engaged in dealing in horses. The first I knew of him was going into a camp of soldier that had arrived from a scout at 10 o'clock p. m. on Saturday night and before breakfast on Sunday morning buying one or more fine horses from soldiers that had been taken improperly from citizens, who on application for their horses learned that Mr. Boyd had bought them and shipped them to Saint Louis. Mr. Boyd persists in his right to buy from soldiers, and I am determined he shall not do it unless it be your order that such things shall be tolerated.

I have written this much to enable me to say that in anything you desire I will cheerfully comply with, and that any policy that you may indicate I will honestly pursue, but that it is utterly impossible for me to protect loyal citizens in their just rights and to maintain discipline among my troops if every effort to do so is prevented by arbitrary and peremptory orders issued in your name by staff officers who know nothing of the merits of the case or the reasons that prompted action in it.

By this statement I do not wish to be understood that prompted action intentional wrong on the part of these officers; on the contrary, their intentions are, I have no doubt, good, but it is the unwise manner in which they interfere that I object to, and that only an account of the injury and misfortune that follow such interference. Will you please protect me from such interference hereafter if I am in the right?

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

BEN. LOAN,

Brigadier-General, Missouri State Militia.

GENERAL ORDERS,
HDQRS. DEPT. OF THE NORTHWEST, Numbers 18.
Saint Paul, Minn., November 17, 1862.

I. The Second Military District of this department is constituted as follows: To include the territory between the Mississippi River and a line drawn south and east from Sauk Centre, including the post at Sauk Centre, under the command of Brigadier General H. H. Sibley, with headquarters at Fort Snelling.

II. The Third Military District will include the territory north of a line drawn east through Sauk Centre to the Mississippi River, under the command of Colonel Minor T. Thomas, of Eighth Minnesota Volunteers, with headquarters at Fort Ripley.

III. The Fourth Military District will include the valley of the Red River and the route between Fort Abercrombie and Sauk Centre, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Francis Peteler, with headquarters at Fort Abercrombie.

IV. The commanding officer of each military post will designate some officer to act as assistant quartermaster and commissary, who will report by letter, without delay, to Colonel Clary, chief quartermaster.

V. The necessary buildings to accommodate the troops at the several posts where winter quarters are not erected will, if possible, be hired by the proper officers, who will immediately report the character, dimensions, and amount of rent of said buildings to Colonel Clary.

By command of Major-General Pope:

R. O. SELFRIDGE,

Assistant Adjutant-General.