HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,
Saint Louis, Mo., August 25, 1865.

Bvt. Major General J. M. CORSE, U. S. Volunteers,

Commanding District of Minnesota:

GENERAL: The assistant adjutant-general will hand You the order assigning You to the command of the District of Minnesota. * You will please proceed to Saint Paul, Minn., and enter upon the discharge of Your duties. The principal posts in Your district are Fort Ripley, on the Upper Mississippi; Fort Abercrombie, on the Red River of the North; Fort Wadsworth, at the head of the Coteau des Prairie, and Fort Ridgely, on the Upper Minnesota River. These posts should be permanently occupied. Brigadier-General Sibley, now in command of District of Minnesota, has established some small intermediate posts for temporary purposes. You must decide, upon examination, whether it is necessary to retain them this winter. Fort Ripley will be amply garrisoned by one company of infantry and one of cavalry; Fort Abercrombie, by three companies of infantry and two of cavalry; Fort Ridgely, by one company of infantry and two of cavalry. In fact, it is to be doubted whether Fort Ridgely needs more than one infantry and one cavalry. The situation of affairs in Your district must be judged of by yourself, in view of my conversation with You. The Government demands the reduction of forces in the department to the absolute necessities of the situation, and I infer that this means that the military forces should be reduced to what is absolutely needed for protection to the frontier. I suppose in this view that one infantry regiment and six companies of cavalry will be sufficient in Your district, and to this force I desire You to reduce the troops in Your command. There are now in Minnesota the following regiments: Second Minnesota Cavalry (full regiment), Independent Cavalry Battalion (six companies), Third Illinois Cavalry, four companies of First U. S. Volunteer Infantry. I think it will be well to send the four companies of First U. S. Volunteer Infantry to Fort Leavenworth, where they can be united with the other companies of the regiment, and to dismount the Second Minnesota Cavalry and use it as the infantry regiment for Your district. This will give You the infantry regiment and the sic companies of cavalry, composed entirely of Minnesota troops, which seem to me to be the appropriate troops to protect the frontiers of Minnesota. The Illinois cavalry regiment should be sent to Springfield for muster out of service as soon as possible. It is expected, general, that immediate and vigorous steps will be taken thus to reduce troops and expenses in Your district, and I know too well Your energy duty to doubt that You will complete this reduction at the earliest moment it can be safely done. By the 15th of October it is believed that Your district will be completely organized in conformity to the above instructions.

I am, general, respectfully, Your obedient servant,

JOHN POPE,

Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,
Saint Louis, Mo., August 25, 1865.

Bvt. Major General A. SULLY,

Commanding Northwest Indian Expedition, Fort Rice, Dak. Ter.:

GENERAL: Upon the conclusion of the operations of this season You will please reduce the forces in Your district to one infantry regiment

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* See paragraph II, August 22, p. 1201.

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