the post of Sonoma, leaving a non-commissioned officer and from six to ten men to assist the alcalde of the town. The detail of Lieutenant Gilbert will leave Captain Frisbee without a subaltern. You can assign one of the lieutenants of Captain Dimmick's company to Frisbee, until other officers arrive from the United States. Colonel Mason wishes you to consult with the assistant quartermaster as to the propriety of breaking up the town guard altogether, and to protect the public property by detailing, on extra duty, three or four good men to work at the storehouse by day and to sleep there at night. I have the honor to be your most obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Major JAMES A. HARDIE, Commanding Northern Military District, San Francisco, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, August 2, 1848. SIR: Your letter of the 25th of July was received on the 31st ultimo, and has been laid before Colonel Mason, who directs me to inform you that he cannot possibly relieve you from the duties of collector of the port of San Francisco. He is fully aware of the heavy additional labor and responsibility imposed upon you by that office, but the number of disbursing officers at his command is so small that no other than yourself can be stationed at San Francisco. But Colonel Mason is willing to give you every assistance possible, in the way of details of officers and soldiers, but he cannot sanction the payment to them of any fee," charge, commission, or compensation of any kind" for the performance of those duties, as it would be in direct violation of the latter part of the 19th paragraph of the regulations for collecting the revenue. He is satisfied that soldiers should be paid for such extra duties, and he will recommend to the department that a suitable daily allowance be made to soldiers employed in duties pertaining to the collection of revenues, and that this regulation should have a retrospective effect, so as to compensate those who have heretofore been employed as guards, clerks, &c. Major Hardie will be instructed to detail Lieutenant Gilbert as your assistant, and also Lieu enant Roach, if you request him to do so; and he will be directed to detail, upon your application, a sufficient number of non-commissioned officers and privates from his command to act as sentinels, guards, clerks, &c., at the custom house of San Francisco, even if it be necessary to break up the post of Sonoma. Major Hardie is also directed to consult you as to the propriety of breaking up the town guard, and giving you a sufficient number of trustworthy men, on extra duty, to sleep by night at the storehouse in the town, and to work, subject to your orders, during the day. When orders No. 40 were issued, removing company H from San Francisco to Sonoma, it was not contemplated that it would take Lieutenant Gilbert from your office, as he still remained under the command of Major Hardie, and, therefore, liable to be detailed under special orders No. 22, of September, 1847. Lieutenant George Stoneman, first dragoons, will be on the Sacramento towards the latter part of this month, with twenty five men and about sixty horses and mules. It is designed to keep those horses in fine order, so that Lieutenant Stoneman may act with energy; and Colonel Mason wishes you to send to some point on the Sacramento, below Sutter's, a quantity of hay and grain, with enough lumber, nails, &c., to build a shed for this command. Lieutenant Stoneman will take with him from here one or more wagons, so as to haul his lumber to a suitable point for the prosecution of his plan of operations, and likewise to transport his provisions. He will be instructed to draw on you for subsistence, and will communicate with you, by letter, as to the best mode of drawing these provisions-most probably by monthly returns, to be delivered at certain times at Sutter's embarcadero, when he can have his wagons there to receive them. No provisions need be sent in advance, or until he communicates with you. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Captain J. L. FOLSOM, Assistant Quartermaster, San Francisco, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I have the honor, herewith, to return the post returns of San Francisco for April, May, and June, which contain certain errors noted in pencil. Please cause them to be corrected and sent to this office. Unless the post returns are absolutely correct, it is impossible to make out proper department returns, which have to be rendered monthly to the Adjutant General of the army, from department headquarters. I have the honor to be your most obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Major JAMES A. HARDIE, HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, August 3, 1848. SIR: Your letter of the 20th of July, with its enclosure of June, has this moment been received, and the same mail brings to Colonel Mason a letter from Don Pio Pico, in which he styles himself the Mexican governor of California. Colonel Mason directs that you cause Pio Pico to be forthwith arrested and confined securely in Los Angeles, and that he be not permitted to confer with any of his countrymen. If an opportunity offers to send him here by sea, you will send him on board the vessel in charge of a commissioned officer, who will be ordered not to permit him to land to communicate with any person at Santa Barbara. The officer will accompany him (Pico,) until he delivers him to the commanding officer at this post; or, if the vessel be bound to San Francisco, then to the commanding officer of that post. Colonel Mason desires that you keep this matter a profound secret until Pico is safely arrested and confined, confiding it to no one save the officer sent to execute the arrest. I have the honor to be your most obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Colonel J. D. STEVENSON, Commanding Southern Military District. P. S.-I enclose approved charges against the deserters from your command, which Colonel Mason orders to be laid before the general court martial now in session at Los Angeles. A few examples may at this critical moment stop desertions. The descriptive list of Ford and Krienan has been sent to San Francisco. This is sent you by an express. W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant, and A. A. A. General. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, August 5, 1848. SIR: You are hereby authorized to employ Mr. Charles P. Wilkins as a clerk in the quartermaster's department at Los Angeles, California, dating from the time of his first reporting to you for duty, at the same rate of pay as is allowed to a wagon and forage master of the army. When Mr. Wilkins receives from Washington his appointment which he lost in Santa Fe, whatever sum he may have received as clerk must be deducted from the whole amount due him as wagon and forage master. By order of Colonel Mason: W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Lieutenant J. W. DAVIDSON, Acting Assistant Quartermaster, Los Angeles, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, August 7, 1818. SIR: If you arrive at San Francisco in time to be present when the volunteers stationed there are discharged, Colonel Mason wishes you to pay them off, and then hasten to Monterey in the Anita, if possible. The Anita will await your arrival here, so that you may go down the coast in her. I enclose you department orders No. 50 of this date. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, Major WM. RICH, HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: Last night, by an express from Lower California, was received official intelligence of the ratification of a treaty of peace between the republics of the United States and Mexico. The regiment of New York volunteers are in consequence to be discharged; and you will accordingly proceed with your detachment to San Francisco, and report to the commanding officer. You will give public notice in the Pueblo de San José of the fact that peace now exists, and that Upper California is ceded to the United States. Your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. To the COMMANDING OFFICER N. Y. Volunteers, San José, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, August 7, 1848. SIR: I have the honor herewith to enclose you department orders No. 50, which imposes on you the duty of discharging from the service of the United States the three companies of volunteers now under your command. This duty, you must be aware, must be in virtue of your commission of first lieutenant third artillery. Too much care cannot be taken in completing these rolls, which remain as important records, and I enclose you a copy of general orders No. 18 of April 22, 1847, for your guidance. Major Rich is now believed to be on board the barque Olga, at sea, bound for San Francisco. It is hoped that he may arrive to pay these companies at the time of discharge; but, should he be not in San Francisco, you will nevertheless discharge these volunteers, and Major Rich will pay them on the rolls as soon as he arrives. A detachment of dragoons ordered from Los Angeles for the purpose of arresting deserters will, upon its arrival here, be sent to the presidio to guard the magazine. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, Major J. A. HARDIE, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. Gencral. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, August 8, 1848. SIR: When Colonel Mason was at Sutter's Fort some days ago, he was informed that there was at Los Angeles a small Russian field-piece belonging to Captain Sutter. If such a piece be among those still remaining at your post, and if you can recognise it as the former property of Captain Sutter, you will please cause it to be placed on board the United States barque Anita when she comes to San Pedro, that Colonel Mason may restore it to its proper owners. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Colonel J. D. STEVENSON, Commanding, Los Angeles, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, August 8, 1848. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of the 24th ultimo, and to convey to you Colonel Mason's answers thereto. Lieutenant Davidson has not made any estimate of funds this year, and his summary statements for the past months of December, January, February, March, April, and May were not received here until the 18th of July. His abstract of provisions on hand at the expiration of the second quar ter 1848 is not yet received. The estimate for funds and requisitions for provisions have not been made with the punctuality required by orders. However, as all the posts in southern military district are to be abandoned as soon as your regiment is discharged, it will not be necessary to send down the coast more provisions than may be required for their immediate use. Fifteen thousand rations will come down in the Anita, to meet the wants of the battalion of volunteers which is reported to be near San Diego from Santa Fe. This battalion of volunteers was hardly expected, or provisions would have been sent long since for their use. Instead of quartering this battalion at San Luis Rey, as you propose, Colonel Mason wishes to bring them nearer Los Angeles-say to San Gabriel-for the care of subsistence, and so that they may be mustered out of service at the same time with the companies of your regi ment. As Don Eulojoi de Celis relinquishes his claim to the title of the house now occupied by company "C," 1st dragoons, Colonel Mason says you may consider Williams the legal owner; and you will order the acting assistant quartermaster to pay him (Williams) the rent due since the time it was first occupied by the dragoons company. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Colonel J. D. STEVENSON, Commanding Southern Military District, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of July 24, and to inform you that Mrs. Kelly draws her rations regularly as any other camp woman at this post. I enclose you department orders Nos. 50, 51, and 52. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Captain W. E. SHANNON, Commanding, San Diego, California. |