The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-04-02
From the sixth west virginia Cavalry
.HEADouARrERs Co. F, 9TH w. Val
V. V. CAV, FoRT CASPER, D. T.,
March 10, 1866.


V. V. CAV, FoET CASPER, D. T.,
March 16, 1866.
Editors .Inteligeneer:
| For the information of those inter-
ested in the 9th West Virginia V. V.
/ Cavalry, please give the following urti-
( Gle place in your columns. The 9th
| West Virginia V. V. Cavalry is distrih-
uted along the North and South Platte
! rivers, in three different territories. The
| distance from the Eastern Station of the
regiment to the Western Station is five
/ hundred miles.
| Fort Casper is situated on the south
| bank of the North Platte river, ten
miles east of the "Red Buttes." 1t was
l formerly called HPlatte Bridge" 1t was
named HCasper" in honor of Lieutenant
| Casper Collins. 18th Ohio Vol. Cavalry,
who fell near the site of the Fort while
/ gallantly charging one thousand hVe
hundred Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapa-
| hoe Indians, with party of twenty
| five soldiers
| The most desperate contest of the
present Indian war was fought near
| this post in July, 1865. The hostile Pm
| dians go South in winter and North in
summer. They establish their villages
| on the Kansas and Arkansas rivers and
| their tributaries during the winter,
and on the Powder and Yellow Stone
| rivers during summer. This Fort is
| situated near their northern range, and
| is subject to their frequent incurSionS.
| The land along the Platte River is not
adapted to agriculture. 1t is impossi-
| BILE to cultivate it with any degree OF
success without irrigation. Tho soil is
| very sandy, and nine months out of the
year there is no rain: Notwithstanding,
stock live in the Bluffs all winter with
out any grain. The grass is generally
| short but very nutricious.
North of the Platte, along the Yellow
| Stone, Powder and Tongue Rivers lie
an almost unexplOred region of coun-
| try. 1t is supposed to be rich in min
eralwealth. During General Conner's
| Powder River expedition last summer,
! the unmistakable marks of II rich gold
region were discovered. This vast dis
trict of'unexplored country is tho great
hunting ground of the Sioux, Chey-
| cnnps and -ArapahoeS 1t abounds in
herds of wild Buffalo, Elk, Deer and
! Antelope, which afford amusement as
well rs food to the "red man" of the
| Plains. He persists in retaining this
/ hunting ground and resists every effort
| to lay out roads through it. One hun
dred and fifty miles west OF here,
near the foot of the Rocky
mountains are gold gulches now being
worked by small party of miners
The gold is of good quality, and there
/ is good prospect for that region to de-
| velope rich gold mines. Thirty miles
| from this post, near "Willow Springs"
there is a spring that sends forth petro-
| Ieum in small quantities. The time is
not far distant when Salt Lake City
will be light with oil from the "Petrole-
/ um Wells" OF Dakota.
| Near Sweet Water, fifty-two miles
West ofthis Post, Mossagates can be
| foundin large quantities on the margins
of Alkali Ponds: Every external indi,
! cation shows this to be rich mineral
/ district, and should n Railroad be built,
up the Platte Valley, il will develope
| one of the richest mineral regions in
/ the Territories. A party of our officers
| and men were out on Buffalo chase Il
| few days ago and killed number
! The Plains around Three Crossings are
! covered with herds of wild Buffalo,
| They furnish rare sport, although it is
/ not always safe to wound one and press
| him too hard. A party we'll
I mounted, sand armed with three or
/ four revoIYers to each man, approach
n herd stealthily until the acute scent
of the Buffalo perceives them. They
then charge nt full speed. The herd,
| by this time, in full motion, shakes
| tie ground. The chase generally lasts
| for three or four miles before the horses
| are run up on the buffalo. Each rider
then singles out one and gives him the
/ benefit OF his revolvers. As soon as one
is wounded he leaves the herd and
thereby renders it more easy for the
| pursuer TO complete his work.
"Swift Bears" band OF the Sioux
came into Fort Laramie a short time
| ago and made peace. The Snake In
| dams are friendly, and frequently visit
the different posts along this route.
| A few days ago IL party of Snakes pnss-
! ed down towards Laramie, hunting the
! Sioux camp for the purpose of stealing
ponies. The Indian cannot get along
/ without "pony." 1t forms the princi-
pal part of his wealth, and regulates
| the number of his wives. He is allowed
Il wife for each pony, which affords him
! transportation for 'squaw and papOoSe,
His war horse however, is eNclud-
ed from the basis ofrepresentatiOn. and
| ifhe has no other pony heis not allowed
| Il wife. But while he is stealing from
| his neighbOrS, it not unfre1uently hap
| pens that some more enterprising In
! dian drives off what he already has,
and he suddenly finds himself sur
| rounded by five or six wives, and
! six times that many papooses, without
a single Pony. Armed with bow and
culver, and supplied with three or four
! pairs of extra moccasinS to each. 1ndi-
an, strapped on the backs of dogs. a
party of warriors then sallies forth, on
| foot, seeking the camp of some other
tribe with whom they are at war. The
party remains out until it is successful,
or until the extra moccnsins wear out.
Very respectfully,
Your obed'L serv't.
r. w, BLUE, Captain,