James H. Carleton to Edward E. Eyre, November 7, 1861

Maj. EDWARD E. EYRE, First Cavalry California Volunteers,

MAJOR: Your letter of November 4, 1861, was handed to me last evening. Your men should be punished whenever they absent themselves from your camp without permission from proper authority. Have them tried by a garrison court-martial or a regimental courtmartial which you have the right now to order. In these times when so grave an insult was offered to soldiers in the service of the United States as the one offered to your men by the bully and desperado. who was knocked down, Lam only surprised that they did not kill the traitor outright. If the man who so promptly resented the insult to himself and country is otherwise fitted for the place it would be well to make him a non-commissioned officer. While you must discourage rows and repress all disturbances and all breaches of the peace, still, when the country is insulted through your men, I hope you will always resent the insult on the spot in such a manner that the villain will never offer another. I know well that in San Bernardino the eivil authorities are not respected and the administration of the civil law is a farce, so that in a measure you come back to first principles. If then a traitor insults the country by treasonable toasts and your soldiers have active patriotism enough to punish him well for it, I have not the heart to advise you to repress their inclination to do so; only see that this is not made a pretext for inflicting injury for other causes. Let the case be a clear one, the punishment prompt and effectual. By and by your men and the colors will be properly respected. y I am, major,

very respectfully, your obedient servant,