Government sent west a peace commission composed of Senator Doolittle,
General Alex McD. McCook, and others. The Indian agent for these tribes
was Colonel J. H. Leavenworth. They no sooner reached the Indian country
than they protested against the movement of any troops into the territory
south of the Arkansas River. In fact, General McCook issued an order,
using General Pope's name as authority, stopping General Ford's movement.
He had no authority to do this, but General Ford obeyed, as the
information came to him that these chiefs were assembling at the mouth of
the Little Arkansas to make peace. After parleying with the Indians, the
commission accomplished nothing, and the Indians all the time were
committing their depredations on the emigrant trains that were passing up
the Arkansas Valley to New Mexico and Colorado. All the protests and
appeals of General Pope, General Ford and myself to the Government in
relation to this matter seemed to have no effect. These Indians had
murdered the settlers, wiped out their ranches, and stolen their property
and their stock, and our scouts who went among them saw their captures in
plenty. As soon as we would start out to punish them, even those that had
crossed north of the Arkansas River, protests were sent to Washington and
came back to us, so that we virtually accomplished nothing. The condition
of matters became so complicated that on June 6, 1865, I stated my views
of the question to Major-General John Pope, commanding the Military
Division of the Missouri, as follows:

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI.

FORT LEAVENWORTH, June 6, 1865.

_Major-General John Pope, Commanding Military Division of the
Missouri_:

GENERAL: You have been notified of the action of Major-General McCook,
under the orders of the Congressional Committee, in stopping the
expedition of General Ford south of the Arkansas, that they might
confer, and, if possible, make peace with the Arapahoes, Cheyennes,
Comanches, Kiowas, etc. Colonel Leavenworth started south a week ago
to bring the chiefs up to the mouth of Cow Creek, and while we are
endeavoring to make terms with them, their warriors are strung along
the route from Zarah to Lyon, dashing in on any train that they find
off its guard. They are in parties of from fifteen to fifty, and hide
in the valleys and ravines. These Indians now have their villages at
Fort Cobb, and have drive