GENERAL ORDERS, HDQRS. DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI, Saint Louis, Mo., May 24, 1864. No. 75. All hay received in this city and not used for private purposes is required for the Government service. The shipment of hay from this city on private account is therefore prohibited until further orders. By command of Major-General Rosecrans : O. D. GREENE, Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS SAINT LOUIS DISTRICT, COMMANDING OFFICER, Pilot Knob : Send one company to take station at Franklin and one at Hermann. Select well-disciplined companies. Let them take each one wagon to convey forage, rations, and cooking utensils necessary for march, and send the rest of the company and garrison equipage by rail. Send to-morrow, if practicable, and let them report their arrival to me by telegraph. Instruct officers commanding the companies to hunt guerrillas on the way THOMAS EWING, JR., Brigadier-General BROWN, Brigadier-General. SAINT LOUIS, Mo., May 24, 1864. Independence, Mo.: Citizen reports rebels from Price's army crossing at McGirk's Island, below Portland, and that they have a mail passing through just above Cuba, on the Southwest Branch. The general commanding thinks a scouting party had best be sent in that direction. FRANK S. BOND, Major. Brigadier-General BROWN, SEDALIA, Mo., May 24, 1864. Independence, Mo.: Reports just in from Henry County have it that last night 100 or 150 rebels staid at Honey Creek; large force passed day before to the west; don't know as to truth. J. F. PHILIPS, Colonel. WARRENSBURG, May 24, 1864. Capt. JAMES H. STEGER, (Received 9 p. m.) Assistant Adjutant-General, Independence: One hundred rebels crossed road between this and Holden last night, going north; cut and destroyed 300 feet of wire. This is probably a force which crossed Osage two days since. Reports from Lieutenant Goodbrake, at Clinton, this afternoon that a party, 70 to 80, crossed yesterday at Monegan Springs, and are moving north, making for Rose Hill; these, with squad that killed Judge King 2 miles southwest from here, are all bands heard from certain. Colonel McFerran is west from here. T. A. SWITZLER, Assistant Provost-Marshal. INDEPENDENCE, Mo., May 24, 1864-4.15 p. m. Col. JAMES MCFERRAN, Commanding, Warrensburg, Mo.: The general commanding has information of several small bands of rebels making their way north, and that they are probably at this time on the Osage. Keep a lookout for them. By order of Brigadier-General Brown: J. H. STEGER, Assistant Adjutant-General. INDEPENDENCE, Mo., May 24, 1864-4.15 p. m. Col. JAMES MCFERRAN, Commanding, Warrensburg, Mo.: You will cause the country east of the Snibar Creek to be thoroughly scouted by detachments of 10 to 15 men each (half on foot), the different detachments to be in vicinity of the Snibar on Friday, 27th instant. A number of like detachments from Second Colorado, mounted [and] on foot, will scout the country in vicinity and west of Snibar. Each man will wear fastened around his hat or cap a strip of red cloth until Monday, 30th instant, when it will be replaced by white, to be worn during the week ending June 5. By order of Brigadier-General Brown: J. H. STEGER, Assistant Adjutant-General. INDEPENDENCE, Mo., May 24, 1864-4.30 p. m. Col. JAMES MCFERRAN, Commanding, Warrensburg, Mo.: Move one company of command from Warrensburg to Kingsville. By order of Brigadier-General Brown: Capt. JAMES H. STEGER, J. H. STEGER, Assistant Adjutant-General. WARRENSBURG, Mo., May 24, 1864. Assistant Adjutant-General, Independence, Mo.: Only Captain Thurber's battery and a very few mounted men here. Ordered Captain Wyckoff's company to Kingsville to-night. Colonel McFerran out west on scout. I send messenger to Major Mullins to-night to furnish the scout for the Snibar. T. DOYLE, INDEPENDENCE, Mo., May 24, 1864-5.40 p. m. Col. GEORGE H. HALL, Commanding, Jefferson City, Mo.: It is reported that rebels from Price's army are crossing the river at McGirk's Island, below Portland, and that a rebel mail passes that way via Cuba, on Southwest Branch. Send scouting party, with instructions to waylay the route. By order of Brigadier-General Brown : Maj. O. D. GREENE, J. H. STEGER, Assistant Adjutant-General. SPRINGFIELD, Mo., May 24, 1864. Assistant Adjutant-General: Colonel Harrison dispatches that it is impossible for him to keep up the wires from Fayetteville to Cross Hollow. I shall station two companies at Cross Hollow. Major Burch says that Colonel Adair is again on Spavinaw with 200 men, and that Marmaduke is reported to be on White Stone Prairie with 1,500 men. The report in regard to Marmaduke is not reliable, in my opinion. There is a force of about 400 rebels on White River, below Buffalo City. I expect that Lieutenant-Colonel Cameron, Second Arkansas, attacked the force on White River yesterday or day before. Major Burch will attack and drive off Adair's force in a few days. The force that attacked Lamar represented to the citizens that they were a part of Marmaduke's command. I have withdrawn my forces in Arkansas to Forsyth, Berryville, and Cassville, where there is grazing for horses, and where I have them better in hand. JOHN B. SANBORN, Brigadier-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF NORTH MISSOURI, Brigadier-General FISK, Saint Louis, Mo.: The arms of Captain Bywaters' Paw Paw company at Camden Point were stolen after being deposited in a building for shipment; about forty stand taken. There are various surmises in the matter. Captain Woods is in the city, asking to be relieved, and probably will resign. Several delegates from Weston and other places in Clay and Platte Counties represent serious troubles about to ensue. When are you coming? Capt. G. A. HOLLOWAY, G. A. HOLLOWAY, SAINT LOUIS, Mo., May 24, 1864. Assistant Adjutant-General: I leave here this p. m., via Hannibal, for Saint Joseph. Have waited General Rosecrans' return, that I might get a definite answer as to troops. Have sent you several telegrams since Friday last. The people in Platte County must not be hasty in their action; an indiscriminate slaughter of the Paw Paws would not help matters any. Hold everything level until I reach you. I may remain one day at Macon. I have endeavored to learn whether or not Lieutenant Clarke was on his road to Saint Louis. He had better not come if he is not already on his way. CLINTON B. FISK, HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF NORTH MISSOURI, Brigadier-General Fisk, Hannibal, Mo. : Your telegram of this a. m., from Saint Louis, received; the first since Friday last. Another man missing to-day. Delegation from Platte County in town to-day. I learn they have prevailed upon Colonel Williams to call Captain Johnston's company of Paw Paws into service at Weston and that arms are to be given them. I shall protest against the movement and ask Colonel Williams to await your return. Lieutenant Clarke is here; we deemed it inadvisable for him to go. The sooner you return the better. Business of the office O K. Captains Kemper and Younger failed to co-operate fully with Captain Fitzgerald, so his efforts have availed nothing. Nothing conclusive as to who committed the murders. G. A. HOLLOWAY, HDQRS. CO. K, NINTH CAV., MISSOURI STATE MILITIA, Brig. Gen. C. B. FISK, Comdg. Dist. of North Missouri, Saint Joseph, Mo.: I have had in the last day or two various reports of bushwhackers in this and Platte County. I have sent out several scouts, but have not succeeded in finding one of them yet. There is no doubt but there are some in the country. I shall adopt a different course in future. I shall leave Liberty myself to-night with 15 men; shall go on foot, station my men at points where I have learned they frequent, and try their own game on them. I shall in addition to that send out 2 men as spies, who will know in what point of woods I will be at all times. Let them recruit if possible, and bring their recruits to me, or fall in with some of those fellows who are out there, and bring them in, or find out where these fellows may stay any night, whilst I am in the country, which will enable me to surround the house, barn, or camp. It will be my object to see my spies every night, and find out what they have learned during the day, and not to let any man, woman, or child know that I am in the country. You may rest assured that all in my power will be done, and done speedily, to rid this country of all such men. Whilst it may be with some difficulty yet I know that I can accomplish the work. When I return I will notify you of my success. I have the honor be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. B. KEMPER, Captain Co. K, Ninth Cavalry, Missouri State Militia. General CURTIS : LAWRENCE, May 24, 1864. The bearers, Messrs. Spicer, Stotler, and Heritage, visit you as a delegation from Emporia, Lyon County, for the purpose of procuring the cantonment in that vicinity of a sufficient number of troops to act as pickets, patrols, &c., to guard against the approach of guerrillas from the southwest. From what I know of the condition of that section and the exposed position of its people, I very cheerfully and earnestly second their request. A very large proportion of the people whose homes are there are now in the service; so many, indeed, that not enough are left to till the land and produce the subsistence that is actually required of that region. To require them to perform the necessary military duty to insure them against surprise would be very hard, still further reducing the industrial energy of the country. That section constitutes a very wide gap, extending from Fort Riley to the posts on the Verdigris, and affords ingress to one of the richest and hitherto undisturbed regions of the State, and is comparatively well supplied with stock and such booty as would be peculiarly attractive to roving bands of guerrillas. The gentlemen bearing this application are personally well and favorably known to me, and their statements will be entitled to your consideration. If it would be possible in the disposition of the troops of your department to grant their request, you would afford relief from serious apprehension to a community which has furnished more material for the army, in proportion to its strength, than any settlement in the United States. I am, general, your most obedient servant, EDMUND G. ROSS. HDQRS. DIST. OF MINN., DEPT. OF THE NORTHWEST, Maj. Gen. JOHN POPE, Milwaukee: GENERAL: I have the honor to inclose herewith translation of letters* I have received from Gabriel Renville, dated at Two Lakes, not far from the Head of the Coteau, 14th and 15th instant. They contain information of a somewhat conflicting character, but from the tenor of his last-mentioned dispatch I am led to believe that there is some serious breach among the bands referred to, and the statement that they have been invited to remove to British territory may be correct, especially as the Tetons are reported to have communicated with the Sissetons, while the Yanktonais are not mentioned. I have heretofore advised you of the fact that the refugee Medawakantons had determined to keep near the British boundary, so as to take refuge across the line in case of pursuit by our troops, and it may be that other bands, including some of the Yanktonais, are disposed to pursue the same course. If there is truth in the statements of the Indians as given to Renville, it will make it the more necessary that the force destined for Devil's Lake shall be strong and well provided with supplies, for any evidence of weakness in that quarter would be a strong temptation to the numerous warriors within striking distance to attack *Not found. |