HEADQUARTERS,
Fort Scott, November 13, 1862.

Colonel N. P. CHIPMAN,

Chief of Staff, Dept. of the Missouri, Saint Louis, Mo.:

COLONEL: I have the honor to report to you that in my opinion there is great danger of an outbreak among the Osage Indians. They are already committing many hostile acts, such as stealing, robbing, &c., and the best informed citizens tell me that without they are checked in some way it will lead to active hostilities. They claim that the Government has used them very badly, as most of their warriors enlisted in our army in the spring and served until mustered out in October without any pay whatever. They are worthless as soldiers, and left whenever they wished to; but is nevertheless true that they served and got no pay. It will be useless for you to refer the matter to the regular Indian authorities, as I do not know where to find the superintendent, and the agent has not been near them for months. I would recommend that some one be sent out to take the matter in hand and listen to their complaints and attend to their wants. I have no force to spare, as you will see in looking over my post returns, and in fact I have had to call upon the colored regiment to move here, as I am advised of a force of 1,800 men, under Stand Watie and Quantrill, advancing upon this post, and the $2,000,000 worth of property needs protection.

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

B. S. HENNING,

Major Third Wisconsin Cavalry, Commanding Post.

SAINT LOUIS, MO.,

November 14, 1862-12 noon.

Major General H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief:

I have been assigned to the command of the Army of Southeast Missouri, consisting of thirteen regiments and three batteries, now encamped below Pilot Knob. It is proposed to send me to Batesville, Ark., by land. In view of the long line over which supplies have to be carried, the uncertainty of finding any at Batesville, and of the enormous amounts of it required, I think the transportation impracticable, and I beg to be ordered by water or to join Steele at Helena with all my troops.

J. W. DAVIDSON,

Brigadier-General.

SAINT LOUIS, MO.,

November 13, 1862-3 p. m.

Major General H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief:

I understand your ordered that I should take all the troops down the Mississippi that could be spared from Pilot Knob. General Curtis has ordered an expedition of 10,000 by land to Batesville, over a county nearly destitute of supplies. This will involve enormous transportation. My old division is not to go with them.

FRED'K STEELE,

Brigadier-General.