At Fort Boise the general desires you to avail yourself of every opportunity to impress upon the Indians the importance of their submission to the authorities and preserving the peace. Captain Currey will be instructed to be governed by any views you may submit to him on this subject during the coming summer. After a good whippoing they would perhaps be more ready for a treaty than now. If Captain Drake shalol at any time find himself in position to talk with them, he may embarace it to inculcate upon those Indians the importance of their giving up their roving and marauding habits. He may sound them as to their willingness to go on some fixed reservation, and particularly ascertain whether they have any head chiefs with whom we could treat. Information of this nature will be important for the Indiand Department to receive, and the general wishes to be able to give it to Mr. Huntington, whether received from yourself, Captain Currey, or Captain Drake. The great want will be sufficient troops, especially if a new military post near Goose Lake should become a necessity. Please show this letter to Captain Drake and furnish him with a copy of the same.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. W. HOPKINS,

First Lieutenant, First Oregon Cavalry, Actg. Asst. Adjt. General

SACRAMENTO, CAL., April 10, 1864.

Brigadier General GEORGE WRIGHT,

Commanding Department of the Pacific, Sacramento, Cal.:

GENERAL: I had the honor to hand you to-day a communication from Brigadier General James H. Carleton, commanding the Department of New Mexico, dated Santa Fe, N. Mex., March 7, 1864. * In this letter General Carleton desired you to transfer to the Department of New Mexico a certain amount of public transportation and subsistence stores. He also stated that I would explain to you the reasons which compelled him to make this request.

Shortly before I left Santa Fe for California, General Carleton received orders from the Headquarters of the Army to concentrate, at some convenient point within his department, all of the cavalry force at his command, with a view of organizing a column to operate against the rebels in Texas. This column was to move as soon as practicable down the valley of the Rio Grande as far as Eagle Pass, at which point it was to be joined by a force to be sent up from the coast by major-General Banks. The Commander-in-Chief did not make known the ultimate destination of this force, but directed that his orders referred to above be carried into effect with as little delay as possible. General Carleton at present has at his dispoal but a limited amount of public transportation, and it is next to impossible to purchase mules or wagons in New Mexico at this time. He desired me to say that if you could furnish the transportation and supplies asked for he would be able to act efficiently; otherwise it would be extremely difficult him to carry out in a satisfactory manner the orders received from the War Department.

I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

BEN. C. CUTLER,

Assistant Adjutant-General, U. S. Volunteers.

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*See p. 783.

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