April 2, 1864, Fort Washita, Indian Territory,
Brigadier General D. H. Cooper to Brigadier General S. B. Maxey

HEADQUARTERS FIRST DIVISION, INDIAN TERRITORY,
Fort Washita, April 2, 1864.

GENERAL: Your communication dated March 31 is at hand. If Gibson and Smith are weakened to the extent your informant states we ought to destroy both. I wrote you last night that Adair is held in readiness to move, but awaiting further orders. I have directed Colonel Watie rapidly to concentrate his brigade near Boggy Depot, except the Seminole Battalion, which is ordered to join Chickasaw Battalion at Colbert's Mill. Colonel Watie writes that Adair would be ready on 4th instant to move with 100 Cherokees, some Creeks, and Chickasaws, and Seminoles--say 500 men. Most of Adair's horses are at forage camp, Red River County. The Creeks are all to be at Carriage Point to-morrow. With exception of supplies and transportation, we all will be ready to march, say, by April 10 or 15 at latest. To send Adair north, if a movement on Fort Smith is determined on, will weaken Watie. He (Adair) can make the contemplated expedition and be back on the Fort Smith road by May 1; but then comes General Smith's order, and although we both understood it to mean your disposable force, nevertheless you are not sure, nor am I. Adair will be ready to move any hour after the 4th instant. I do not doubt the advantage to be gained by it, but await your orders as to whether he shall march or not before you again hear from General Smith. I regret the Pickler case, The men all want to serve in this district, and had a right to expect they would serve in my command.

Respectfully,

 D. H. COOPER,

Brigadier-General

I have ordered everything in my command to be in readiness, but cannot say when they will be ready. Please stir up Colonel Walker and require him to be ready.

N. B.--General McCulloch has requested me to let Quantrill, if he wished to, go northward into Kansas or Missouri. Accordingly I have sent for Quantrill, and will, if he will obey, send him up to the west of Gibson to stampede those Kansas Indians and run them into Kansas. My own men can then turn toward Fort Smith and join on Sans Bols or Brazil, or some point on the road we advance. Battle would have fallen in among the Federals, but if they have gone a raid now to Roseville and along the river to destroy cotton, &c., passing to the rear of the enemy, would pay.

 D. H. C.

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