tion was made on the 15th of August, and up to that time Major Monroe had not made up his returns for the quarter ending June 30, 1863.

Brigadier General D. M. Frost commanded the "defenses of the Lower Arkansas." I found his brigade of infantry and two batteries of light artillery at Pine Bluff in only tolerable condition. Their drill was not equal to that of either Parsons', Fagan's, or McRae's brigade. Their arms were not well kept, and the police of their camp was fair. I found a very large number of the command sick, and the surgeons complained of being much in need of medicines. The post was well regulated. The hospital, in charge of Surg. R. Brunson, was perfectly clean; the sick seemed to receive every attention; returns were regularly forwarded, and duplicates kept. Captain W. W. Johnson, post qu`!Ster, I found to be an energetic and very efficient officer. His returns were all up to date; books, papers, &c., in excellent order. Every care was taken of the post transportation, and it was in fine condition. The cavalry was at South Bend. I found them well mounted, poorly armed and clothed; their drill and discipline quite poor. Many men were absent without leave, and many more on incompetent authority. With an aggregate present and absent of 668, only 238 were present for duty. This command is almost entirely destitute of accouterments. Captain Pratt's battery, serving with Carter's cavalry, is in very fine order, and a model command. Their discipline is very good. The men are well drilled, and care is taken of the horses and everything about the battery. General Frost's command-cavalry, artillery, and infantry-are very poorly clad, and are destitute of shoes. The regimental quartermasters and commissaries of the infantry brigade are not sufficiently well acquainted with their duties, and do not show a great degree of attention to business. The quartermasters and commissaries of the cavalry were absent. I found that the conscript law was not enforced with enough energy and rigidity, and that the officers in charge of that duty were, many of them, incompetent. Of this subject I made a special report at the time of my inspection.

The post of Washita, in the Indian Territory, I found in a dilapidated and broken-up condition. From a beautiful post it has come to be a perfect wreck. Not a fence nor paling is left, scarcely. The buildings, quarters, &c., have been terribly abused, and no care seems now to be taken of what is left. Whether these wanton acts of an undisciplined soldiery were committed recently I do not know, though I think it has been done from time to time. Lieutenant-Colonel [T. D.] Taliaferro, commanding, is an officer of no energy. The post is badly policed; even the quarters of the men are very dirty. The companies are badly drilled in company drill; are not soldierly in appearance; keep their arms in miserable condition; have never been drilled but once in battalion drill, though they have ben in service fourteen months. The company officers have never forwarded any of the returns required of them by regulations. Morning reports and muster-rolls are the only military papers they seem to know anything about. Captain W.a. Welch, post quartermaster and acting commissary of subsistence, is an energetic and efficient officer. His books and papers are in good condition, and his returns all up. His expeditures have been extravagant, but they were authorized by his superior officers in writing. Workshops have been erected for the repair of transportation. The hospital, Surgeon Foster in charge, is clean and the sick well cared for. The surgeons complain of great deficiency of medicines.

The post of Boggy Depot, in Indian Territory, commanded by Colonel [T. C.] Bass, with garrison of five companies from the Twentieth Texas