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Headquarters District of the Indian Territory

   Fort Gibson - Cherokee Nation
          July 14, 1868

Bvt. Brig. Genl. C. McKeever Asst. Adjt. Genl. Hed. Qrs. Dept. of the Missouri

    Fort Leavenworth Kansas

General: I desire to inform the Commanding General of my return to this place on the thirteenth instant * & from the expedition on which I started the first of June and to submit for his information the following report.

    My route was as follows:  from this station via the Seminole Agency to Fort Arbuckle; thence West by North past the large prairie spring near an old Witchita Village to the Eastern extremity of the Witchita Mountains;  thence West along the South side of the mountains to old Camp Radziminski and the North Fork of Red River;  thence North East through the western portion of the mountains to old Fort Cobb, down the Valley of the Washita River to Fort Arbuckle and from that post to this in a course as nearly North East as possible without reference to roads.
    The route to Fort Arbuckle by way of the Seminole Agency, known as Capt. Robinsons road which has been used for military purposes for the last ten months is one hundred and seventy-eight (178) miles in length.  The road from this point to the Seminole Agency is very good with the exception of two or three bottoms and crossings of streams which are bad in wet weather; the road however is by no means direct the objective point being evidently the Agency which is fully twenty miles West of a direct line to Fort Arbuckle.   From the Agency to Arbuckle the road is not only indirect, bearing much too far to the West, but it is [crossed-out word] hilly, rough and has crossing it three or four considerable streams which are frequently quite impassable.

[Note written vertically in left margin]

* (Insert)

Together with Capn. V. B. Hubbard, Asst. Surg., Captain Alvord, Lieut. Woodward and the detachment of enlisted men at Regt. Hd. Qrs. 10th Cavalry.