post to Fort Rankin, Colo. Ter., on the 30th ultimo, arriving at the latter post on the night of the 3rd instant, about 4 a. m. hurriedly taking with me such troops as were available for the march from the various posts of this sub-district, amounting in all to 300 men, all of whom had but lately returned from the expedition under Brigadier General R. B. Mitchell toward the Republican River. I marched the whole distance, 210 miles in four days. On my arrival at the post of Alkali, on the afternoon of the 2nd instant, I ascertained that Captain N. J. O'Brien and Lieutenant Ware, Seventh Iowa Cavalry, had left there the morning of the 1st instant for Julesburg, Colo. Ter. ; that Indians had been reported in force about the post of Fort Rankin, and that Lieutenant Brewer, Seventh Iowa Cavalry, fearing Captain O'Brien might be attacked, had sent thirty men and one mountain howitzer to Beauvais Station to meet and escort the Captain to his post. Captain O'Brien had been detained behind his command at O'Fallon's and Alkali by business connected with transferring one mountain howitzer to each of these posts, by order of General Mitchell. While the troops sent to escort Captain O'Brien to his post were absent therefrom, leaving the garrison at Fort Rankin only fifteen strong, I discovered a large column of smoke in the direction of Julesburg from Alkalin and immediately thereafter received telegram from Fort Rankin stating Indians had attacked and were burning the Julesburg stage station. I immediately ordered the troops to prepare for an early start, and marched day and night until I arrived at Julesburg, where I learned that three bodies of Indians, none of which were less than 600 strong, had appeared around the fort the morning of the 2nd instant. Their attack on the stage station was evidently a ruse to obtain possession of the fort. Just out of howitzer range on the west and north were stationed bodies of Indians, while the third body destroyed the stage station; their intention evidently being to induce the weakened garrison of Fort Rankin to attempt a defense of the station, thereby leaving the fort an easy prey. Lieutenant Brewer wisely determined to hold his post and could give no protation, which was consumed in a most tantalizing manner, each building being consumed separately, the Indians firing one and then waiting to see the effect; then another and so on till all were consumed. Captain O'Brien and the escort sent to meet him came in sight too late to do anything toward saying the buildings. Upon his approach the Indians slowly withdrew and allowed him to entire the fort. As soon as daylight broke, after my arrival at Fort Rankin, I dispatched scouts to the west, where the Indians were reported to be encamped. The scouts returned, reporting that they found an encampment of about 300 warriors apparently evacuated the previous day. I then sent detachment out toward Valley Station and Pole Creek Crossing to repair telegraph lines and scout the country. They returned next day, stating that twelve miles of line on the Denver road and thirty-three miles on the Laramie road were utterly destroyed. The command on the Laramie road also reported an extraordinarily large Indian trail one mile in width to have crossed that road about twenty-five miles west of Fort Rankin about two days since; while the command on the Denver road reported that they had found an encampment on the north side of the South Platte, twenty-three miles west of Fort Rankin, which had apparently been abandoned two or three days only and estimated to contain 800 lodges, some of which were of the largest size known to be used by Indians. Anticipating that these Indians might swing around to the east after crossing North Platte, I advised you by tele-