sued and driven over 350 miles, from the Missouri to the Arkansas. This has been the work of fourteen days. Your marches have been incessant, sometimes for days and nights, in rain and snow, and generally on short rations, gathered from the herds lost by the enemy. Your privations, toil, and gallantry deserve the highest commendation, and the success of the campaign in which you have so gloriously participated, most of you from the beginning to the end, must entitle you to the thanks of your Government and the gratitude of the loyal people of our country. Your losses are considerable, but nothing in comparison with those of the enemy, who admits of a loss in killed, wounded, and missing of 8,000 or 10,000. All his cannon, too, a large portion of his small-arms, his vast wagon train loaded with spoils, and herds of cattle and horses, have been left, burned, and scattered, in the way of your pursuit. His army of 20,000 or 30,000 is converted into an unarmed, disorganized mob, destitute of everything, starving with hunger and far from supplies. Their condition is indeed so desperate as to excite pity rather than exultation. But the greatest achievement of this campaign is the driving a desperate class of vagrant associates of rebels so far from your homes and the State you defend. Besides this your stern resistance and close pursuit saved the towns and garrisons of Kansas City, Olathe, Paola, Fort Scott, Fayetteville, Fort Gibson, and Fort Smith, and the valuable public stores of those places, besides checking ulterior purposes of slaughter and desolation contemplated by the invasion of Kansas. But it would tarnish the brilliancy of your achievements to claim this for yourselves alone without acknowledging with gratitude the share borne in the brunt of the contest by the troops of Missouri and the militia of Kansas, who shared our dangers, and because of their greater numbers, especially deserve more of the honors due to the conflicts of the 24th, 25th, and 28th of October. But to you, including the brigade of Colonel Benteen, who have shared in most of these battles and continued throughout the long weary pursuit to the dark and turbid waters of the Arkansas, where your guns thundered in the rear of the starving, terrified enemy, must be accorded the special commendation of the commanding general and the generous approval of your country. The special honors due to distinguished comrades in this campaign will be carefully presented by the commanding general in his proper report to headquarters at Washington; and to secure the most exact justice to so many deserving commendation, commanders of divisions, brigades, detachments, and staff officers will make full reports, directed to headquarters Fort Leavenworth, at their earliest convenience.

In parting, the general tenders to the officers and soldiers, for their generous support and prompt obedience to orders, and to his staff for their unceasing efforts to share the toil incident to the campaign, his heartfelt thanks.

The pursuit of price in 1864, and the battles of Lexington, Little Blue, Big Blue, Westport, Marais des Cygnes, Osage, Charlot, and Newtonia will be borne on the banners of regiments who shared in them, and the States of Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Arkansas may glory in the achievements of their sons in this short but eventful campaign.

The First Division, commanded by General Blunt, will move from the camp according to special instructions.

The brigade of Colonel Benteen will return to his proper corps commanded by such route as he may consider most economical and advantageous to the Government.

Colonel Harrison will report to General Steele at his earliest convenience.

Colonel Ford, with his command, will accompany the commanding general to his headquarters, Fort Leavenworth.

By command of Major-General Curtis:

C. S. CHARLOT,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

As directed in your dispatch of the 28th of October, Price had been pursued beyond the Arkansas, carrying away with him the murderers, marauders, and bushwhackers that infested Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas. He entered Missouri feasting and furnishing his troops on the rich products and abundant spoils of the Missouri Valley, but crossed the Arkansas destitute, disarmed, disorganized, and avoiding starvation by eating raw corn and slippery-elm bark. Having thus several lines, scouring the country for cattle and hogs, their only means of subsistence. The grass also being entirely killed by the frost, afforded poor sustenance for horses and rendered it necessary for us to walk