ularity in the time of attacks adopted by the Indians. They invariably strike the overland road at a late hour of the day, by which means, when pursued by our forces, night interferes to stop the pursuit and the majority of them thus escape. I feel convinced that nothing short of an expedition against the encampments of the hostile Sioux and Cheyennes south of the Republican River, which will strike and destroy some large band, will terminate this barbarous warfare. our position along the overland road and the vast amount of goods, passing over it offers temptations to the young warriors of these hostile tribes which they will continue to embrace. In the past month they have not been successful, our troops promptly meeting and driving them, but such petty warfare is precisely of that character which stimulates the Indian brave, and unless a severe punishment is administered to them in their own encampment I look for continued raids of the character described in reports of scouts and engagements heretofore forwarded to your headquarters. The overland road is not safe for trains containing less than fifty or sixty well armed men. On the 19th of November last you will see that the Indians did not hesitate to attack a train numbering over forty armed men, and had it not been for the timely arrival of Captain Majors that train would undoubtedly have perished. Thus far my efforts to keep open the great routes have proved successful; no interruption has taken place, although frequent raids have been made on it. To insure the safety of trains and the mail and passengers on the Overland Mail Company's stages, I issued instructions to post commanders directing them to hold small trains traveling over the road at their posts until a sufficient number of them were gathered to insure their safety on the road before permitting them to proceed on their way. The stage company was directed to time their departures east from Cottonwood and west from Fort Kearny so as to insure the passage of the coaches over the dangerous parts of the road in daylight. Mounted guards have been furnished the stage company between this point and Cottonwood, but this service is very injurious to out horses; 132 men are required for this duty every day. Dismounted guards continue to be furnished at the post west of Fort Cottonwood and east of Fort Kearny. The accompanying letters of instructions relating to this matter are forwarded for your information.

In my opinion all that is necessary to obtain peace with Cheyennes and Sioux is to crush some of their large winter encampments out of existence, when felling the power of our arms, they will submit; nothing short of this can accomplish lasting peace or give security to the great overland route. I would recommend that a temporary depot of subsistence stores and grain be established at a convenient camping-ground on the Republican in the month of April next,or earlier if deemed advisable, and that a body of mounted troops not less than 300 strong be used as scouting parties from that point until some large winter encampment of hostile Indians is found, when the whole force could be assembled and marched with all celerity consistent with safety to horses, to attack and destroy the encampment found. I do not consider it best to march a large body of troops over these desolate plains; encumbered with wagons, and trusting to chance to find the enemy. Such bodies of troops will always be seen first by the wily Indians, and timely preparation to move their encampment be made by them. It is utterly impossible to move a large body of men over the prairies without exposing them, and for this reason such bodies are nearly always out exposing them, and for this reason such bodies are nearly always unsuccessful in meeting the enemy unless our numbers induce him to