Army, commanding, for September 20, 1862.

Commands. Officers. Men. Aggregate Aggregate

present. present and

absent.

Cubero 2 74 89 90

Fort Craig and 7 176 216 281

vicinity

Fort Garland 6 86 137 147

Fort Marcy and 14 311 431 478

vicinity

Fort Union and 29 571 869 1,064

en route to

Fort Union Depot 1 15 16 16

Gallisteo 2 52 71 80

Los Lunas 8 119 152 176

Peralta 10 283 362 450

Polvadera 6 138 172 173

The California 50 1,232 1,503 1,725

Column

Total 135 3,057 4,018 4,680