missioned officer to act as guard for the station and an escort to the stages. Each stage on its arrival at the station will be escorted by four cavalrymen. This escort will accompany the stage to the next station west, where they will be relieved by four men from that station, who will accompany the stage to the next station west, and so on, and the returning stages east are to be escorted in like manner. Of the four companies of Your regiment one will be stationed at Camp Collins, one at Fort Halleck, and the remaining two companies will be stationed along the Overland Mail Route to perform escort duty as directed above. I desire that this disposition be made of the four companies of the Kansas cavalry as soon as possible, and for Your information will state that the general commanding has ordered that the mails be transmitted without fail. In case of necessity You can use cavalry horses and quartermaster's mules to haul the stages through until such time as the Overland Mail Company can replace their stolen stock. You will issue the necessary instructions to the troops under Your command to insure perfect discipline, which must at all times be strictly enforced. I will see You in person on my return from up the road.

I am, colonel, very respectfully, Your obedient servant,

C. H. POTTER,

Colonel Sixth U. S. Volunteers, Commanding.

BOONEVILLE, COLO. TER., June 20, 1865.

COMMANDING OFFICER, CAMP FILLMORE, COLO. TER.:

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following as my report of an investigation of certain depredations committed by the Ute Indians near the upper settlements on the Huerfano and the Purgatoire, near Craig's Ranch, in obedience to instructions from headquarters Camp Fillmore, Colo. Ter., June 16, 1865: On my arrival at the settlements on the Upper Huerfano the citizens informed me that the Indians had killed eight head of cattle, two head for one settler and six head for another, and that they had killed the same numbeire, but had committed no other depredations that they had heard of, and that the Indians were camped between the Huerfano and the Purgatoire, but could not state the exact locality. I found one band about fifteen miles south of the Huerfano, near the Purgatoire road, consisting of fifteen lodges. I learned from them of another band of like number of the Apishapa, twelve miles distant from that camp. The chief informed me that the larger portion of the Indians, about 400 in number, had gone up near the Spanish Peaks. I found it would be impracticable tog et all the chiefs together for a talk in any reasonable time, and arranged for a meeting of the chiefs of the bands near me for the next day, the 16th day of June, 1865. These two bands were of the Muache Utes. Curiantie, the principal chief, present, the two other names I cannot spell or pronounce. They claim to have been with Colonel Carson in his expedition against the Comanches last fall, and say they are friendly to the whites and intend to remain so. They deny killing any cattle; say it was the Apaches; state that the Apaches are friendly and intend remaining so, and that they killed the cattle in order to sustain life; that they could not find game, and were in a very needy condition. I informed them that the whites were friendly toward them and would remain so if the Indians acted in good faith and abided by the treaties they had made with the Government, but that they must quit killing cattle or disturbing the whites in any improper manner,