tion. The troops necessary and available to enable me to execute properly the general's instructions were at once ordered to rendezvous at Apache Pass, and as soon as my duties here permitted I repaired (May 2, 1864) to that place, and on the 9th ultimo, the earliest day on which the preparations for the move and a pack train could be made ready, the details of which have been stated in my letters of April 26 and May 8, 1864, I left Fort Bowie for the section of country to be examined.

Time after my return here, ere the departure of the express, not permitting my making as full a report as I intended, and the preparation of Captain Tidball's report, as also a return of the force of the expedition, being not ready, which papers are now inclosed, I now add a few remarks of a special and general character in explanation of parts of my other reports, and for a better knowledge of the country, its features, and the savage inhabitants thereof.

The valley in which the general desires to establish a military post is along the south side of the Gila River (there being little north of it), whose general direction in north of east and south of west, and convexo-concave, with narrow or pointed eastern and western extremities, and the convex side on the south making a gentle ascent for a number of miles, broad at first, but diminishing in width in its southern ascent, of good soil and abundance of mesquite wood. It lies between the Chiricahua Mountains on the south and west and Peloncillo Mountains on the north and east. There is generally a lower bottom, through which the river runs 10 to 15 feet below its surface. A second bottom is next reached, in many places of a few feet greater elevation; then comes the broad and most extended part of the valley, which has a gentle slope toward and along the river. On the lower bottoms occasionally grass is found in limited quantities, which is mostly sacaton, and this usually signifies a clayey soil.

This valley, by irrigation, has capacity to support large population and could be made fine grazing land by sowing alfalfa (Chili clover) or other grass seeds, but the water should be taken out of Gila high up and carried well back from it, which would hardly be done at present by individual enterprise. As grazing in this country is one of the essential requisites for a military post, the absence of it, to a very general extent, in this valley presents an objection to the location of a post in most parts of it. La Cienega Grande possesses the requisites of water, grass, soil, and wood for a post, but it is farther to the south and east than is desirable, I think. It is approachable for wagons from the east through the pass just north of the Sierra San Simon, coming via Burro Mountains and a point on the Gila River, or after coming through Steen's peak Pass, to the southeast, from the west via the opening in the Chiricahua Range, through which passes the old wagon road of Leech, and north of Dos Cabezos.

The Tulerosa Valley is some 10 miles long and from one-fourth to three-fourths miles wide, heading in a canon creek which comes from the summit of the Chiricahua Range, just south of San Marcial Peak and north of Mount Graham Pass, in the Tulerosa Pass. Several large Indian trails cross the mountains in this pass. The running water of 2 miles is two-thirds or more down the valley and sinks 2 miles before reaching the Gila. This is a pretty little valley, of good soil, with wood and considerable grass at its lower part, and on either side near its outlet in the Gila Valley proper. Also, in