Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1863-05-21
A LETTER FROM FORT GIBSON.
JOHNSON, May llth, 1853.

ture, now in the army. send it to you
thinking you might like to publish it, as
the writer is a person of firm integrity,
and sound Judgment. His letter dates
from a quarter whence we hear but sell
dom.
Fort GIBSON. ON THE ARKANSAS RIVER.
Near the boundary between the Cher
okees, and Creek Nations, April 18th,
1868.
Dear Friend B:-Your letter of Oct.
18th, reached me, via, Ogden, Kansas,
just three months after it was written. l
am now far to the West and South being
in the latitude of central Tennessee. My
health is pretty good. though | have had
a very hard time during the past winter,
for l had from forty to fifty sick in the
hospital to attend to. besides about four
hundred outsiders, women and children,
who have fed from the cruel " secesh," to
save their lives. l am now steward of
the hospital of the Sd Indian (Cherokee)
regiment, and have been with the Chero-
KEGS for the last six months. You will
r%ecollect l was formerly steward of the
4th Kansas regiment. l spent the winter
of 6l-2 with my regiment in Wyandotte,
but the past winter | have spent in Neo-
sho in south western Missouri. We left
the latter place with our sick, etc, three
weeks since. After establishing a post
hospital at Talaqua, the capitaF of the
Cherokee nation, we were ordered to
take this post, which is still father south.
Thus you will perceive friend B. that we
are steadily advancing farther and farther
into the very heart of Dixie
will not weary your patience by the
recital of the many solemn and distress
ing scenes that | have passed through, but
will only write that | have been present
in many of the battles that have taken
place in this section. During the last
winter, especially, there was one constant
succession of fights, surprises, murders,
skirmishes, and blood-shed. So much.
suffering has been endured by the Indi-
ans, in being forcibly driven from their
homes, that the mortality among them
was awfully great. All the diseases
common in a large army, my patients
are afflicted with-small-pox not except
ed. have slept among my sick, during
the winter, for I wished to be present to
render them any assistance in the night.
Many a night have | carried two dead
bodies into the dead room, and prepared
them for burial, which took place on the
following day. Three out of four of my
nurses have died, but by the blessing of
God, not only has my own health been
good, but | have been able to work in sea-
son and out of season, to make my sick as
comfortable as circumstances permitted.
About two thirds of my patients we're Ell
ther Indians, or alf-breeds, and the 9TH
er kinds were whites and negroes.
These Indians are not tough. have not
strong constitutions and cannot endure a
great amount of hardship of fatigue, be-
sides they entirely disregard the laws of
health, do not keep their passions under
perfect control. and suffer in consequence.
Though they have had missionaries among
them for fifty years, have q written code
of laws, and in many other respects, have
made a greater advance in civilization
than any other Indian tribe, yet they are
bad Christians at the best. Polygamy il
common among them, and they do not re-
gard the marriage covenant to be.of much
binding force. Still they are improving,
and you will rejoice to know that they
have abolished slavery in their territory,
forever, after the first of June 1868.
Though the Cherokees have many faults,
yet my attachment to them is strong, for
they are true to the Union. and are will
ing to die, if need be, to maintain the in
tegrity of our glorious flag. They have
established a character for bravery on the
battlefield. and they deserve our sympa-
thy and support. At least one eighth of
their number have already died since the
war commenced.
o~ oo,ouolI, 49,