HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NEW MEXICO,
Santa Fe, N. Mex., October 28, 1864.

Lieutenant EDMOND BUTLER, U. S. Army,

Commanding at Los Pinos, N. Mex.:

SIR: Let whatever captive Navajos you have at Los Pinos, or which may come to that post from their country en route to Bosque Redondo, remain at Los Pinos until further orders. The difficulty of getting transportation for food to the Bosque Redondo makes it imperative to feed all we can nearer the source of supply until that difficulty is overcome. The daily allowance, until further orders, of food for these Indians will be twelve ounces of breadstuffs and eight ounces of meat to large and small. You will have the Indians required to stop at Los Pinos put in as sheltered a place as possible, and have them made as comfortable as circumstances will admit. Please report if they require blankets, how many they require. In this connection it is well to remark that you can doubtless procure at a fair price some sheep to issue for the meat ration. Should you do this the Indians could be employed in making the wool into blankets for their children, as far as practicable. Please report in full all that you do to carry these instructions into effect. Are there not some buildings or corrals that could be used as shelter for the children? I trust greatly to your resources to have them well cared for, and am,

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

JAMES H. CARLETON,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

KEOKUK, IOWA, October 28, 1864.

Major J. F. MELINE,

A. A. A. G., Hdqrs. of the Northwest, Milwaukee, Wis.:

MAJOR: I have the honor report that in accordance with Department Special Orders, Numbers 174, I arrived at this place last evening, and have since been engaged in learning the condition of things on the southern Iowa border, and taking measures for its defense. If Price's retreat, as now reported, continues, the disturbances which have grown out of his near presence will probably in the course of a few weeks subside. There have been a few small raids in this section; some of them made by men who, formerly in the rebel service, or rebel sympathizers, driven over the border by the presence of martial law in Missouri, collected together on occasion of Price's advance, seized arms and horses, and made their way in squads over the border. These occurrences and the general and notorious activity and moving about of men of secession proclivities, have caused much excitement in this region. The militia, if armed and organized as reported by the adjutant-general of this State, are sufficient for protection of towns against guerrillas, of brought together in time. But as the incursions and raids are all made by mounted men, no sufficient protection can be afforded to the country generally, and no punishment inflicted on the marauders with militia infantry. In this place there is a militia company, well armed and under energetic and capable officers, numbering 100 men, and supplied with ammunition. An artillery company is organizing, and receives two guns and 150 rounds of ammunition, as expected, this day. The main and sufficient dependence for the defense of this place, however, consists in about 400 convalescents in the hos-