APPENDIX QQ. Sot f>- IV* I 



/tor 



ANNUAL REPORT OF LIEUTENANT EDWARD MAGUIRE, 

 CORPS OF ENGINEERS, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING 

 JUNE 30, 1878. 



explorations and surveys in the department of dakota. 



Headquarters Department of Dakota, 



Chief Engineer's Office, 

 Fort Snelliny, Minn., July 18, 1878. 



General : I have the honor to submit the following report for the 

 fiscal year ending June 30, 1878. 



The engineer detail in this department at the close of the last fiscal 

 year consisted of myself as engineer officer and a detachment of the 

 battalion of engineers composed of one sergeant and three privates. 



By Special Orders No. 105, Headquarters Department of Dakota, 

 November 30, 1877, Private Julius J. Durage, sergeant-major Eleventh 

 Infantry, was transferred to the general service as topographical assist- 

 ant and reported for duty at this office December 28, 1877. 



In the spring of 1877, his recommenda^n having been approved, the 

 Quartermaster-General set aside the sum of $10,000 from the appropria- 

 tion for the transportation of the Army for the improvement of the 

 Yellowstone Eiver. As engineer officer of this department I was as- 

 signed to the charge of the work ; Lieut. W. H. Low, Twentieth In- 

 fantry, was detailed as assistant. Lieutenant Low, with the sergeant 

 and one private of the engineer detachment left this city May 14, 1877, 

 to make a survey of the reservation at Tongue Eiver. A partial survey 

 was made, but they were relieved from that duty to carry on the work 

 of improvement at Wolf Rapids. 



I left Bismarck, Dak., July 4, with one private of engineers and ten 

 civilians, for Wolf Rapids. Having started the work, and Lieutenant 

 Low having reported, I returned to Saint Paul to make necessary dis- 

 bursements. On the 3d of August I left Saint Paul to visit the party 

 engaged upon the improvement of the Missouri River at Dauphin's 

 Rapids. 



I was detained at Cow Island for three weeks through lack of trans- 

 portation, and the two steamboats on which I attempted to descend the 

 river were successively stopped by General Howard and Colonel Miles, 

 who were in pursuit of the Nez Percys. I did not arrive at Fort Bu- 

 ford until the L'Oth October. 



For the reasons noted above, no important topographical work was 

 done by me or the detachment diiring the year. 



As stated in my report for last year, two officers (Lieut. L. R. Hare, 

 Seventh Cavalry, and Lieut. O. F. Long, Fifth Infantry) were detailed 

 as acting engineer officers for the troops in the Held. They plotted their 

 notes in this office, and their work was incorporated in the corrected 

 map of the department forwarded to the Chief of Engineers. Their 

 reports will be found appended. Portions of each of these reports refer 

 to sections of the country hitherto officially unknown. 



