when I had reason lo believe the Regiment of Mounted Gun-men, requested of you had been raised and would be here before I could have suspended their movement if indeed. l had deemed it proper so lo do. This however did not appear lo me proper; on lhc contrary I deemed it necessary lo request of Lhe Governors of i\·li58ouri and Arkansas Lhe two thousand men authorisied as additional force- for reasons set forth in my letter lo Gen. Arbuckle, (of which I annex a Copy N. 3) of these measures, the War Department has been regularly advised. some of Our fashionable party leader's. Editors and others seem very much shocked al my preparatory measures lo cross a litlle muddy branch of Lhe Sabine Bay (which branch some are pleased lo call the Sabine. whilst others of more literary pretension call it the Rubicon)- to hold the Savages in check merely because some few white men have been killed by them and some women and children Lhe wives of the Slain, have been taken prisoners, and carried off to the bosom of the Wilderness! In reply lo such silly opinions of the selfish slaves of party, I need only lo remark that in deciding upon Lhe course of measures for ::·me to pursue, in reference lo the outrages committed by the Indians near me. I Lhink it my duty lo consider the poorest frontier family menaced . with the Indian Scalping knife, as entitled lo the Same attention, and the Same vigilant measures of protection, as the most fashionable of our interior citizens. If I were capable of making an invidious distinction in such a case between the rich and the poor - the lordly politician and the humble pioneer., and of taking more or less care of the one than of the other. I should thereby prove myself to be wholly unworthy of the trust reposed in me. · But I am exceedrngly reminded by some that the people killed and those menaced by Lhe Indians are nol citizens of the United Stales. I reply that most of them are citizens of the United States and that whenever the national Boundary line is Established in the manner provided for by Treaty, many if nol alloflhosewho find themselves left upon the Mexican Side of the line will return to our own beloved country. Bul until then we must protect them from Savage Massacre. Since I sal down to write this letter, an express has arrived with a positive declaration that h1~ had s1~en and conversed with a Mexican Officeral an Indian Village forty miles lo the northwest
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