officer at Fort Smith, Ark. The quartermaster's department will furnish transportation.

6. The battalion Twenty-second Ohio Infantry Volunteers, on arrival of Fifty-fourth Illinois Infantry at Fort Smith, will be relieved from duty at that place and be reported to the commanding officer of post at Little Rock. The quartermaster's department will furnish transportation.

* * * *

By command of Major General J. J. Reynolds:

GUSTAV WAGENFUER,

Captain and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. U. S. FORCES, KANSAS AND THE TERRITORIES,
August 16, 1865.

Major General JOHN POPE,

Commanding Department of the Missouri, Saint Louis:

GENERAL: I inclose herewith long dispatch forwarded from General Connor by his acting assistant adjutant-general from Fort Laramie. On receiving Your instructions I telegraphed General Connor what I should do, and this is a partial response to the telegram. So far matters look well. This depot is in excellent condition, troops in good discipline, but the detachment scattered along the road guarding the overland coaches are not in good discipline. I suppose it is almost impossible to keep up good discipline where troops are so scattered, many of the detachments necessarily under non-commissioned officers. The stage company will not run a coach unless we guard it over every mile. The moment they lose any stock they draw off coaches and we run them, so that the mail has never been stopped, vide the case from Camp Collins to Halleck, which I have now got to running again, and troops enough to keep the route secure. Reports from troops moving up the Republican and Smoky Hill show no Indians in that country, so that they are all north or south of our two overland routes. This guarding stages is terrible on stock.

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

G. M. DODGE,

Major-General, Commanding.

[Inclosure.]

FORT LARAMIE, DAK. TER., August 15, 1865.

Major General G. M. DODGE,

Kearny:

I have suspended the marching orders of Sixth U. S. Volunteers until You arrive here. There are only 100 infantry and 430 cavalry in Utah. Will lose half of the infantry by expiration of term of service before Christmas. Balance of infantry has about two years to serve. The cavalry has one year from September next to serve. Not enough troops there to protect the posts in the districts, and what few we have are scattered on mail line east as far as Washakie Station, just the other side of the Rocky Mountains. In case of any Indian troubles in Utah could do absolutely nothing, and no assistance would be rendered us by that arch traitor and violator of Congressional laws, Brigham Young. Utah is rich in mineral wealth, and the only chance to develop that wealth is in having a force sufficient to protect miners