GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. ADJT. General 'S OFFICE, STATE OF MO.,

No. 7
Saint Louis, February 19, 1863.

The orders heretofore issued for the enrollment of the militia of this State did not contemplate the enrolling of disloyal persons and their organizations into companies indiscriminately with loyal citizens. It was specially required that all disloyal men should be enrolled as such, but their organization into companies was strictly forbidden. Some enrolling officers, however, allowed disloyal organizations to be perfected, either through neglect or disobedience of orders, and others are still in progress of organization.

For the purpose, therefore, of separating disloyalists from Union men, and in order that proper measures of precaution may be taken to prevent the arming of such as cannot be trusted, it is hereby ordered that all commandants of regiments and battalions of enrolled militia report to the adjutant- general of the State, immediately on receipt of this order, such companies of their commands of which all or any considerable proportion of the men have been enrolled as disloyal, or are known to be so.

All officers are strictly enjoined to see that no further organizations of this kind are made, and will report to their immediate commanders any which may be in progress of organization.

By order of the commander-in chief:

WM. D. WOOD,

Acting Adjutant- General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE NORTHWEST,
Milwaukee, February 20, 1863.

Brigadier General H. H. SIBLEY,

Commanding District of Minnesota:

GENERAL: Your letter of the 16th has been received, and I must express to you my surprise and regret at its contents. You have under your command five and a half regiments of infantry, one regiment nearly full of cavalry, and as much artillery as is needed for the force. You have plenty of horses to mount as much infantry as you desire, independent of the cavalry regiment, and yet you ask for more troops. So far as I know, there never yet has been assembled more than one half of this force in this country for operations against Indian tribes, and, until the beginning of this civil war, I know no general who has ever commanded the amount of force now under your immediate orders. So far from thinking you have too little force, my impression, is, and has been, that there are more troops in Minnesota than are needed there, and I beg you will make, as soon as practicable, every preparation to move against the Indians in the spring. The large garrisons at every frontier village will be wholly unnecessary after you commence your campaign. In fact, I only left them where they are, to winter, to restore confidence to a population panic stricken at the outrages lately committed upon the frontier settlements, and not because they are really necessary to protect these places from danger. There are no troops in this State except the Thirty-first Regiment, now under orders from Washington to leave for the South. I shall not refer your letter to Washington, where I am sure it will occasion as much surprise as it did me, until I hear from you again. Just consider, general, that you have under your command quite one-half of the force constituting the whole of the old army before the war, and which was scattered over our