in the direction of the Yellowstone, and supposing it to be either your command or a large Indian village, I determined to move down Powder River to it. On the 2nd instant I moved twenty-four miles and camped without grass, and on examination found the country totally impassable a few miles below. In the night a cold wind-storm came up, and I decided to move back to grass, which I did on the next day, marching seventeen miles before I found a sufficient quantity for the command. This march and storm cost my command 225 animals. The day following camp was changed for grass, moving about two miles.

In the afternoon a party of the Twelfth Missouri Cavalry, who were in the camp of the previous day, were attacked by a small band of Indians, who were repulsed and pursued down the River ten miles. Next morning after daybreak the camp was attacked by a large body of Indians, estimated to be about 3,000 strong. After five hours' fighting they were repulsed and scattered among the hills, where it was impossible, in the exhausted condition of my horses, to follow them. I continued moving up Powder River, camping wherever grass could be found, recuperating and resting the animals by short marches. On the 8th, whilst crossing the River, a messenger from Colonel Walker, commanding Sixteenth Kansas Cavalry, who was about three miles in advance reported that he was attacked by between 3,000 and 4,000 Indians, who were driving him back. I immediately corralled my train and pushed forward with my command to his assistance. We drove and scattered the Indians among the hills and camped on the opposite bank of the River for the night, expecting to be agin attacked. During the night a storm of sleet, snow, and a rain came up, which continued without abatement for thirty-six hours. On the 9th moved camp into a heavy piece of timber, hoping by surrounding them with fires to save my stock, which in their famished condition suffered most severely. My stock at this time had been about sixty days without grain, and had nothing but grass and cottonwood to live upon for that length of time. In the thirty-six hours the storm continued 414 animals died at the picket ropes or on the road between the camps. This necessitated the destruction of wagons, cavalry equipments, a large quantity of harness, and all tools and implements not absolutely essential to the command and which could be taken no farther. On the 10th, the storm having cleared away, I crossed the River above the mouth of Little Powder River and moved up the east bank, passing over the command from which a large Indian village of from 1,500 to 2,000 lodges had moved very recently. Our guides pronounced them to have been Sioux, Cheyennes, and Arapahoes. So short a time had elapsed since they left I am satisfied that had my command had rations they could have been overtaken and the village destroyed. The command by this time were reduced to less than one-quarter rations and were eating their horses and mules. After the 15th they lived almost entirely on horses and mules until the night of the 19th, when rations reached me from Fort Connor.

The Indians were still seen in large numbers on all sides beyond range, and but once showing a disposition to fight us, when they were repulsed, with a loss of several killed. We continued our march up the River, crossing and recrossing a number of times, passing the mouth of Clear Fork on the 14th instant and Sandy Fork on the 16th instant.

On the 15th a messenger and three men arrived with a dispatch from you, and on the following morning I sent him back with Lieutenant Jones, Second Missouri Light Artillery, and fifteen men mounted on my best horses, to you, and continued my march to Fort Connor, where