and six companies of cavalry. The infantry regiment I send You from Fort Leavenworth, the cavalry companies You select from Your new command. I suppose Brackett's battalion of cavalry and the Iowa and Dakota companies will give You the mounted force specified. As soon as the infantry regiment arrives relieve the six companies First U. S. Infantry Volunteers and send them by the same steamer to Fort Leavenworth, and send to their respective States for muster out of service all troops in excess of what are herein designated for Your command. You had best keep at Rice, Sully, and Randall, as also at Sioux City, thirty or forty horses for express and herding purposes. I do not undertake to designate posts or their garrisons in Your district. You have been long in command and know perfectly the necessities of the case. I only mean to specify distinctly to You the entire force which You are to retain, leaving the distribution of it to Your own judgment. The Government demands the reduction of forces in this department to absolute necessities, which I presume means that no troops are to be kept in the department except such as are absolutely needed for the protection of the frontier. The force designated for Your district seems to be sufficient for the winter, and upon that force You must rely. I need not impress upon You, general, the necessity of reducing expenditures in Your command to the lowest possible point. Your familiarity with the economical system which obtained on the frontier before the rebellion will enable You readily to come down to the scale of expenditures now required by the Government. I rely upon You to do so at the earliest practicable moment.

I am, general, Your obedient servant,

JOHN POPE,

Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS FRONTIER DISTRICT,
Fort Smith, Ark., August 26, 1865.

General D. H. COOPER,

Fort Washita, C. N.:

I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of Your letter of 20th instant (with inclosures), requesting that an officer be designated to parole such officers and enlisted men belonging to the District of the Indian Territory as have not yet reported at some United States military post. I am informed by General Reynolds, commanding Department of Arkansas, which embraces the Indian Territory, that Major C. C. White, provost-marshal-general of the department, was sent to Fort Towson, about the last of June, for the purpose of paroling Your command; that he Remained there several days without meeting with any officer authorized to act in the matter. He was compelled to return to Little Rock without accomplishing the object of his mission. Major White was sent to Fort Towson in obedience to a request of General Kirby Smith, who reported to General Reynolds that the Indian command would be surrendered by You at Fort Towson. In consequence of the change of troops now taking place in my command, it will not be possible to send an officer as You request. Men of Your command are reporting here daily and being paroled. I cannot at present send an officer to receive the public property which You wish to turn over to the Government, as it would have to be brought here for protection, which cannot be done at this time. I regret that Major-General Herron sent his commissioners into the Indian Territory, as he had no authority to negotiate a treaty or to exercise any authority over