LETTER TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR. 
19 
Camp McClelland, west side of Cheyenne River, 
July 4, 1853. 
Sir: The train from Pembina and the Red river, on their way to St. Paul’s, passed the survey¬ 
ing party on the 2d instant, and I embrace the opportunity again to communicate with the 
department. 
My last letter, in regard to the progress of the expedition, was written on the eve of leaving 
Camp Davis, since which time we have made rapid progress into the interior. The command has 
now become thoroughly organized, with broken animals, and hardy willing men. I feel the 
utmost confidence in accomplishing the great objects of the expedition. 
Besides the difficult task of breaking-in wild animals, many too young for the service, and 
the still more difficult task of getting into working condition those run down in the operation, 
we have had to encounter bad roads, muddy sloughs, river crossings—consuming each an entire 
day—and drenching rains. 
But for a few days the weather has been good. To-day we shall reach the Maple river and 
enter upon the high rolling prairie. The worst portions of the road are gone over. The 
grazing is remarkably fine. Every man is now mounted, and we shall now make our regular 
marches of fifteen to twenty miles per day. 
But to return to Camp Davis. On the 12th of June I despatched Lieutenant Grover, with a 
picked party of some fifteen men, with instructions to reconnoitre carefully the country north 
and in the vicinity of White Bear lake, with the view of ascertaining the point where the expe¬ 
dition should leave the Red river tract, and indicating that it was desirable to run from that 
point north of Lake Traverse to the Dead Colt Hillock, and thence to the Yellowstone. The 
remainder of the party followed on the 13th, 15th, and 16th; and on the 23d the whole party 
was in camp at Pike lake, a few miles north of White Bear lake. 
Here we remained till {Saturday, and made our final arrangements for the march to the Yellow¬ 
stone. Some inefficient men were sent home; and a detached party of nineteen picked men, 
two wagons, twenty-six mules, and four horses, under Lieutenant Grover, was organized to 
explore the line he was sent forward from Camp Davis to examine. He moved on the morning 
of the 23d, in fine spirits, determined to distinguish himself. I was then confident, and am 
still, that he will pass over a fine route. It is an almost irresistible inference, from the general 
course of the streams as laid down on Nicollet’s map. His instructions are to push forward to 
the Yellowstone, touching, if possible, the Missouri, to connect with Lieutenant Donelson’s 
survey. 
I moved also on the 23d with the main train, and crossed the Cheyenne early on Saturday 
morning, (July 2.) We have moved rapidly; one day making, to reach wood, a march of 
twenty-seven miles. We bridged the Wild Rice river, and found a good bridge on the Chey¬ 
enne, the work of our Red river friends. 
The train is now in motion, and I am behind to make up a mail, the last till I reach the 
Yellowstone. We shall cross the Cheyenne a second time a few miles north of Bald Hillock 
creek, and shall pass within fifteen or twenty miles of Miniwakan lake. Thence our course 
will be nearly straight. With my reconnoitring force I hope to cover abroad belt of country, 
connecting with Lieutenant Grover’s route. The accompanying sketch will show the char¬ 
acter of our work. It is all the result of careful observation. The work north of our route, on 
the Bois de Sioux, Wild Rice, and Red rivers, was done in a single day, by Mr. Adams, a young 
gentleman attached to the civil engineers’ party: that west of our present camp, on the Chey¬ 
enne, by Mr. Lander, one of my civil engineers, assisted by Mr. Adams and one man. Mr. 
Lander left this on Saturday afternoon, at four o’clock, and returned last evening a little after 
eight—riding eighty miles in twenty-eight hours, and carefully observing for all that distance. 
By a comparison with Nicollet’s map, it will be seen that the course of the Cheyenne at its 
southern bend is much out of the way, and I have determined to have its southern shore care¬ 
fully examined by Mr. Lander. He will accordingly start to-day, with Mr. Adams and four 
