them? I cannot afford to feed them at Laramie. He also reports a large hostile body 190 miles northwest, working their way to North Platte. Please instruct me where to send the Indians already captured and the Arapahoes coming in.

ROBT. B. MITCHELL,

Brigadier-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,
Saint Louis, March 29, 1865.

Brigadier General P. E. CONNOR,

Denver:

Troops en route to Laramie and Julesburg, with those on the route, will give you 2,000 or over mounted men. I wan this force pushed right on after the Indians. There are 400 pack-mules with them. There is also one regiment of U. S. Volunteer Infantry on the way to Kearny that can relieve considerable body of cavalry; also one or two more regiments will soon start for Leavenworth. About May 1 General Sully will leave Sioux City with a column and push west to Powder River and establish a post there. We will have to supply that column from Laramie. Allow no purchases or contracts made except first sanctioned by Colonel Potter, depot quartermaster, or myself. I have a large number of Canadian horses en route here with will be sent you. Notify me how many horses you want to mount your command. Write me fully as to Salt Lake, &c.

G. M. DODGE,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,
Saint Louis, Mo., March 29, 1865.

Brigadier General P. E. CONNOR,

Denver City, Colo.:

GENERAL: The District of the Plains was formed so as to put under your control the entire northern Overland route and to render effective the troops along it. With the force at your disposal you can make vigorous war upon the Indians and punish them so that they will be forced to keep the peace. They should be kept away from our lines of travel and made to stand on the defensive. Sufficient infantry to hold most of the posts will be sent you from the regiments raised from Confederate prisoners in our hands for service on the plains. They are officered by our own men. Depots should be designated where we can put in one year's supply. These depots should be well fortified. An engineer from these headquarters is now out examining the posts. I think there should be depots at Fort Kearny, Cottonwood, Julesburg, Fort Laramie, Fort Halleck, Valley Station-or some point between Julesburg and Denver-Denver, Fort Lyon, and Utah. As it is, each station is a partial depot, whereas with a few depots that other our stores properly taken care of and protected. The overland mail and telegraph must be protected at all hazards, and no excuse be given or allowed for stopping the mails. Order No. 41 from these headquarters prescribes manner of organizing trains, &c., and you must see that no interference with emigrant or private trains is allowed. The troops that have been lying at the different posts should, as soon as possible,