Angeles to R. W. Kirkham, U. S. Army, October 29, 1861

Capt. R. W. KIRKHAM, U. S. Army, Commissary of Subsistence, San Francisco, Cal. :

Colonel Buchanan wants 12,000 rations pork and hard bread put on steamer that takes his command from San Pedro. Send by Senator 40,000 rations subsistence stores for troops in this district.

NoTE.—Captain Ketchum, commanding at San Pedro, wrote to the undersigned a letter to which the foregoing is a reply, but afterward the undersigned concluded to send for the rations, fearing the troops might need them. The following is the basis of the calculation:

Colonel Buchanan’s command, October 13, 71; Captain Davidson’s command October 13, 113; Major Ketchum’s command, October 20, 350; total strength, 534; round numbers, to include laundresses, servants, &c., 600; for twenty days, 12,000,

Los Angeles, Cal., October 29, 1861.

Commanding at Camp Wright, near Warner’s Ranch, Cal. :

MAJOR: I have applied for authority to move your camp to Oak Grove or Temecula as soon as Colonel Andrews has gone to San Diego and embarked. The command from Fort Yuma is ordered to embark for New York at San Diego on the steamer which is to leave San Francisco for Panama on the 21st of November, 1861. Colonel Andrews command is to have your teams as its transportation from Camp Wright to San Diego, so that Banning’s train and ambulance ean come on from Camp Wright to San Pedro without dely. If a company of infantry with transportation belonging to Fort Yuma reaches Camp Wright in advance of Colonel Andrews’ main command, you will continue it on without delay to.San Diego with the Fort Yuma teams, with orders for those teams to load at San Diego for your camp and return without delay. When returned keep this transportation, and when Colonel Andrews comes use it with your own, if necessary, to transport the colonel’s command to San Diego. When the Yuma wagons again return (loaded, of course), you will detain them at Camp Wright until the arrival of a detachment of recruits which I shall shortly send to Fort Yuma.

very respectfully, your obedient servant,