If these statements are true, the commanding general purposes to call upon General Steele for an avowal or disavowal of the act.

I am, genera, most respectfully, your obedient servant,

E. CUNNINGHAM,

Lieutenant and Aide-de-Camp.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF THE INDIAN TERRITORY,
Doaksville, C. N., December 2, 1863.

Lieutenant General T. H. HOLMES:

GENERAL: The Federal force at Fort Smith has been augmented to at least 5,000, of which four or five regiments are cavalry. They have pushed forward a considerable portion of that force as far as Waldron, from which point they make a raid to Red River, at Lanesport and Mill Creek, or they may go down in the direction of Washington, and trouble your communications, in case you come far in advance of that place. To oppose a movement from the, I have only one small brigade, with less than 1,000 men, under General GaNumbers Can you not strengthen General Gano temporarily with two or three regiments of cavalry (Monroe's for one, as they know the country), until this advance force can be driven back, and the deports which they are making can be destroyed? The force you send can return direct from Waldron, or by the way of Dardanelle, where there is a small force of the enemy.

I know nothing of your situation, or even your exact locality.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. STEELE,

Brigadier-General.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF THE INDIAN TERRITORY,
Doaksville, December 2, 1863.

Brigadier General R. M. GANO:

GENERAL: All the information I receive leads to the conclusion that the enemy has withdrawn all of his white troops from Fort Gibson to Fort Smith. He has not at that place a cavalry force of five regiments-Second and Sixth Kansas, Third Wisconsin, First Arkansas, and part or the whole of the Second Arkansas; and the Eighteenth Iowa is somewhere about, on the line below, I believe. This force can give us much [trouble] on Red River, even if an advance in force is not contemplated. Colonel McCurtain [J. McCurtain], Choctaw militia, writes General Cooper that he expects to have 1,500 Choctaws assembled on the 1st of December 1,000 of them as infantry. I regret that Lieutenant-Colonel Showalter's command has been withdrawn at this time, but I believe in obeying orders. The company sent here will go back and drive the beef, except the small detail sent to Washita for the prisoner of Hardeman's regiment. I send to you a deaf and dumb man, who represents that he is direct from Fort Smith; that he was sent there by Fitzwilliams. He has been known to Dr. Duval and others for the last four years; yet his story is so inconsistent in many respects, that I am inclined to believe that he has been sent out as a spy. Keep him until Fitzwilliams can be heard from.

I wish you would send to Washington, Ark., to ascertain the distance and the mail facilities from that place to Shreveport. I send an open letter to General Holmes, which please seal after reading, and send it by a courier.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. STEELE,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.