E. A. Rigg to James H. Carleton, February 19, 1862

Col. J. H. CARLETON, y Commanding Southern District, Los Angeles, Cal. :

COLONEL: Your letter per Mr. Jones was received to-day.* He will be ready to proceed on his journey to-morrow. I had anticipated your instructions to have the brush and undergrowth cleared off around the fort. I had commenced cutting down the trees on the north side of the fort when the overflow stopped it. The brush on the south and

*See Carleton to Rigg, February 12, p. 861,

a e southwest side has been already cleared off, and on the west side of it the mesquite had been cut, but operations were stopped there also by the flood. I will have a good force put to work again immediately and finish it up. On the north side of the fort it is yet too swampy to do much with it. You can depend upon everything being done as directed as promptly as possible. The soft, marshy ground on the north and northeast side of the post is a protection in itself against any attack from that point by any number of men. The boats are all secured, but will be made still more so as soon as chains can be procured. I consider them quite safe now, but chains, if to be had, will make them still more secure. In reference to Mr. Keene being perfectly reliable, I have the opinion of Lieutenant-Colonel West, who knows him better than I do, that he is. My own opinion is that he is entirely too well acquainted with everybody to effect any secret move, and is, in my opinion, disposed to have himself known as the confidential agent of the Government. His appearance anywhere in this neighborhood is always remarked, and from some quarters he is considerably patronized. Costello, I have no hesitation in saying, is, in my opinion, perfectly reliable, ready and prompt to move, and from the time of his arrival until his departure he confines himself to his quarters, and has no intercourse with anyone unless spoken to. I have never yet seen him address anyone. King Woolsey was on the river a short time before I arrived. There is no doubt about his sympathies. Rhodes I have met. He has invariably denounced the action of certain men in declaring Arizona out of the Union, and asserts that they did not speak the sentiments of nine-tenths of the people of Arizona. I have had my eye upon him, nevertheless, but have never heard of any expressions of a treasonable nature. Colonel Snively I have never seen, but have his measure taken. Hither of those men are powerless to do any injury at present, and if circumstances should make it necessary I can pick them up at any time. There are but few around the post now that there is any doubt about. Hamlin, who lives a short distance below Mr. Yager’s, keeps a store, &e., although he took the oath of allegiance before Colonel West, I have but little confidence in, but I have him directly under my own observation, and he can make no move which I do not know. I arrested a man from the Arizona mines yesterday and hold him for instructions. His statement I forward to you by this express. I do not think him very dangerous, but thought him much better here than anywhere else for the present. Mr. Clymer, his employer, is reliable. He was one of the first to inform me of the movements of Baylor. A copy of his letter to me I forwarded with others to district headquarters. He is obliged to be very circumspect. He told me personally that he could not depend upon anyone around him. The circumstances are these in reference to the arrest of his employé, John Kilbride: Mr. Clymer sent in his team for provisions for the mines, sending at the same time the letter, a copy of which was forwarded. On its return, near Grinnel’s, during the night, whilst the driver was sleeping, the flood overtook him, only awaking in time to save his life, losing the wagon, which was washed into the river with contents, saving only his mules. His delaying so long, Mr. Clymer sent out a person named Hayward to look after him. He came on here to make arrangements for more provisions. I had him watched closely, and when he was ready to start I stopped him. He states that he is an English subject—a subject of Great Britain. On the same day Kilbride arrived with another wagon for provisions. I permitted them to go on and get their arrangements all made to start (Mr. Hayward being

56 R R—VOL L, PT I only on parole not to leave until I gave him permission), when I gave permission to the wagon to start. I then had Mr. Kilbride confined (after taking his statement) and sent Lieutenant Mitchell out with his invoices, and overhauled him to see that nothing but provisions were in the wagon, which proved to be the case. He also carried instructions to Kilbride’s driver from him to proceed on to the mine and say to Mr. Clymer that he would follow in a short time, and to get through as fast as possible. Iwas satisfied that Mr. Clymer had no provisions in hand of any kind, and was suffering for them; that he was our friend, and was acting as such in forwarding information, &c., and in addition to that, if I stopped the team with the animals—six in the wagon and eight more that were saved from the flood, making fourteen in all—I would have to feed them. After reflecting upon all the circumstances, I concluded to send Mr. Clymer his wagon and provisions. The driver will not know of Kilbride’s arrest until he gets home. I have been minute about this matter, because I was taking a responsibility that might not meet with your approbation, though I trust it may. I have confined Kilbride in a separate apartment from the other political prisoners, not wishing any comparing of notes from different directions. The expressman who started simultaneously with Mr. Jones has not yet arrived— 2a.m. 20th. Your instructions shall be executed in reference to expressman. Buckner, the man who came with Captain McCleave, is supposed to be in confinement. He left on the morning of the 18th at 3 o’clock. He arrived here in the evening, and was brought in by the guard. I would say to the colonel commanding that Mr. White does not place much confidence in Mr. Warner, at Tucson, although Mr. Hinton and Hooper do. Mr. Warner does not know that my messenger was sent by the commanding officer at this post. He was Mr. Hinton’s messenger to him.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,