facts. Advise them also to give you _full reports_ of all matters
connected with their respective charges, and forward them, when received
to this office. Very respectfully,
S. S. SCOTT, Act'g Commr. of Ind. Affairs.
CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA, WAR DEPARTMENT
Office of Indian Affairs, Richmond, Jany. 1st, 1862.
MAJOR ELIAS RECTOR, Superintendent of Indian Affairs,
Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Sir: An Act was recently passed by the Congress of the Confederate States,
and approved December 26th, 1861, "making appropriations to comply, in
part, with Treaty stipulations made with certain Indian Tribes." The whole
amount appropriated by this Act was six hundred and eighty one thousand,
eight hundred and sixty nine dollars, and fifteen cents.
By sundry requisitions of the Secretary of War upon the Secretary of the
Treasury, this sum has been placed in the hands of General Albert Pike,
for delivery to you, as Superintendent of Indian Affairs.
Herewith you will receive Tabular Statements, marked Numbers (1) and (2)
for your information and guidance, as to the times manner, &c., that this
money is to be disbursed.
You will perceive from these statements, that one hundred and nineteen
thousand, three hundred and forty dollars can be used, for the purposes
indicated immediately, or, whenever, it may be deemed essential by you;
while the residue, amounting to five hundred and sixty two thousand, five
hundred and twenty nine dollars and fifteen cents, is dependent, for its
dusbursement, upon the ratification of the Treaties, as amended by the
several Indian Tribes. Very respectfully,
S. S. SCOTT, Act'g Commr. of Indian Affairs.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT, C. S. A., SECOND AUDITOR'S OFFICE,
Richmond, Va. Dec 31st 1861.
SIR--The Treasurer of the Confederate States will remit to you the sum of
six hundred and eighty one thousand, eight hundred & sixty nine 15/100
dollars--, being the amount of Requisitions Nos.
2175-76-77-78-79-80-81-82-83 & 84 issued in your favor on the 20th
Instant--, with which you are charged on the Books of this Office, on
account of the following Appropriation, to wit:
"An Act making Appropriations to comply in part with Treaty Stipulations
made with certain Indian Tribes," as per Act
Requisition No. 2175 For Contingencies of superintending & Agencies $ 3,500.00
Do " 2176 " Sundry Appropriations for Cherokee Indians 237,944.36
" " 2177 " Do Do " Seminole Indians 61,050.00
" " 2178 " " " " Choctaw &Chickasaws 115,126.89
" " 2179 " " " " Creek Indians 72,950.00
" " 2180 " " " " Comanches 64,862.00
" " 2181 " " " " Reserve Indians 82,905.00
" " 2182 " " " " Seneca Indians 11,962.46
" " 2183 " " " " Quapaw Indians 9,000.00
" " 2184 " " " " Osage Indians 22,568.44
----------
Total $681,869.15
The Treasurer will advise you when the same has been placed to your credit
on his Books, or hand you a Draft--for which you will please forward a
Receipt to this Office, specifying therein the date, number and amount of
said Requisition. I am, very respectfully, your ob't serv't,
W. H. S. TAYLOR, Auditor.
To Genl Albert Pike, Agent for the War Department for delivery of the
above funds to Elias Rector, Supt. Ind. Affairs, now in Richmond, Va.
CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA, TREASURER'S OFFICE,
Richmond, Va., Jan{y} 23
ELIAS RECTOR, Fort Smith, Ark.
Sir, I have this day placed to your credit 3,000 Dollars, amount of
Warrant No. 23 Issued in your favor by War Department. Your checks on the
Treasurer of the Confederate States will be honoured for that amount.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this Notification, and enclose your
official signature. Very Respectfully,
E. C. ELMORE, Treasurer C. S.
CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA, WAR DEPARTMENT,
Office of Indian Affairs, Richmond Jany 23d 1862.
MAJ. E. RECTOR, Superintendent &c, Fort Smith, Arkansas.
SIR: General Pike of date Dec. 30th 1861, writes to this Bureau, as
follows:
In order to obtain the ratification, by the several Indian Tribes, of
the amendments made by Congress to the Indian Treaties negotiated by
me, and to effect a Treaty with the Caiowas, I have sent messages to
the Creeks, Seminoles, Cherokees, Choctaws and Chickasaws, requesting
that their national Councils may be convened; and to the Chiefs of the
Osages, Quapaws, Senecas, Senecas and Shawnes, Comanches, Reserve
Indians and Caiowas, requesting them to meet me at my head Quarters.
It will be necessary to furnish provisions to the Creek and Seminole
Councils, and to feed the more uncivilized Chiefs, while in Council,
and on their return, and also perhaps to make some presents; for which
purposes no funds are in the hands of the Superintendent or myself.
In accordance with these suggestions and at the request of this Bureau a
requisition was drawn by the Secretary of War, a few days ago, for the sum
of three thousand dollars, which is to be placed to your credit in the
Treasury.
You will please use this money, or so much of it, as may be necessary, for
the purposes, and in the manner, above indicated. Very respectfully,
S. S. SCOTT, Act'g Commr. of Ind. Affairs.
LITTLE ROCK, ARK., 28th January, 1862.
DEAR RECTOR: I will leave here on Friday morning. It will take me, I
suppose, six days to reach Fort Smith with the money. This will bring me
to the 5th, 6th or 7th of February.
I have $265.927.50 in specie, all in gold except $65.000 in silver. Of
course I must stay with it. I think I can make the journey, though in six
days.
I think you had better go up to my head Quarters immediately, and arrange
to feed the Comanches and others if they come there; and keep them there
until I reach the place. I can take the money there, and send by the same
messenger who takes this, to Colonel Cooper for an escort.
The Treasurer of the Choctaws means to sell the coin his people get, buy
Confederate paper, and put the difference in his pocket. We must stop
that. I think the best way will be for you to notify the Chief, Hudson,
the amount to be paid in coin, and that you will pay it to the Treasurer
only in the presence of three Commissioners appointed by himself.
If you _can_ pay the Choctaws and Chickasaws at my Head Quarters, it will
of course be much better.
I have had to ask the _immediate_ removal of Leeper, and the appointment
of Col. Pulliam in his place. This I have done to-day, sending extracts
from your letter, Charley Johnson's and Quesenbury's.
The Secretary is also advised, now, of Garrett's continual [illegible].
Why do you not demand his removal, and name a person for his place?
I don't believe Col. Cooper will be removed. The President said in my
presence, "Now that the Choctaws have a Delegate in Congress, what need of
an Agent?"
About 150 gamblers are here, following up the Indian moneys. I enclose an
order requiring passports, that will keep them out of the Nation.
I have the $150.000 advance for the Cherokees, the $12.000 due the Nation,
and the $10.300 due the Treaty party or Stand Wade's,--all in paper. Also
the $50.000 advance for the Choctaws. In paper and specie, I have for you
$631.000 and over.
Have you received the money, (some $3.000) that I asked should be sent you
to pay expenses of the new Indian Councils?
If you cannot go to Head Quarters immediately, you will have to send some
one, and let him and Colonel Cooper keep the Indians contented. Always
yours,
ALBERT PIKE.
Maj. E. Rector.
OFFICE SUPT. IND. AFFAIRS, Fort Smith, Feby 1st, 1862.
SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith the Reports of Agents Leeper,
Cooper, Rutherford and Crawford. No report has been received from Agent
Dorn.
Business of importance requires me to leave here to-day for Fort Gibson
and the Creek Agency, it is important for me to take charge of the public
property at the Creek Agency which I shall do on my arrival there and I
will turn the same over to R P Pulliam who I have appointed Agent to act
until the Department may make a permanent appointment and I hope Mr
Pulliam may be the person appointed. I have also appointed to meet a
delegation of Comanches and Kiawas at Fort Gibson where I expect Genl Pike
and myself will effect treaties with them. I have sent a lot of goods to
make some presents to them and to the wild bands with whom Genl Pike made
treaties last fall and to whom he promised some goods; after meeting these
delegation and ascertaining what can be effected with them I will make out
and forward to you a report of Indian matters generally in this
superintendency which I hope will reach you in time to be of some service
to the Department. I could not, until after I meet those Indians and
ascertain the condition of the Creek Agency, make a full and satisfactory
report.
In regard to Agent Crawfords report I must here state, that from the best
information I can obtain of the condition of affairs among the Cherokees,
I cannot concur with him, but I will inform myself fully in this regard
during my present visit among them and will furnish my views fully in my
report, Very Respectfully Your Obt. Servt.
E. RECTOR, Supt. Ind. Affairs
S. S. SCOTT Esq Acting Comr. Ind. Affairs
Richmond, Va
OFFICE SUPT IND AFFAIR, Fort Smith Feby 1st 1862
SIR: Genl. Pike is here with $50.000 Dollars in Gold and Silver for the
Choctaws, and as I am compelled to accompany him on important business to
Fort Gibson, I have determined to take the above money with me to that
place and pay it out there, which will be as convenent for you as to pay
it here, and as Col Cooper will have to be present at the payment, it is
necessary to make the payment when he can attend. I will be ready to pay
over to your Treasurer the above money at Fort Gibson in ____ days from
this date, and I wish you to send with your Treasurer a delegation of
three responsible persons to be selected by you to witness the payment.
This I require, as it is a special case with our government to pay out
Coins to the Indian tribes at this time, and to insure the payment by the
Treasurer of the same funds to your people, that he receives from me. Our
government is determined to use all precautions to prevent speculations
out of the funds sent out to pay to Indian tribes. Very Respectfully Your
Obt Servt.
E. RECTOR, Supt Ind Affrs
Hon Hudson, Chief Choctaw Nation.
CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA, WAR DEPARTMENT
Office of Indian Affairs, Richmond, Feby 7th 1862.
MAJOR E. RECTOR, Superintendent of Ind. Affairs.
Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Sir: Your two letters, dated January 9th & 10th, have been received. The
former gave a brief statement of the facts, in relation to the arrest, by
Agent Leeper, of one Meyer, supposed to be a spy, with $6.455.70, in
Drafts and Specie upon his person, and enclosed copies of letters from
Messrs Leeper and Shirley, bearing upon same subject. The latter simply
covered the Affidavit of a Mr. Barnes, claiming the Drafts referred to,
followed by affidavits of Meyer and one Jacob Mariner intended to
substantiate it.
The questions presented in this case should properly be investigated by
Brig. Genl. Pike, who has command of the Department of the Indian
Territory, where this person was arrested; and a letter has therefore been
written to him from this Bureau, for the purpose of calling his attention
to the fact.
You will take the necessary steps to have the man Meyer turned over to
him. Very respectfully,
S. S. SCOTT, Act'g Comr. of Ind. Affairs.
FORT SMITH, 16th Feby 1862
ELIAS RECTOR Esq, Superintendent of Ind. Affairs
Sir: As to the case of Fredrick Meyer, arrested as a spy, there is nothing
beyond suspicion against him, except his possession of certain drafts
drawn by a U. S. Quartermaster on the Assistant Treasurer at New York, and
the Statements of Comanche Indians, who are not competent witnesses.
I decline to place him in custody as a spy or to order a Miltary Court to
try him. I cannot order his discharge or the return of the drafts and
money taken from him, because the Military power is silent, within the
limits of Arkansas, in the presence of the Court power, as to reports that
may be asserted and remedies that may be pursued, in the Courts. If I had
the power, I should make the order.
If you continue to hold the property in question, or to detain the party,
you will please consider that you do it on your own authority. I am very
respectfully yours,
ALBERT PIKE, Brig. Genl. Commr. Ind. Dept.
MOUTH OF CANADIAN, 23d Febr. 1862.
MAJOR: I reached this place last night, and leave this morning. The teams
furnished me at Fort Smith are hardly able to go further, and our progress
must be slow. I shall hardly reach Spaniard's Creek before tomorrow night,
and wish you to meet me there. I did think of sending the money, at least
the specie, direct from this point to North Fork, but have determined to
keep it with me until I meet you. If you will meet me at Spaniard's Creek,
we can then determine what disposition to make of it.
Gen. Price is at Walnut Grove, eight miles south of Fayetteville; will
take position near Cane Hill, and means to attack as soon as he gets
5,000. men in addition to his present force. McCulloch is on the telegraph
road, to his right. _They are not acting in harmony_, Col. Gatewood says.
Our forces in Kentucky and Tennesse have had to fall back before 70,000 of
the enemy. The new position, it is expected, will be at Stevenson and
Charleston road. When the enemy took Fort Donelson, both Bowling Green and
Columbus became of value to us. Each position was carried. But we have
only taken a new position, losing no battle. The fort surrendered.
Columbus is or will be evacuated and Nashville surrendered.
There are no means of crossing the Arkansas here, except one boat, that
must have a bottom put in it. I must bring at least part of the Choctaws
to Gibson, to cross the river and move towards Cane Hill, and in order to
be able to do it as soon as possible I wish to turn over the money to you.
Truly yours
ALBERT PIKE
Major Elias Rector.
OFFICE SUPT IND. AFF'RS, Fort Smith, Feb'y 28th, 1862.
SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 23d
ultimo notifying me that the sum of $3,000--had been placed to my credit
in the Treasury on Requisition No. 23 from the War Department subject to
my Draft and request my official signature which is hereto affixed. Very
Respectfully your Ob't Serv't.
E. RECTOR, Sup't Ind. Aff'rs.
E. C. Elmore Esq., Treasurer of the Confederate States
Richmond, Va.
OFFICE SUP'T IND. AFFAIRS, Fort Smith, Feb'y 28th, 1862.
SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of Jany
1st accompanying Tabular Statements sent out by Gen'l Pike. On his arrival
here I was absent in the Indian Country where I had been ordered by him to
meet a Delegation of wild Comanches and Kiawas. Genl P-- did not leave the
money here to be paid over to me but tuck it in the Indian Country to his
head quarters, where he will I presume pay it out to the Indians himself.
Very Respectfully, your ob't Serv't.
E. RECTOR, Sup't Ind Affairs.
S. S. SCOTT Esq. Acting Com'r Ind. Affairs, Richmond, Va.
[_Rector to Scott_]
OFFICE SUPT IND. AFFAIRS, March 4th, 1862.
SIR: I deem it my duty, in justice to myself, as well as my duty to the
government to notify you that Gen'l Pike has been paying over certain of
the funds sent out by him to the Indians, one payment which he has made, I
wish here to enter my protest against as not meeting with my approbation,
it was in paying over to Agent A. J. Dorn the specie sent out for the
Indians in his Agency. My objections to said payment are these: Agent Dorn
has never executed a Bond to the Confederate government for the faithful
accounting for of funds placed in his hands, and I should certainly not
turn over large amounts of government funds to any Agent in my Department
until he first gave a good and sufficient Bond and next; the Agency which
Mr. Dorn fills is in the limits of the State of Kansas and has been in the
possession of the Federals for six or seven months, Dorn cannot even get
to it, he has no fixed locality for his Agency sometimes he is with the
army, at others in the State and is now here at this place and has with
him the money.
I am clearly of the opinion that this money should have been kept in some
safe place in this State until after our present troubles are over. The
Federal army is now invading within fifty miles of this place and between
him and the Indians for whom Dorn is Agent, which makes it impossible for
him to pay it to them if he so intends.
None of the Agents in this Superintendency have entered into Bond. Nor do
I know whether they intend to do so except Agent Rutherford he came here
from his Agency a few days since for the purpose of giving his Bond but is
now on a bead of sickness from which it is doubtful if he ever
recovers....
ELIAS RECTOR.[589]
APPENDIX B--THE LEEPER[590] OR WICHITA AGENCY PAPERS
OFFICE SUPT. INDIAN AFFAIRS, Fort Smith, Oct. 12th, 1861.
SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 15th inst. by
Expressman Sturm[591] at Tahlequah C. N. while on public business at that
place on the 2nd inst and in answer must say.
Your requisition for Medicine I cannot comply with. I have no Medicines on
hand for the Indian Service. Neither have I been instructed to furnish
either Medicines or Medical assistance to the Indians, and if I were
disposed to take the responsibility and advance the funds to purchase
Medicines they could not be procured at this place.
I am pleased to learn that Buffalo Hump came in to see you, but both
myself & Com{r}. Pike regret that you did not hold out to him all the
inducements which were in your power, and use all the forces and means at
your command to provide him with such houses as were contemplated and
promised by Com{r}. Pike for the comfort of those Indians and to make them
satisfied and anxious to come in.
The Com{r}. has issued an order prohibiting Jim Ned from returning to or
ever occupying any portion of the Leased District again, this order you
will see carried out. He has also ordered the Military to kill Ned should
they find him.
No blanks have been furnished to the office as yet. Nor have even forms
been purchased for the vouchers, abstracts etc. You must rule and arrange
your papers as best you can for the present as I have to do myself.
I have turned over to Mr. Sturm four mules turned over to me as mules
taken from you by Gen{l} Burrow. I obtained them with great difficulty in
bad condition, nearly on the lift. I have had them three or four weeks,
these were all I could find and do not know whether they are all that were
taken from you or not.
As stated above I have received no funds for the Indian Service from the
Confederacy, in fact there has been no Indian Department organized
consequently no appropriation has been made nor will any Indian business
be done in the War Department until after the late Treaties are submitted
and approved.
I shall leave here in a short time for Richmond for the purpose of
organizing the business of the Superintendency, procuring funds, goods
etc. for the Indians in compliance with the Stipulations of the late
Treaties.
C. B. Johnson is absent at New Orleans and is expected back in a few days.
Enclosed you will find Sutton & Springs receipt for $200.
Owing to Creek difficulties I send Mr. Sturm back by direct route for his
safety and the safety of your property. Very Respectfully Your Ob't.
Servant
E. RECTOR, Supt. Ind. Affairs.
Col. M. Leeper, Ind. Agent, Wichita Agency, L. D.
OFFICE SUPT. IND. AFFAIRS, FORT SMITH, ARKS.
Oct. 30th, 1861.
SIR: I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 21st inst. by
Expressman.
On the 12th Inst, I wrote you by your expressman Mr. Sturm and as then,
state I have no funds in my hands for the purchase of Medicines or for any
other purpose for the Indian Service. Nor have I been authorized to
provide the Indians with Medicines or Medical assistance; there has been
no Indian Department regularly organized as yet, by our Government, nor
will there be until after the Treaties lately made by Com{r} Pike are laid
before the President and approved.
I have purchased for you on your own account, all the medicines I can
purchase in this place that would be useful to the Indians. I send them by
your Expressman with the bills, you can charge the Government with them in
your account.
I am pleased to learn that the Kiowa Indians are likely to come in and
make a treaty. Com{r} Pike cannot possibly be there to treat with them for
some months to come, the treaties made by him with the Comanches places
all of those Indians who may hereafter come in on the same footing with
those who entered into treaty stipulations, and I hereby authorize you, as
I have authority to do from Com{r} Pike, to make the same treaties and
hold out the same inducements to the Kiowas as were made by him with the
Comanches, do not, however, promise them blankets this winter as it would
be impossible to procure them, the Government cannot procure a sufficiency
of them for the Soldiers, not even at the most exorbitant prices. Agents
are traveling over the States purchasing second hand blankets from
families who take them off their beds to accomodate the Soldiers in the
field.
H. L. Rogers is now on his way to your agency with hands to build houses
for the Indians, he is sent out by Com{r}. Pike on his responsibility. I
wrote you by him.
Gen'l Pike will have command of the Military Department of the Indian
Country. He is now on his way to Richmond Va., when he will [return] I am
not advised, it will be with him to direct what military force will be
placed at Fort Cobb for the protection of your agency, when that
protection will be furnished I am unable to advise you, of the importance
of an efficient force being stationed there at an early day there can be
no doubt.
In regard to the Mail or Express arrangements you speak of, I must say I
have neither power, authority, or means to establish mail or express
routes to your agency or elsewhere. Our State and other States are
suffering greatly for want of mail facilities, and I cannot involve myself
pecuniarily in the matter, this matter must be brought regularly before
the Department and its action had.
In regard to the time when you may expect funds to close your accounts I
can only say that you need not expect funds until after the treaties
recently made are ratified and appropriations made in accordance with your
estimates furnished Com{r} Pike, the Government will not, of course, send
out funds for Indians until it is advised that it has some treaty
relations with them, I will leave here on the 7th day of next month for
Richmond for the purpose of assisting in the organization of our Indian
business, and for the procurement of funds, goods, etc, to carry out the
provisions of the late treaties, on my return you will be advised of the
result of my mission.
I learn from Mr. C. B. Johnson that you had advised him that Mr. Beckle is
acting as Commissary, this is wrong and is calculated to produce confusion
in the accounts. Mr. Sturm is the recognized commissary regularly
appointed by me, he should not be sent away from his regular duties on any
other business and I so informed him while here and notified him that his
absence from his regular duties on another occasion would be sufficient
cause for me to remove him and appoint his successor, the appointment of
commissary belongs exclusively to me, and you are well aware of the
importance of his being constantly at his post, as he is the check on the
contractor in filling the requisitions of the agent. In future I hope he
will not be detailed for any other duties. Mr. Sturm is and will continue
to be Commissary until removed by me either upon charges or such cause as
I may think requires his removal. Very respectfully, Your Ob't. Serv't,
E. RECTOR, Supt. Ind. Affairs.
Col. M. Leeper, Indian Agent, Wichita Agency, L. D.
The bearer of this letter, Capt. H. L. Rogers, has been employed and
empowered by Gen{l} Pike Commissioner with plenary powers, to proceed to
the Wichita Agency, with hands, to erect buildings necessary for the
Commissary and cabins for the Indians, Commissioner Pike becomes
responsible for the work....--RECTOR to Leeper, dated Fort Smith, October
25, 1861.
SUBPOENA[592]
Confederate States vs. Matthew Leeper, Indian Agt, Comanche, et al. State
of Arkansas, The Confederate States of America.