Page images
PDF
EPUB
[graphic][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][ocr errors][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][ocr errors][ocr errors][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][subsumed][merged small]

SERIES II.-VOLUME IV.

CORRESPONDENCE, ORDERS, ETC., RELATING TO PRISONERS OF WAR AND STATE FROM JUNE 13, 1862, TO NOVEMBER 30, 1862.

UNION CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.

HALLECK'S HEADQUARTERS, June 13, 1862.

Hon. EDWIN M. STANTON:

There are at Nashville about 1,500 prisoners of war released on parole by General Beauregard. They are without officers, in no discipline and greatly demoralized. They will be of very little service and I respectfully recommend that they be mustered out of service. H. W. HALLECK, Major-General.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, June 13, 1862.

Major-General HALLECK: Your telegram received. I will send an officer immediately to Nashville to pay off the discharged prisoners and muster them out of service.

EDWIN M. STANTON,
Secretary of War.

SPECIAL ORDERS,
No. 133.

WAR DEPT., ADJT. GENERAL'S OFFICE,
Washington, June 13, 1862.

*

#

III. Capt. H. M. Lazelle, Eighth Infantry, will report for such duty as he can perform to Colonel Hoffman, commissary-general of prisoners, at New York City.

By order of the Secretary of War:

L. THOMAS,

Adjutant-General.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, June 13, 1862.

Hon. G. A. GROW, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

SIR: In compliance with a resolution of the House of May 28, 1862, I have the honor herewith to inclose to you the report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, with accompanying papers, seven [six] in number, and marked respectively A, B, C, D, E and F.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

1 R R-SERIES II, VOL IV

J. P. USHER,

Acting Secretary.

[Inclosure.]

OFFICE OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, June 5, 1862.

Hon. C. B. SMITH, Secretary of the Interior.

SIR: I return herewith a resolution adopted by the House of Representatives in the following words:

On motion of Mr. Richardson, Resolved, That the Secretary of the Interior be and is hereby directed to inform this House how many Indians who have been driven into Kansas by the rebels have been or are now being fed and clothed there by the Government, at what expense per day and through whom, and whether by contract, and if so with whom.

calling for information from you relative to the southern refugee Indians who are now in Kansas, which resolution was on the 29th ultimo referred by you to this office for the information sought. I cannot perhaps better give the information desired than by reporting the action of this office more or less in detail.

On the 9th day of January last I received information that the disloyal Indians in the Territory west of Arkansas aided by a considerable force of white troops from Texas and Arkansas had attacked the Union or loyal Indians of that Territory. The Union Indians as nearly as I could ascertain were composed of three-fourths of the Creeks, one-half or two-thirds of the Seminoles and members from all other tribes in said Territory except perhaps the Choctaws and Chickasaws, of whom very few if any adhered to the Government.

Notwithstanding the abandonment of all the forts of the Territory by the U. S. troops and the treachery of the superintendent and agents first appointed by the present Administration these Indians stood firmly to their treaty obligations with the United States, and under the renowned Hopoeithleyohola met their opponents upon the battlefield. Twice they succeeded in repulsing the combined forces of whites and Indians arrayed against them, but in the third battle which took place early in January last they were defeated and compelled to flee from the country with their families, leaving everything in the way of property that would impede their flight. They reached Kansas about the middle of that month.

When in December last and previous to any knowledge of their defeat I learned of the noble struggle then being made by Hopoeithleyohola and the Creeks, Seminoles and other Indians under him I renewed through you my application to the War Department for troops for their relief, which resulted in authority being given to General Hunter to organize and arm 4,000 loyal Indians to accompany the expedition then proposed to be sent into the Indian country under General Lane. On the 3d day of January last I received your communication (copy herewith marked A) authorizing me to assist General Hunter in the organization of these Indians. After advising with the President and yourself I proceeded to Fort Leavenworth, in Kansas, which point I reached late in January last. On my arrival I was informed by General Hunter that Hopoeithleyohola had been defeated and was with 5,000 or 6,000 of his people in Southern Kansas in a most deplorable conditionmen, women and children naked, starving and without shelter. Numbers of them had been wounded in battle and very many being barefooted and otherwise exposed were badly frozen. The sick and feeble, the dead and dying were scattered along their route for 100 miles or more. I had no information until I reached Kansas of these disasters. On the 6th day of February I received a communication from Gen

« PreviousContinue »