SPECIAL ORDERS,
HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF OREGON, Numbers 85.
Fort Vancouver, Wash. Ter., April 6, 1865.

I. Major John M. Drake, First Oregon Infantry, will repair without delay to Fort Boise, Idaho Ter., and assume command at that post.

* * * *

By order of Colonel E. F. Maury:

F. B. WHITE,
First Lieutenant and Adjt. First Oregon Cav., Actg. Asst. Adjt. General

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF THE PLAINS,

Denver, Colo. Ter., April 6, 1865.

Major J. W. BARNES,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Department of the Missouri:

SIR: I propose to submit, for the information of the major-general commanding, a brief resume of affairs connected with my administration of the old District of Utah. I arrived at Salt Lake City with my command in November, 1862, and found the community almost exclusively members of the Mormon Church, bitter and unrelenting in their hostility to the Government. Persons residing in Utah and not members of the church were daily annouyed with petty presecutions calculated to force them to leave the Territory. The leaders of the chuch, jealous of the unlimited power they exrecised over a bigoted and misguided people, employed every means in their power to prevent associations between their followers and loyal citizens. The so-termed sermons delivered in their tabernacles, boweries, and ward meetings were models of obscenity and treason. It appeared as though every effort was made by the advocates of polygramy of destroy all that native modesty characteristice of a women, and to instill into the minds of the men the most bitter and unrelenting harted toward our Government. The church leaders at every opportunity repeated the assertion that the war was a "Kilkenny cat" affair, so far as they were concerned; that they did not care which side whipped; in either event the war would continue until North and South were completely exhusted, and then they (the Mormons) would return to Jackson County, Mo., and control the desitines of the United States. They were able to obtain credit for this assertion among the people from this fact: The most of them are foreigners, gathered from the lower classes of Europe-men and women who know nothing about the American Government or its institutions. The officers and soldiers of my command were regarded as blacklegs and scoundrels, and were so designated by Brigham Yound, the head of the church. The Indians were, I frimly believe, incited to acts of hostility against the mails and immigrants, for the purpose of involving us in a war, and, as we were but few in numbers, thus hoping to get rid of us. I determined to exercise the utmost caution toward the community, consistnt with my duty, but at the same time was equally determined to maintain the authority of the Government at any and all hazards. During the fall of 1862 and winter and spiring of 1863 my command was actively engaged against the Shoshone, Ute, and Goshute Indians; and at the battle of Bear River I captured large quantities of wheat, together with many articles which the Indians could not have obtained had they not been on friendly terms with the Mormons. I know that on one occasion, when a detachment of cavalry