train supplies, &c. Prisoners that we have taken say the enemy tried to cross the Arkansas and could not, and were compelled to come north of the mountains. General Ketchum is reported to be in command, but my belief is that this officer's name is Kitchen, a guerrilla captain who formerly resided in Lebanon, in this district. Official reports of officers in command of recruits are forwarded to-day by mail.

JOHN B. SANBORN,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

SPRINGFIELD, MO., April 5, 1864.

Major O. D. GREENE,

Assistant Adjutant-General:

Colonel Harrison, commanding at Fayetteville, dispatches that bushwhackers are crossing the Arkansas River in small squads; deserters from General Price's army coming north, and that they are becoming troublesome about Fayetteville, and desires me to sent some cavalry to scour the country. I cannot spare any troops at present. It would, no doubt, be good policy to meet and destroy these bands as far south as possible, if troops can be spared to do it from other portions or sections of the State.

JOHN B. SANBORN,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS INDIAN BRIGADE,
Fort Gibson, C. N., April 5, 1864.

Major General S. R. CURTIS,

Commanding Dept. of Kansas, Fort Leavenworth, Kans.:

SIR: Your letter of the 9th ultimo has just been received.* All is still comparatively quiet. A small scout of rebels, 16 in number, broke in across Arkansas River two days ago, some 20 miles below this point. They took a man who it appears was absent at home from the Second Regiment. I sent a company in the night to watch the fords and the few men I could mount after them. The rebels got across the river before the infantry got down, but they went back with a loss of 2 of their number killed. They came from the Choctaw Nation.

When my train was ordered in from Rhea's Mills, and came almost empty, I sent it eight days ago to the upper Canadian for corn, as there was still a little to be gathered up there. I have just [received] a dispatch from Captain Phillips that he has the train loaded and will be in to-morrow. He had to go 80 miles southwest, and I regard it as more valuable since it takes the means on which the enemy might have subsisted. The country is still clear. I expect the train from Fort Scott to-morrow, but have had nothing save Captain Insley's telegram. Supplies are exhausted here, and none at Smith. I had designed the train of corn for the trains for forage, but we may have to grind it into bread.

Major-General Blunt, when he ordered in my forage train from the line, notified me he would send me 500 bushels of corn; but the

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*See Part II, p.537.

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