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REPORT. 



-^' ..-" -^t^-** ^^"-'-^^^^^ 



San Louis Rey, 

 California, February 5, 1847 



Sir: In obedience'to army of the west_ order, No.^33, of Oc- 

 tober 2dj I returned 



Mormon battalion. I arrived there on the 



7th October. 



I found that the paymasters, from whose arrival you anticipated 

 a plentiful resource of money for the quartermaster department, 

 had brought so little specie that no payment of troops could be 

 made. The consequence was, that Captain Hudson's company of 

 volunteers for California, which you had assigned to my com-- 

 mand, could not mount themselves; and the quartermaster s de- 

 partment, which scarcely Commanded a dollar, could hardly have 

 furnished the transportation. Owing to these difficulties, the cap- 

 tain's new company was broken up by Colonel Doniphan, com-- 



manding. . , , • c 



A portion of the battalion of Mormons arrived the evening oi 



the 9th October, under First Lieutenant A. J. Smith, 1st dragoons, 

 who had, in the capacity of acting lieutenant colonel, directed 

 its march from Council Grove. The rear of the battalion arrived 

 the evening of the 12th. On the 13th, I assumed command, with 

 the rank of lieutenant colonel, by virtue of your appointment. 

 Its aggregate present was 448. I found that their mules were en- 

 tirely broken down, and that as many as sixty men had, from sick- 

 ness and other causes, been transported in wagons much ol the 

 march; and that there were twenty-five women^besides^ma^y chU^- 

 dren. The assistant surgeon of the ' ^^-' - - "" -'•'^" 



erson 



the senior officer of the department, Dr. DeCanip, reported on the 

 cases ot a very large number, as subjects for discharge for disa- 

 bility But the colonel commanding determined, under all the cir- 

 cumstances, to retain them in service, and ordered thern to be sent 

 to winter at "Pueblo," on the Arkansas river, above Bent s lort. 

 There the Mormons have a temporary settlement, and there 3^r. 

 Smith had sent, from the crossing of the Arkansas, a party of ten, 

 commanded by Captain Higgins, in charge of a large number of ta- 

 milies, which had theretofore been attached*to the Mormon^bat- 

 talion. This detachment had orders to join the battalion at ^anta 



Fe. ( 



learned, obtained per- 

 ) "'About this time, I learned that 



mission lu reiuiii tu tiic xuv..x«./ — ' JCffi^nltJpc nf 



you had left your wagons, in consequence of difficulties ot 

 the country; and was anxious, for the benefit of all, to disen- 



