HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of July 30th, sent by Sergeant Falls, and to convey to you Colonel Mason's approval of the terms of your letter addressed to Don Pio Pico, from Los Angeles, July 27, 1848. Before this can reach you my letter of the 3d instant will have been received, ordering Don Pio Pico to be arrested, and, if possible, to be sent to Monterey or San Francisco by water. If he be still confined at Los Angeles, you will restore him to liberty, and inform him that he is released in consequence of the reception of a treaty of peace, duly ratified by the governments of the United States and Mexico, the 4th article of which stipulates that all prisoners of war "shall be restored as soon as practicable after the exchange of the ratification of this treaty." Had it not been for this, you may inform Pico, he would have been sent to Oregon or some other foreign country. The manner in which he entered California might have subjected him to the treatment of a spy; and his subsequent conduct, after his conversation with you, together with his absurd pretensions to the government of the country, made him merit harsher treatment than he now receives. You will please inform him that Upper California is now American territory, and that he is at liberty to leave it or not, as he pleases; but so long as he continues in Upper California he must be cautious how he acts towards our authorities, civil or military. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, Colonel J. D. STEVENSON, W. T. SHERMAN, 1st Lieut. 3d Artill ry, A. A. A. Gen ral. Commanding S. M. District, Los Angeles, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: In order that no unnecessary delay may attend the movement of the Anita, as pointed out in orders No. 50, dated the 7th instant, Colonel Mason wishes you to direct the serviceable ordnance and ordnance stores to be hauled to San Pedro ready for embarcation. Should there be any small arms, muskets, rifles, or carbines at your post, which were taken during the war from the people of your district, you will please restore them, if possible, to the original owners, or deposite them in the hands of the alcalde, or some responsible person, to be reclaimed and given up when applied for. Guns, which are of no use and not worth transporting to San Francisco, will be made unserviceable by breaking off one or both trunnions. The field battery, with all its ammunition and appurtenances, will be put on board the Anita. In like manner, all tools and serviceable quartermaster property will be securely boxed and sent to San Pedro, ready for embarcation. Captain Smith will be instructed to select, upon his arrival at Los Angeles, such wagons and means of transportation as he may require for moving his company of dragoons by land to Monterey, and cause the balance to be sold at public auction. You may give notice of such intention, so that persons desirous of purchasing wagons, carts, harness, &c., may be prepared to bid. These instructions are sent you that you make the preparations in advance for abandoning the post of Los Angeles, and for the proper disposition of government property in that quarter. Whatever provisions may be on hand when the place is evacuated will also be sold at auction. Colonel Mason says you may issue a small quantity of powder and ball to trustworthy individuals for the defence of their property and lives; but as the articles are no longer contraband, there will be no difficulty in purchasing plenty of them in a short time. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, Colonel J. D. STEVENSON, W. T. SHERMAN, 1st Lieut. 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Commanding S. M. District, Los Angeles, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: Should this letter reach you at, or before you reach Santa Barbara, you will turn back with your detachment, and rejoin your company at Los Angeles. This change is in consequence of the receipt of the treaty of peace,* which requires the discharge of all the volunteers in the country. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, Lieut. GEORGE STONEMAN, 1st Lieut. 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Commanding detachment 1st Dragoons, en route from Los Angeles to Monterey. This was enclosed, addressed to Captain Lippett, Santa Barbara. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: Colonel Mason directs that the contract entered into on the 13th day of July, 1846, at Fort Columbus, New York, between Captain C. Q. Tompkins, on the part of the United States, and Dr. James L. Ord, be annulled from and after the day in which company F, New York volunteers, is mustered out of the service of the United States. You will pay Dr. Ord whatever may be due him on said contract up to the day before mentioned. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, Lt. H. S. CARNES, W. T. SHERMAN, 1st Lieut. 3d Artillery, A. A. A. Gen ral. 1st New York Volunteers, A. A. Quartermaster at Santa Barbara, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I have the honor to enclose, herewith, department orders No. 50, of the 7th instant, requiring you to muster out of service all the volunteers now in the southern military district of Upper California; and also to superintend the disposition of the public property in that quarter. The United States barque Anita is under orders for Monterey, and you will hold yourself in readiness to take passage in her to Santa Barbara, San Pedro, and San Diego. Upon arriving at each of the military garrisons in the southern district, you will cause to be sent on board of the Anita all arms and accoutrements, ammunition, ordnance, and ordnance stores of the United States manufacture, and all other serviceable guns, if the Anita wants them for ballast. Provisions, carts, wagons, harness, tents, camp equipage, and bulky quartermasters' stores, not needed when the posts are evacuated, you will order to be sold at public auction. Such articles as tools, scales, weights and measures, and other articles easy to be carried to the port and placed on board of the Anita, you will order to be sent to San Francisco; serviceable horses and mules will also be retained, and brought by land to Monterey-unserviceable ones sold. As many citizens may feel insecure in consequence of the withdrawal of all military force, you are authorized to leave with the alcalde, or other trusty citizen, a few arms and some ammunition, taking his receipt for the same. The arms will be delivered out of those which were taken from the citizens of California during the past war, and may be distributed to persons who can be trusted, who stand in need of such protection. The disbursing officers must be careful to leave behind them no unsettled accounts; and, that there be no scarcity of funds, Captain W. G. Marcy will be instructed to turn over to you ten thousand dollars, with which you may supply deficiencies, should any exist. When these officers have closed their money account, you will receipt to them for any balances on hand, upon their delivering the same to you. Acting assistant quartermasters and commissaries, commanders of companies, or any other officer who may ship on board the Anita property for which they are accountable, will send there with invoices to Captain Folsom, at San Francisco, accompanied by a letter advising him to what place he shall send his receipt. When these conditions are fulfilled, you will muster and discharge the company or companies, as required by department orders No. 50. I enclose you, herewith, a copy of general orders No. 18, dated Adjutant General's office, April 22, 1848, for your guidance, and the monthly reports of men "tried" and "confined" in the companies you are to discharge, that you may judge who are and who are not entitled to an honorable discharge. Having completed this business, you will direct Acting Master Woodsworth to proceed to San Francisco; and you will then join your company at Los Angeles, and conduct it by land to the vicinity of Monterey, where you will encamp it, and report in person to these headquarters. You will bring with you all the public horses and mules that are at any of the military posts, or that are distributed along the road for express or other purposes. You will also give general notice that the express mail is discontinued south of Monterey. I have the honor to be, your obedient servant, Captain A. J. SMITH, W. T. SHERMAN, 1st Lieut. 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. 1st Dragoons, Monterey, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, Monterey, California, August 16, 1848. SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of August 11, with the enclosed copies of correspondence between the Secretary of War and the governor of the State of New York, in relation to the conditions of enrolment of the regiment of New York volunteers, now serving in California. Colonel Mason directs me to say to you that he has no instructions concerning the discharge of this regiment of volunteers, and they will be paid by Major Rich according to the laws of Congress and instructions of his department. He, however, is not aware of any law or enactment of Congress that entitles officers of this regiment to mileage, or any other allowance, to the place of enrolment. If any such law exist, the paymaster will know of it, and will act accordingly. If you or any other officer know of the existence of a law of Con gress providing transportation in kind, or any allowance of money in lieu thereof, to a commissioned officer of volunteers when discharged, you will please transmit an authenticated copy of the same to this office for future reference; none such has ever been received from the War Department at these headquarters. The cases of Doctors Perry and Parker differ but little from those of other officers in service under the same act, approved May 13, 1846, modi fied by the fifth section of the act approved June 18, 1846, as contained in general orders No. 22, of May 29, 1847. The services of all terminate with the war, and the claims of each for pay and allowances must be based on a law of Congress. These officers have, therefore, only to produce to the paymaster the law, and the evidence of service under the law, when they will be paid. The paymaster is the proper person to settle all such questions. I have the honor to be, your most obedient servant, 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 to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of Au gust 8; in answer to which Colonel Mason says you will direct Lieutenant J. W. Davidson, A. A. C. S. at Los Angeles, to pay the outstanding debts in the commissary's department at San Diego, left unpaid by Lieutenant Clift, upon the claimant's producing proper evidence of their being just and true. Colonel Mason wishes you to call Lieutenant Davidson's particular attention to the letters addressed to him on the 8th of March last, and the 26th of July, to neither of which have answers been received. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. Gencral. Colonel JOHN D. STEVENSON, HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: The Anita has arrived here from San Francisco, and at the time of her departure you had not arrived at that post. It is all-important that you should go down the coast in this vessel in company with Captain A. J. Smith, so as to pay off the companies of New York volunteers upon the day of their discharge. Colonel Mason wishes you, therefore, to prepare the muster and pay rolls of discharge of the volunteer companies lately mustered out of service at San Francisco by Major James A. Hardie, and to turn over to Major Hardie a sum of money sufficient to enable him to pay off on the rolls previously prepared by yourself. Lest you should not have with you enough funds for the above mentioned purpose, orders will be given to Captain Folsom to transfer "temporarily" to you whatever amount of money you may require, to be replaced by the same amount when you return to San Francisco. Having made arrangements as above, you will hasten with all due speed to Monterey, to embark in the Anita. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, Major W. RICH, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Paymaster, San Francisco, California. HEADQUARTERS TENTH MILITARY DEPARTMENT, SIR: I send you herewith, for correction, your returns of the post of San Diego for the months of March and May, 1848. No returns have been received for the month of April, which deficiency you will please to supply. Those for June and July are received, and are correct. Please be careful to make a correct return for the month in which the post is evacuated. I have the honor to be your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN, First Lieutenant 3d Artillery, A. A. A. General. Captain W. E. SHANNON, |