James H. Carleton to First Cavalry California Volunteers, February 25, 1862

Maj. DAVID FERGUSSON, First Cavalry California Volunteers, Commanding at Camp Carleton, San Bernardino:

MAJOR: If you cannot get forage at San Bernardino you are at liberty to move your command to the point on the San Gabriel alluded to in your letter of the 22d instant. I want the remainder of Captain McCleave’s company sent to Fort Yuma. The captain thinks the men had better come via Warner’s ranch. If you can, so arrange it that those men can go with the amount of transportation and forage afforded by the four teams ordered to your camp from Los Angeles yesterday. See that the mules are well shod and the detachment started at once. You cannot get forage at Camp Wright for the horses of Company A, but can get rations for the men thence to Yuma. Send 10,000 rounds of Sharps carbine ball cartridges and 5,000 rounds Colt pistol cartridges, navy size, with the detachment. You will have to do some close figuring to get this detachment safely to Yuma, with your limited means, but I leave to your own resources the best manner of doing it. Company property and the private effects of the men not needed in the field can be shipped, carefully boxed up and marked, to San Pedro. Other articles, save the ammunition alluded to and food and forage which the men can get along temporarily without, but which they will need at Yuma, or when marching up the Colorado to the Mojave Villages, you can send to Camp Wright by some subsequent opportunity after the detachment leaves and when you can get wagons. If the officers who go with the men are enterprising, and the men good, enterprising soldiers, willing to walk to spare their horses, you can have forage sacks filled, so that each horse will carry his own food for several days. Order Capt. Thomas Cox, of the First Infantry California Volunteers, to accompany, but not to command, this party. You can give him a mule for transportation if he has not got one, and room for a valise on the wagons. To help you out I inelose a note* which you can send by the trail through the San Gorgonio Pass to Major Rigg to send out some forage and rations to meet the detachment, say four days’

march from Fort Yuma, upon the desert on the stage road which leads from San Felipe to Fort Yuma. You can write to him a note telling him how many men and animals there will be en route which will be in need of those supplies, and just when to start the supplies. This will diminish your command to two companies. You will then have more provisions than you will want. Haul none of this away, except enough to last until you can replenish your supply from San Pedro, but send it all to Camp Wright. If you have not wagons to do this let me know. This will require some nice figuring also. Send Calvin M. Chriswell and Samuel Kelsey (if you have him) to Fort Yuma by the detachment of McCleave’s cavalry. You may be able to move a part of your command atatime. This is left to your discretion. Icount on your good judgment in executing this matter to the best interests of the service. As long as you can stay in your present camp without detriment to your animals you are at liberty to remain. I am anxious to get the horses and mules in the most serviceable order in the least possible time. I am, major,

very respectfully, your obedient servant,