James H. Carleton to Edward E. Eyre, December 13, 1861

Lieut. Col. EDWARD E. EYRE, First Cavalry California Volunteers:

COLONEL: You will proceed without delay to San Bernardino, and from the cavalry encamped near that town you will select one officer and twenty-three men and march to Camp Wright. There you will unite to your party Lieutenant Wellman and the twenty-seven cavalry uow under his command. You will then have the prisoners now in confinement at Camp Wright, who are known as Showalter and his party, eighteen in all (or more, if there be more), transfer to you all their horses and mules, arms and ammunition, equipage, provisions, «e. For these you will give each man who may claim to own a part of this property a receipt for such part, and make a careful inventory of all of said property and a memorandum of what belongs to each man, if practicable, certified to by the man himself. You will then march these prisoners, having with you the company of infantry now under orders to move from Camp Wright to Fort Yuma,as far as Carriso Creek, when, if you deem it perfectly safe for the company of infantry to guard the prisoners from there on to Fort Yuma, you can turn them over to the captain of that company and return to your post. If you do not deem it perfectly safe, you will continue on with a part of your command to Fort Yuma, and there transfer the prisoners to Major Rigg, taking his receipt for them, each man being named in said receipt, which you will afterward transmit to me. As you return you will bring from Camp Wright all the horses and mules, arms, &e., which you have received from the prisoners. You must be on your guard against attempts to rescue these prisoners, and against their rising on and overpowering the men set to guard them. There must be no escape and no rescue. The officers in charge of the prisoners will be held to a strict accountability for them.

your obedient servant,