ursued, every respectable man in the State will soon be an active
supporter of the government, and Missouri will be the most loyal
State in the Union.

"This, in fact, is the cause of the present fierce action of the
radicals. They know they must get the power at once, or there will
soon be an overwhelming loyal party opposed to them. The 'claybank'
leaders control all the conservative elements in the State, and
give to Genl. S., as the representative of the President, an honest
support. They will continue to support him in the execution of
any policy the President may order to be carried out. They sustain
him, and will sustain him in future, although they may not approve
all his acts, because it is their duty to the government."

About the last of September a radical delegation of about one
hundred members from Missouri and Kansas went to Washington to urge
my removal from command in Missouri. The President sent me the
following instructions, and made a reply to the delegation, also
given below:

"Executive Mansion, Washington, D. C., Oct. 1, 1863.
"General John M. Schofield.

"Sir: There is no organized military force in avowed opposition
to the General Government now in Missouri; and if any such shall
reappear, your duty in regard to it will be too plain to require
any special instructions. Still, the condition of things both
there and elsewhere is such as to render it indispensable to maintain
for a time the United States military establishment in that State,
as well as to rely upon it for a fair contribution of support to
the establishment generally. Your immediate duty in regard to
Missouri now is to advance the efficiency of that establishment,
and to use it, as far as practicable, to compel the excited people
there to leave one another alone.

"Under your recent order, which I have approved, you will only
arrest individuals, and suppress assemblies or newspapers, when
they may be working palpable injury to the military in your charge;
and in no other case will you interfere with the expression of
opinion in any form, or allow it to be interfered with violently
by others. In this you have a discretion to exercise with great
caution, calmness, and forbearance.

"With the matters of removing the inhabitants of certain counties
_en masse_, and of removing certain individuals from time to time,
who are supposed to be mischievous, I am not now interfering, but
am leaving to your own discretion.