Page:The History of Oregon Bancroft 1888.djvu/506



during the autumn or winter of 1860 the military department of Oregon was merged in that of the Pacific, Brigadier-general E. V. Sumner commanding; Colonel Wright retaining his position of commander of the district of Oregon and Washington. The regular force in the country being much reduced by the drafts made upon it to increase the army in the east, Wright apologized for the abandonment of the country by troops at a time when Indian wars and disunion intrigue made them seem indispensable, but declared that every minor consideration must give way to the preservation of the union.

Fearing lest the emigrant route might be left unprotected, a call was made by the people of Walla