HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC,
San Francisco, Cal., December 8, 1862.

His Excellency WILLIAM PICKERING,

Governor of Washington Territory, Olympia, Wash. Ter.:

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency's communication of the 25th ultimo. I have instructed Brigadier-General Alvord, commanding the District of Oregon, to issue on Your Excellency's requisition 250 stand of small-arms with a suitable amount of ammunition. I cannot issue arms to citizens direct. In fact, it is only in cases of emergency that I assume the responsibility of issuing to the Governors of States of Territories. It will be necessary that Your Excellency should receipt to the ordnance officer at the Vancouver Arsenal for the arms and ammunition. Permit me to suggest to Your Excellency that before issuing these arms the volunteer companies should be fully organized, and the officers appointed by yourself, and the greatest care taken that none but men of undoubted loyalty and devotion to the Union be enrolled.

With great respect, I have the honor to be, Your Excellency's obedient servant,

G. WRIGHT,

Brigadier-General, U. S. Army, Commanding.

WASHINGTON, D. C., December 9, 1862.

Brigadier-General WRIGHT,

San Francisco, Cal.:

All communications received at the War Department from Overland Mail Company, Post-Office Department, and Department of the Interior urge the removal of Colonel Connor's command to Fort Brigader and Ham's Fork, as a check upon the Indians.

H. W. HALLECK,

General-in-Chief.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE PACIFIC,
San Francisco, December 9, 1862.

Brigadier General L. THOMAS,

Adjutant-General U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Major-General Halleck's telegraphic dispatch of the 6th instant, calling my attention to the propriety of garrisoning Fort Bridger. May latest accounts from Fort Bridger, obtained from an officer who passed there, represented everything as quiet in that neghborhood, and I have received no intimation from Colonel Connor, the commandant of that district, as to the necessity of posting troops at Fort Bridger. However, as it is an important station of the Overland Mail Company, and good quarters already built, I have directed Colonel Connor to detach one or two companies from his command and occupy Bridger. I have two companies of Third Infantry California Volunteers (Connor's), now at Sacramento, and one company of the same regiment at Fort Churchill. In the early spring, or as soon as the roads are passable, I shall send them forward to Salt Lake. From the best information I can obtain, I am fully stisfied that we should have a force in the Salt Lake Valley of at least 2,000 men, commanded by a firm and discreet officer.