, 1859-05-27

tary Affairs, on the subject Of claims i1O,ring out
Of Indian hOSfRities in Oregon and Warrington.
January Is, lS59-Ordered to be printed and recon-
mitted to the Committee on Military Affairs,
TREASURY DEPARTMENT,
Third Auditors Office, Jan. 10, 1850
SIR: have, agreeably to your request, caused an
examination to be made Of the papers conn cted with
claims growing out of Indian hOstilitieS in Oregon
and Washington Territories In 1855 and 1856 and have
the honor TO present the result of my investigations in
the following report and accompanying abstracts.
Although these claims were generated by the same
hosttcs covering the same period of time, yet they
have been kept and presented In separate and dis
tiact form, in the name Of each territory. | shall
therefore treat them in the same order.
OF the primary cause Of the hOStties the papers
are silent. At any rate, should net have considered
that as legtimatey coming within the scope OF my
examination. The immense mass OF rolls, abstracts,
accounts, and vouchers, weighing several hundred
pounds, precluded anything like minute analysis Of
the claims within the time limited. have, therefore,
been compelled to confne myself to a somewhat cur
sorry examination noting pecularites where they ap
pear, and giving as far as possible general outline OF
the charact of the accounts the various branches of
expenditure, with such other remarks as suggested
themselves.
OREGON CLAIMS.
The commission under whose supervision these
claims have already passed, organized at Portland,
Oregon, on the 25th October, 1856, and the 10th
October 1857, submitted first report TO the Secre
the part OF Oregon amounted to the sum OF - 49,
$40 50. They also stated that the abstract Of one
Office (the quartermaster general's) not yet fin
ished, but the amopnt OF which they estimated at
$33J, 900.
In regard tOthe property the commission said that
the authorities OF Washington had not been able to
present in any regular or tabular form satisfactory ac
counts OF the disbursements use Of such public pro
rerty actually expended in the public service
but that in Oregon this department of their accounts
was fuller aud more regular in form as far as the ac
lnN nd tl,ata bau
tic data existed upon which full retGrns fOr all pro
perty could be made. This, it stated, would be
done, on the advice Of the commission, at an carly
day.
The Oregon expenses are represented as appears
from the printed report Of the commission, by
tyhVe muster rolls Of field staff, and companies, and
abstracts Of scrip issues of the various disurng Off
GERS OF the cOmmssary and quartermaster depart
mentS. The rolls represent an indebtedness, after dc
ductng soppages, OF 81 i09,6i4 3d. scrip issues 80,
0i02t4 So making a total OF SI4i9,949 49, This is
increased by amounts omitted in first report and cX
cess in second report of the quartcrmaster generals
account over first estimate about 800 600.
The commission took the pay rolls as they found
them duly certified By The proper officers = the
and TO meet the case by the territorial legislature Of
Oregon, as per their report, page 4.
The aggregate amount Of pay reported 362 50
Stoppages for clothing and articles fur
, hlshed. '......-...........-.-... lO1JS 70
Remaining 81, ,4O9 6O4 So
There Is nothing on many of the rolls to show that
the organization more than form, although it Is
presumed that the regular companies were in the field
or garrison during the whole term of service.
The commission report that the spy companies
minute men, guards and rangers wep enrolled for
local defences, and were on duty only ieases Of emer
gencies Some Of these companies were seforganized
and were subsequently recognized to have been in ser
vice by the Governor. Capt Harris company Of
Coos bay, minute men, Is reported as enrolled Feb
2S 1856 mustered into service May 90, and discharged
June ~. Pay is made up for the full time one han
dred and six days each. Capt CreightOn's company
OF Port Oxford, minute men, is made up for tie actual
number Of days in service which is two Thousand four
hundred and ffty-eight, while the appaIGEt service
from muster to discharge is three thousand one hun
dred and sxty-one.
Whether or not the mere fact Of the coming togeth.
or OF body of men assuming the name OF guards,
rangers or minute men, choosing officers and entering
horses for service should ente them II such was the
case to two dollars per day and rations for each man.
ard two dollars per day for each horse until there
longer existed pretext for continuing the organiza-
ton, Is question for Congress to determine; and the
same, II during part of the time any of those com.
panes regularly organized had dispersed TO their sew.
eral homes and were pursuing their usual avocatons
with their animals the military organization existing
only paper, or to such degree as to enable the
officers TO call the whole part together as occa-
sion might require. The greatest number of men
shown the rolls to have been in service at any
time las will be seen from the abstracts and analysis
OF the muster and pay-rOlls herewith) il two thou
sand ono hundred and twentyfour, on the 10th Nov.
1850 the ninth regiment Of militia not having all been
discharged The number in service Dec |, 1856 one
th9usand five hundred and n.netytwO gradually de-
creases t. one thousand three hundred and nineteen,
Feb. 20, 1856. The service recruited from one
thn1sand six hundred, March l. to thousand eight
hundred and frty-fye, April 10, and to one thousand
eight hundred aud thirty-three, May |. The regular
companies OF the first regiment all mustered out
70 May; those of the second regiment in May and
June. There were three companies mounted rangers
connected with the first regiment, amounting in ali TO
one hundred and thirty men, organized after the reg
nar force OF the regiment was discharged in May
These were in service in June July and mart of An
gust.
On the lst September, 1856, there were in service
eighteen men, stliroicers, and they went ont at diff
iesent periods from that time until 25th September
is proper to state that news having reached Port
land OF an attack on the Cascade settlement com
bany Of thirtythree men was organized under Capt.
PoWnall, March n, 1885, and of seventy men un-
der Capt Coffin on the 2sth. They proceeded to the
Cascades by steamboat and not being needed return.
ed on the 29t6; This would make the number in ser.
nine hundred men. The whole number of days' ser.
vice reported OF Oregon Territory is four hundred and
SIX thousand one hundred and ninety.three.
on expenses OF oregon Territory reported is 81
rendered. After deductng 81 90 per day as nav for
man and horse for each days service rendered. land
some were not mounted it leaves the sum of 81 II
per day as the cost of supporting them in service.
AS before remarked, the report of the commission
oL october 10, 1857, was but partial one One Of
sne largest scrip accounts that of the quarclmaster
general OF the Territory did not accompany the report
SS S1t was stated to be unfinished, and estimated at
nsSSOVO; There were but few papers Indicating the
use 70 which the public property was put; and Inc
commission stated, in view OF this fact that repors
would be made out from the data then existing and
forwarded at an early day.
mth the second and final report of the commission
o August Is, 1855 Transmitting the entire scrp anJ
money accounts Of tho quartermaster general, are
~ trty or forty property accounts OF officers Of
tL several departments, and they were received at
'uiS once during the second week of December
me whole of the papers connected with the inst re-
E nau not even been opened when the second report
ss received; and time has only admitted Of a partial
tSAamlhaton OF the scrip accounts of Mr. Drew while
me most of the reports of property presumed 10 he
muse referred to by the Commission 10 be male and
Urwarded, are left untouched. Whatever further re-
mght be attained from thorough scrutiny and
analysis of the claim il will be perceived tLai tbe
air ent examination has been extremely cursory and