La Mesa, La Mesilla, Las Cruces, and Dona Ana, commencing at the points lowest down the Rio Grande and so on up, and have it all carefully stored and guarded at Mesilla. If the people will not sell it to you it must be seized and receipts be given for it. Under no circumstances will it be left to feed the enemy. Offer and pay a fair, even a liberal, price for it, and avoid any appearance of coercion until all other means fail. When once all this breadstuff and forage is under your hand it can easily be transported to Fort Craig or destroyed. The people living in El Paso County, Texas, as well as those living in the Mesilla Valley, should be caused to believe that when the Texans come it will be again to fatten upon them without pay; that rather than submit to this It will be better for them to move their families for the time being into El Paso, on the Mexican side of the river, or above the Jornada del Muerto. So far as we are concerned it would be better that they move to El Paso, so as to help exhaust the provisions on that side of the river. They should then be advised to cache on oui side of the Rio Grande breadstuffs enough for the really able-bodied men to live upon, and for these latter to stay behind and wage a partisan warfare upon the invader from the moment he enters the valley. This provides for what you are to do so far as the Mexican population are concerned. Of course until the enemy is near beyond a doubt nothing of this moving need take place; but the minds of the people can be prepared and their resolution determined. All good Union men among the Americans will rally around you. All doubtful Americans and foreigners, the moment these rumors are confirmed, are to be seized and sent, strongly guarded, to Fort Craig. There, with a spade, at least they can help defend the flag which has hitherto protected them and which they would now desert. The houses and stores owned by secessionists who ran off to Texas they will expect to repossess when they come back. These, commencing at San Elizario and coming up, including those at Fort Bliss (burn off the roofs), Franklin, Hart's Mill and dwellings, and all of those belonging to this class of men in Mesilla and Las Cruces, will be laid in ashes. Of course the destruction of all the buildings herein enumerated will be the last thing done when you know the enemy is coming and before you feel compelled to retire. You will also destroy Bull's Mill, at Mesilla, and Grandjean's Mill, at Las Cruces, in case you are compelled to fall back. Thus you must not only take the breadstuffs, but you must destroy as far as possible all means of making bread by the rebels. The Mexican population who prefer to remain behind can grind their corn on metals as of old; so the destruction of these mills will be no serious blow to them. You know that the destruction of all these mills and all the fine quarters I have named will embarrass Baylor and his forces to a very great degree. I am aware of just how sharp you will look out and how hard and effectually you will work to cripple him in other ways than these which I have enumerated. As a further injury, when you are sure he is near at hand buy up or take on receipts all cattle and horses and mules which you can get and have them driven northward well out of the way. The ferry-boats upon the river will all, large and small, be destroyed, as well as all lumber of which others can be made. You will remind the Mexicans of how they were robbed before, and animate them, as you can do, with a settled determination to attack the enemy from every cover; to shoot down his teams; to stampede his stock when grazing; to destroy the bridges over the acequias; to hover by night around his camps; to set fire to the grass and all kinds of fodder which his animals might otherwise get; to shoot down his men by night and