post. Those who are able to bear arms, of whatever age, should be organized into companies and armed. They should be required to give the most active and unqualified support to the Government. Nobody, especially in those counties, can now be permitted to occupy any neutral or equivocal position. Please inform me what you think of this proposition. If you decide to adopt it, the order would probably best come from you. If, however, for any reason you prefer that I issue it, I have no objection whatever to doing so. If you think it unwise to do this now, please give me your reasons fully. If will be a matter of no little difficulty to satisfy the people of Missouri, and I think also the authorities in Washington, that it ought not to be done this fall.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. M. SCHOFIELD,

Major-General.

GENERAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF ARKANSAS, Numbers 39.
Little Rock, November 3, 1863.

Colonel Bussey, Third Iowa Cavalry, having reported at these headquarters for duty, is hereby assigned to command First Division, Army of Arkansas.

By order of Major-General Steele:

[GEORGE O. SOKALSKI,

First Lieutenant Second Cav., Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.]

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF CENTRAL MISSOURI,
Jefferson City, November 4, 1863.

Major OLIVER D. GREENE,

Assistant Adjutant-General:

MAJOR: When in the field I had the honor to receive a communication from the major-general commanding relative to wrong committed by the soldiers of this command in Benton County, and the allegation that was made by reliable citizens that no attempt to correct them had been made by the military authorities. In the condition of the district at that time and soon after, I was unable to do more than indorse the action on the communication that had been taken and return it. I will now explain fully the situation of affairs in the country. The commanding general will please recollect the Cole Camp massacre in 1861 as the cause of the present outrages. The Union men who escaped from that horrid affair are now in our army or resident citizens of the county, and are the friends and relations of the murdered men and the 62 children made orphans on that day. Many of the rebels who incited or engaged in the attack have remained in the country, or have since returned and taken the oath. Prompted by feelings of revenge in the soldiers, and by the counselings of the citizens, who do not fail to use whisky if necessary to make soldiers more reckless, the most heartless murders have been committed.

in August, the Seventh Missouri State Militia was moved into this district. Some members of this had been inn the Cole Camp affair, and thus committed great wrongs upon the people. As soon as it was reported to me, I ordered the command changed, and sent Lieutenant-Colonel Switzler to Warsaw, to ascertain, if possible, who the guilty parties were. He spent several days in the fruitless effort, and, as reward for his services, he had valuable property destroyed by fire and