R. C. Drum to Henry W. Halleck, July 9, 1862

MAJOR:

I have the honor to report to the general commanding the Department of the Pacific that [ have been in this valley fifteen days, carrying out my instructions to chastise these Indians, or the Indians of Owen’s River; that I have killed several, taken eleven prisoners, and destroyed a great many rancherias and a large quantity of seeds, worms, «c., that the Indians had gathered for food. Day before yesterday, July 7, 1 received a note by the hands of a messenger sent from a detachment of my command thirty miles above this point stating that Captain Rowe, of Company A, with the sub-Indian agent, Mr. Wassen, and hisinterpreters and ten men, were on the opposite side of the river; that they had seen and talked with the Indian chiefs and made a treaty with them. I immediately sent men to the river with led horses for Captain Rowe and Mr. Wassen to ride after crossing the river, and requested Captain Rowe to come over and report to me the facts in the case. At 2 o’clock Sergeant Ethier came to my camp and stated that Captain Rowe’s health was bad and the river was out of its banks and would have to be swam by him in order to reach me; begged that I would come down to the river, that we might talk from bank to bank. I immediately saddled my horse and rode down to the river, and finding it almost impossible to talk from bank to bank in consequence of the sloughs on either side of the river being swimming, I resolved to cross myself. After swimming two sloughs and the river and wading half a mile through willows and tulles, I reached the eastern bank of Owen’s River, where Captain Rowe was camped, and spent the night with him. J found that Captain Rowe had been for some time previous encamped at the Adobe Meadows, twenty-five miles this sideof Aurora and ninety-five miles above this point; that he was acting under orders from headquarters Department of the Pacific and endeavoring to make peace with the Indians, while I was under instructions to chastise them severely; that the captain had performed his duty with judgment and energy and had, through the Mono Indians, several talks with the Owen’s River Indians; that, although they were at first very independent and did not care whether it was peace or war, they had since I came into the valley and commenced killing and destroying whenever I could find an Indian to kill or his food to destroy changed their tune and were anxious for peace. Captain George, the big war chief of these Indians, and some forty warriors were in Captain Rowe’s camp when I arrived. [hada big talk with George, and he says that he is tired fighting; that it is no good; that he wishes to be friends with the white men; that if they will let him alone he will let them alone. I told him that I came here to fight and kill Indians, because the big general had been told and believed that the Indians wanted to fight, but that if they did not want to fight I did not want to fight; that I would write to the big captain at San Francisco and tell him that the Indians did not want to fight, but wanted to be friends, and that it would be all right. He seemed much pleased, and said that he would send word to all the Indians that he had made friends with the white men, and that if any bad Indian stole anything or did anything bad he would bring him to me to punish, and that if the white man did anything bad to him he would come and tell me; that he would do what I told him. To Captain Rowe is due great praise for his skilland management in getting the Indians together and having talks with them and preparing the way for a speedy settlement of these Indian difficulties. Captain George is now in my camp, and everything will be quiet hereafter, in my opinion, unless the whites first commit outrages upon the Indians. They are very badly frightened and, I think, are in earnest about wanting peace. As I haveno instructions or authority to make any treaty, L most respectfully ask for different instructions as to what course I shall pursue with these Indians under the circumstances; also as to what time I shall have to remain in this valley, so that I can make arrangements accordingly. I send this communication by way of Aurora direct to headquarters, instead of through Colonel Forman (in accordance with my instructions), for the reason that I deem it important that the facts should be laid before the general as soon as possible, and by sending by Aurora it willreach San Francisco in half of the time that it would by way of Los Angeles. If my instructions in reply to this communication are sent directed to Aurora, in care of Captain Rowe, he will have a messenger bring them down the river opposite to my camp, where he can swim over, leaving his horse. I can receive them in no other mode, for the river is impassable for horses and will be for some weeks yet. Hoping that the course pursued by myself may meet the approbation of the general,

respectfully, your obedient servant,