scouts out around Monticino Bayou toward Baton Rouge and find out if possible what the enemy are about. Be careful, though, not to have them cut off; also instruct you pickets on the river to keep a lookout for all boats passing up or down the river; also at Baton Rouge, and try and discover if the enemy are moving troops down the river.

Have any information that can be had forwarded direct to these headquarters.

I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

T. FRIEND WILLSON,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS SUB-DISTRICT OF THE RIO GRANDE,
Carrizo, Tex., April 13, 1863.

Major E. F. GRAY,

Acting Assistant Adjutant-General, C. S. P. A.:

SIR: I respectfully, submit the following report:

Yesterday morning I received information that a party of thieves, with a drove of stolen cattle, had passed the day previous below here on their way to Mexico. I at once sent a note to the commanding officer at Guerrero (a copy of which and of his reply I inclose*) and started with a party of 30 men in pursuit. I came to the trail and followed it across the river direct to Guerrero. When I came to the river Salado, near Guerrero, I sent a messenger to the commanding officer there that I had a force at his disposal to aid him to arrest the robbers. He replied that I must go with my force directly back to my own side of the Rio Grande, for he would not on any account allow any armed body of men within the limits of his command.

Not satisfied with this reply I went up to the town to have an interview with him in regard to the arrest of the thieves. I met him and the alcalde together. The alcalde proposed to take measures for the discovery and apprehension of the thieves, urging that they were bound by the contract made between the authorities of the two States to do so. The military officer replied that the contract was not in any way binding on him and that he should take no notice of it, and that in so doing he was obeying private instructions received from Governor Lopez, thus complicating him in an act of bad faith. In this, however, I think the officer lied. The alcalde said he had no such private instructions of the sort and had instructions to fulfill the conditions of the contract; but the military officer said he should permit no such thing; that he had force enough to prevent his doing anything, and if it was necessary he should use it.

I think the responsibility of protecting the thieves is entirely with the military commander, having heard Don Juan Fernandez give him last winter an order to arrest Jose Ma. Salinas, a noted robber, the first time he could find him, and since I have positive information that he is frequently in Geurrero, and has even been seen on the streets in company with this same military officer. He is the same man who made the report to Governor Lopez of my attack on new Laredo, and were it not for his persistent efforts in protecting all the thieves and assassins who come within the limits of his command I see no reason why this part of the line would not be on as good a footing as any other part.

Considering the course he is taking I have thought that the only way

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*Not found.

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