[Inclosure.]

HDQRS. DIST. OF MINNESOTA, DEPT. OF THE NORTHWEST, Saint Paul, Minn., August 15, 1864.

Lieutenant-General PFAENDER,
Commanding Second Sub-District, Fort Ridgely:

COLONEL: Colonel B. F. Smith, of Mankato, Minnesota State Militia, has been instructed by His Excellency Governor Miller to raise a company of mounted minute men to aid the military forces of this district in the defense of the frontier in cases of emergency. Colonel Smith has been further directed to put himself in communication with you, and General Sibley desires that you will avail yourself of his co-operation and assistance in any exigency that may arise in which the safety of the border settlements is threatened by hostile Indians.

By command of Brigadier-General Sibley:

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

GEO. W. PRESCOTT,

Lieutenant and Aide-de-Camp.

HDQRS. DIST. OF MINNESOTA, DEPT. OF THE NORTHWEST, Saint Paul, Minn., August 15, 1864.

Lieutenant-Colonel PFAENDER,
Commanding Second Sub-District, Fort Ridgely:

COLONEL: I am very desirous to learn the particulars of the raid upon the Blue Earth River, its extent, and the success attendant upon the pursuit of the murderers. Narcesse Fresnier, one of the scouts from the camp on the Redwood, has reported here and will take this. The scouts should be instructed, through him, to extend their trips more or less frequently over toward the Big Sioux River and to Lake Shetek, so as to be enabled to detect the passage of any party form the west in that direction toward the settlements. Captain Olin is sick in bed.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. H. SIBLEY,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS SECOND SUB-DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA, Fort Ridgely, Minn., August 15, 1864.

Captain R. C. OLIN,

Asst. Adjt. General, Dist. of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minn.:

CAPTAIN: I directed a communication to you at Slocum's, below Madelia, yesterday, and had not returned an hour to this post to-day when Scout Kennedy, who had been dispatched to the scouts' camp, on the Redwood, on Friday, returned also with some highly important news, which you will find in the inclosed copy of notes given by the half-breed scouts. My dispositions for the re-enforcement of the lower line, as far as the limited force admits, have been made, and by breaking up some horse teams I shall also be able to mount the balance of Company L, and have them at some convenient place; but this cannot be done before to-morrow, as they have to be relieved at outposts first, and I am therefore unable to send any force to the half-breed scouts. If those Indians come in scattering we shall need more