WASHINGTON, October 25, 1865-12. 40 p. m.

Major General JOHN POPE,

Saint Louis, Mo.:

You need not furnish escorts to the overland stages except when it can be done without much inconvenience or expense. The route should be as well protected as practicable with the means at Your disposal, and when troops are moving over it they might move with the stages. With the colored and regular troops sent to You can You not now muster out of service all the volunteers remaining?

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.

NEW ORLEANS, LA., October 25, 1865.

(Received 10. 50 a. m. 26th.)

Lieutenant General U. S. GRANT,

Commanding Armies of the United States:

I respectfully forward the following information: The Liberals under Escobedo and Cortina I think attacked Matamoras on the 19th or 20th instant, with every prospect of success, unless the 800 or 900 rebel soldiers in the city join with the Imperialists in the defense of the place. My information goes to show that they will not. Should the Liberals get Matamoras, Northern and Eastern Mexico will pass into the hands of the Liberals.

P. H. SHERIDAN,

Major-General.

NEW ORLEANS, October 26, 1865.

(Received 8. 55 p. m.)

Bvt. Major General J. A. RAWLINS,

Chief of Staff:

The Fourth U. S. Cavalry arrived here three or four days ago and is now nearly fully and thoroughly equipped and will be sent to San Antonio in a few days to be mounted.

P. H. SHERIDAN,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,

Saint Louis, October 26, 1865. (Received 6. 10 p. m.)

Lieutenant General U. S. GRANT:

In answer to Your dispatch of yesterday I have to say that the four colored and four regular infantry regiments which I understood were assigned to this department would give me all the infantry force I need, if it were possible to get them on the plains this winter. November is the worst month in the year for heavy snow-storms on the plains. I can, however, use the troops being sent to relieve all volunteer troops east of and including Fort Lyon, on the Upper Arkansas, and Fort Kearny, on the Platte. I have altogether, of infantry and cavalry, 7,200 men west and south of the Missouri River, including everything as far west as Oregon and California. Of this force I can relieve about 2,000 as soon as the regular regiments arrive. It would not be possible to relieve troops farther west than Kearny and Lyon without enormous cost for forage and other trains, and great suffering to men. It is probably