tolerable supply of ammunition, and persons were engaged at heavy expense to themselves and by means of most active exertions in raising ow of the regiments for service in this country that had been promised the Indians by way of chief inducement for them to take up arms. I had the positive promise of the late Secretary of War that 2,000 stand of small-arms should be forwarded for these regiments out of the very first received from abroad.

The principal parts of my ordnance stores and supplies had reached Fort Smith before the actions at Elkhorn. I had myself carried 3,000 pounds of cannon powder there about the middle of February. I directed Major George Clark the depot quartermaster, to forward all as rapidly as possible to North Fork. Instead of doing so, he by telegram asked instructions from General Van Dorn, who by telegram, without notifying me of the order, directed him to send nothing for my command into the Indian country.

Up to this time I have with great exertion, and owing in a great measure to the kindness of General Price, received at this point eighteen pieces of artillery, twelve of which are Parrott guns, 100 rockets, what rifle powder I had procured, a small quantity of buck-shot, a supply of percussion caps, a little lead, about 1,900 pairs of shoes out of 8,000, some 900 suits of clothing out of 7,000, a small portion of the socks and drawers I had obtained, about, 1,000 shirts out of 4,000, about 75 tents out of 1,000, and none at all of the small-arms I had purchased in Arkansas and North Carolina.

Part of my tents and small-arms were issued to volunteers going up to join Price before the actions. Other tents were issued to the Louisiana regiment to replace theirs, wantonly burned during the retreat of the train by order of somebody not of the regiment. Of everything else of mine, even my private stores, whatever any one wanted was taken at Fort Smith and Van Buren after the retreat. Hardly a box comes here that has not been opened and part of the contents abstracted. All my cannon powder, the caissons of the Parrott guns, and many other things were sent off to Little Rock and have never been returned. Part of the artillery was sent to Pocahontas, all the medicines procured for the command (the first that had been procured) were ordered off, but the medical director with some difficulty rescued them. Much of what I have received, including all the percussion caps, was ready for shipment to Little Rock, and part of it actually on board boat, when it was rescued by Assistant Adjutant-General Hewitt. At the same time trains coming here were ordered to be loaded with wet brown sugar in hogsheads that cost 10 cents a pound in Fort Smith. That could be sent me. Captain Hewitt took the responsibility of sending it down the river, for which I cannot too much thank him.

Besides the Indian troops, I now have at this post two regiments of Texan mounted men, under Cols. Robert H. Taylor and Almarine Alexander, one company of the same and one from Arkansas with the Nineteenth Regiment and one company of infantry from Arkansas, commanded by Colonel C. L. Dawson, and two companies of artillery, commanded by Capts. William E. Woodruff, jr., and Henry C. West.

The number of sick, owing to bad weather and bad cooking, is very large, so that in all there are but a little over 1,000 men present for duty.

I am dividing the fragments of my supplies as fast as I receive them proportionally between the white and Indian troops. The latter continue loyal. There is no enemy now in the country, and it is perfectly safe to travel in it anywhere. Having received the moneys promised them by treaties, all the tribes have confidence in the ability of the Govern-