[Inclosure.]

FORT LEAVENWORTH, September 29, 1864.

JOHN EVANS:

General Mitchell is hunting Indians up the Platte, and General Blunt south of Arkansas also searching for them. Try and give them any information you think reliable. The chiefs you named are not reliable, and desire to save their friends, who are near the Arkansas, by extravagant reports of forces elsewhere. They ought to be made to go and show our enemies. Their chiefs are all implicated in the attacks where they have depredated. All they fear is winter approaching and therefore they desire peace, which they cannot have at present. I was far up the Republican and Mitchell was farther. I will try to have new scouts sent out from Cottonwood to ascertain the truth of this report. If such a force is there it must be attacked as soon as possible. The idea of Sioux being driven down by Sully is not reasonable; that was the report before my visit to the Platte, and I found nothing to justify it.

S. R. CURTIS,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS,
Fort Summer, N. Mex., September 30, 1864.

Captain BEN. C. CUTLER,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Dept. of New Mexico:

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 27th instant, inclosing copies o;f letters, &,. Inclosed you will find a report of Captain Bristol, commanding this post, of the measures already taken by him in sending out scouts and parties of observation. Your direction in regard to sending out scouting parties and the manner of receiving flags of truce and parties of Indians claiming to be friendly will be closely observed. In answer to your inquiry as to whether we can get 250 of the Navajoes and Apaches to accompany Colonel Carson in making an expedition, &c., I have the honor to say that I have this evening had a full conference with the chiefs of the Navajoes, who decline in the mo;st decide manner to have anything to do with aggressive operations. They say if we are attacked here they will do their share of fighting, but that they came here to work and not to fight; that by fighting they have been ruined, and that they now want peace. We said everything that could properly be said to induce them to aid in making the party, but they showed throughout the conference a very decided disinclination to do so. The Apaches, I am assured, will at any time furnish all their available force to make an expedition of this or any other character that offers them booty. I do not think, however, that they could muster for the expedition more that fifty or sixty effective men.

I am, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

M. M. CROCKER,

Brigadier-General.

[Inclosure.]

HEADQUARTERS,
Fort Summer, N. Mex., September 30, 1864.

Captain R. LUSBY,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Dist. of Fort Summer, N. Mex.:

CAPTAIN: I have the honor to report for the information of the general commanding that, having been informed by some Navajoes that signs of a large camp of Comanches or Kiowas were seen by them about