place. If it is desired that these conscripts be forwarded to district headquarters an order to that effect will be necessary, from the fact that the provost-marshal at this place has them under his control. Major Bay, of the Enrolled Missouri Militia, has been in this county some two or three days scouting with a command of thirty men, taking stock from the residences of rebel conscripts, by what authority I do not know; he says "by the verbal orders of General Douglass." I would like to know the names of the general staff officers of the District of North Missouri. I am out of blanks for tri-monthly reports; can you furnish me any from your office? If so, please forward a reasonable supply.

I am, with much respect, your obedient servant,

D. DALE,

Major Fourth Cav. Missouri State Militia, Commanding at Fulton, Mo.

FORT SNELLING, November 20, 1864.

Captain R. C. OLIN,

Assistant Adjutant-General:

CAPTAIN: Special Orders, Numbers 213, dated headquarters District of Minnesota, Department of the Northwest, Saint Paul, Minn., October 11, 1864, was received by me at Fort Ridgely on the 15th of October ultimo. I was then ignorant of the whereabouts or time and place of starting of the train which I was ordered to escort by the reception of said order. I procured leave from Lieutenant-Colonel Pfaender, and on the following day proceeded to Saint Peter for the purpose of procuring the necessary information in this regard. While thus at Saint Peter on the afternoon of the 17th ultimo a dispatch was handed to me from Lieutenant-Colonel Pfaender sating that the information sought had been obtained by him. I returned immediately to Fort Ridgely, reaching the latter place at 6 a. m. of 18th ultimo, and found that my command had stated, by orders from Colonel Pfaender, on the afternoon of the previous day by the way of the Redwood, under command of Sergeant Skidmore, with instructions to collect all the straggling Indians from the Crow Creek Agency, on the Missouri River, that could be found in Minnesota. I immediately followed up the command and reached them the same afternoon in camp at Redwood Falls, with eleven Indians thus far collected. Of these four were found in the vicinity of Fort Ridgely and seven at the scouts' camp between the lower agency and Redwood. No scouts or male Indians were at this camp while the soldiers were there. The squaws said they were all off trapping. The utmost secrecy as to the movements and intentions of my command relative to the Indians was observed. I was here informed by Colonel McPhaill and some of the Indians then in camp that it was known among the Indians in the vicinity that the authorities intended to collect and send them to the Missouri this fall, and that many of them had gone from there to avoid it. Ten miles above this camp, on the Redwood, I found one Indian, who had returned from the Crow Creek Agency last spring, trapping, in company with two half-breeds named, respectively, Walter S. McLeod and Henry Ortly. The Indian was taken along and the half-breeds kept in my camp until the following morning to prevent their having an opportunity to inform other Indians of my approach.

I reached the ascent of the first coteau on the Redwood on the afternoon of the 20th of October, where I expected to find the scouts' camp,