no danger on the Iowa border, except what the local militia can attend to, as they have always done. I shall delay sending horses, therefore, until I hear from you again. As soon as you think you can do so safely, you had best return here, placing Major Ten Broeck in charge of matters in Southern Iowa, if you think it judicious. You will readily understand what I mean without further explanation.

Very respectfully, general, your obedient servant,

JNO. POPE,

Major-General, Commanding.

KEOKUK, IOWA, November 3, 1864.

Major J. F. MELINE,

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

MAJOR: I went up yesterday to Ottumwa, the county seat of Wapello, to learn the condition of things west of this and the views and wishes of the citizens. Colonel Viall, of the staff of the Governor of this State, and who, as he informs me, is intrusted with the administration of the militia system in the southern counties, accompanied me. There are over 1,000 militia in each, organized in the counties of Van Buren, Davis, and Wapello. Of these a company of about forty in Van Buren and fifty in Davis are now in active service, patrolling, each company, the southern border of its county, being mounted infantry, drawing pay and a per diem allowance for use of horses. None of the other militia are on this basis, but the majority of the companies have agreed to come to drill mounted, and act, if called out, as mounted infantry, most of them being farmers owning horses. They are well armed with Enfield rifles (all the militia, whether armed or not) and a number of the officers and many of the men have been in the volunteer service in this war. As estimated, this mounted force, which could act at once in an emergency, numbers over 1,600, about equally distributed in the three counties named. In this county, for the reason that the use of horses involves more expense and inconvenience (few of the members of the militia companies owning horses), there are no militia organized as, or who will act as, mounted infantry or cavalry. The measure suggested in my previous letters, to provide a small mounted force here, will thus complete the protection by mounted force of the three counties in the southern border next east of the Mississippi River. I was glad to receive this morning the dispatch by telegraph from the major-general commanding in regard to detectives.

With great respect, major, your obedient servant,

T. C. H. SMITH,

Brigadier-General.

HDQRS. DIST. OF MINNESOTA, DEPT. OF THE NORTHWEST,
Saint Paul, Minn., November 3, 1864.

Lieutenant Colonel C. P. ADAMS,

Commanding Independent Battalion, Fort Abercrombie, Dak. Terr.:

COLONEL: It is desirable that a small detachment of twenty-five or thirty men, under a commissioned officer, be stationed for the winter at some station on the usual traveled route from the post under your command to Fort Wadsworth, about midway between the posts, for the convenience of communication. The command at Wadsworth being fully employed in the erection of quarters, General Sibley direct that the