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it, I thought it best, for some reasons, to send Major Schofield in command and keep Col. Davidson in immediate command of his post, which I found required attention.

                                                       Very respectfully
                                                            Your obdt. servant
                                              (Sgd)   C. C. Augur
                                                          Brigadier General
                                                          Commanding

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December 10, 1874. MO. MIL. DIV. Colonel R. C. Drum Asst. Adjut. General, Mil. Div. Mo. Chicago, Ills.

Colonel,

                  I have received your letter of the 24. Novbr. directing the sale at such points in Texas, as I may consider most advantageous to the interests involved, of all the Indian animals captured from Indians, who have been hostile, &c.
                  On my arrival here, I was advised by the Qr. Mr. who had charge of the animals in question, that they were in very poor condition - that many had died and a number killed, who were about dying, and that they should be sold as soon as possible.  I inquired about sending them to Texas.  He replied that the ponies were not in condition to go to Texas and that if it were attempted to drive them there, half of them would die.  Under these circumstances, as I have already reported, to the Lieut. General, I ordered their sale here and they are already advertised for sale on the 16th inst.  - Meantime at the urgent request of Lt. Col. Buell, I gave to his Tonkawa Scots, who during the summer's operations had lost most of their own stock worn down by hard service - on hundred of these ponies.  These Indians live at Fort Griffin and receive no annuities [2 word underlined], nor in fact anything from the Indian Department.  The have been our faithful scouts for the past three years and are deserving of consideration and I recommend that this gift be approved.  I also authorized each officer who had been out during the summer to select one of these ponies for himself.  Their value is very little and they were desired mostly as a memento [underline] of the Summer's Campaign. Orders have been given for a strict accountability of these animals.  Please see order enclosed.
                     Amongst the animals taken from the Indians were about eighty mules, including twenty taken from Kicking Bird, who should be compensated for his.  These mules were all turned over to the Qr. Mr., and