Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-06-23
FROM NEW MEXICO.
From an Occasional Correspondent
LETTER TX.

Fort Union is not one of the most at
| tractive places in the world, although the
hand of man has done great deal towards
improving the sandy, treeless, desert-like
piece of land, on which that military post
has been constructed. Two or three years
ago, the quarters for the garrison were
dug in the ground;they were supported by a
short trunk of a tree here and covered wi h
mud, leaves and whatever may be suppos-
ed to keep the rain out. Now they have
built quite stylish-looking barracks, Off
GERS quarters with gardens in front, store
houses, stables, mess halls, etc., and Fort
Union may gradually become a more
cheerful-looking place, than it was when
we first came in sight of it. We arrived
there on the 1st of July, and the officers of
the post thought they would confer great
honor upon us by organizing grand ball,
to take place on the Fourth of July. Gen.
L. the commander of the military district
had arrived from Santa Fe, and as he is q
great admirer of the fair sex, as ladies are
a scarcity in that part of the world, and as
about ten of our officers had their wives
with them, the sons of Mars who had been
stationed in New Mexico for years and con-
sequently become somewhat rusty about
good habits and civilized manners, antici-
pated probably more pleasure from the
ovation, offered to US, than we did. Still
we were in blissful ignorance of New
Mexican customs and consequently our
wives dressed themselves in their
best, ceremony which was
connected with some difficulty, for an
army wagon or two had to be sent for from
the wagon camp mile or two off, men had
to be detailed to unload them and get at a
box or trunk which had snugly been stored
away during the whole of the trip, and
would not have been disturbed for a month
or two, but for the famous ball to take
place this evening for we knew by that
time that we had another march of four
hundred miles before US. The trunks on
the ground, the searching for the necessa-
ry articles of toilet commenced, to be per-
formed in a small tent or under the broil-
ing sun outside; but at last our ladies were
ready, and looked as they would in ball
room of more civilized region. L ordered
my ambulance at eight P. NJ, and pro-
ceeded to the fort, situated at three miles
distance from our camp, in company of
fellow officer and his wife. We drove up
in front of the Generals quarters, but
found them wrapped in complete darkness,
so we inquired and found that the ball was
to take place further down in some other
part OF the fort. After much searching we
discovered place, where we were struck
with the sounds of a violin from a solitary
fiddler, stepped in so as to gather informa-
tjon about the ball room, and was told that
was in the ball room, and that the Gen
eral would soon be down with the officers
of the post. The dense tobacco smoke and
the dust kicked up by the dancers pre-
vented me from seeing several of our off,
GERS, and still thought was in the wrong
quarters. But before leaving the room 1
had time to notice crowd of filthy Mex
leans, wagoners and laborers in the
employment of the post quartermaster
dancing with women of their own class ;,
and l made up my mind that, if this was
the place we were invited to, my wife
should not approach it. 1 soon ascertained
that this was the kind of entertainment we
were to be honored with, and Immediately
ordered the driver to return to camp. This
is what they call ball or an entertainment
at Fort Union, and it was not calculated to
impress us tavorably of New Mexican hab-
its and manners. have omitted to state
that Fort Union is the largest military de-
pot west of Fort Leavenworth; it provides
with commissary, quartermaster's and med
ical stores, all the posts situated within the
Territory, as far as Arizona, Northwestern
Texas and Southern Colorado; it is stu
ated within ninety miles this side of Santa
Fe, and whatever could be said individ-
ually against officers, who have served
there almost the whole of their life time,
it must be acknowledged that the organi-
zation in its details of the military admin
istration, is superior to that of the Eastern
States. There are very few oats, if any, in
all New Mexico, and corn, as food for
horses and mules, ranges in price from FIVE
to ten cents a pound; but no farmer or
landowner is allowed to sell to regiments
or trains which may happen to pass, at a
higher price than the contract prices es-
tablished in the tall by the award of con-
tract to the lowest bidder. On the 9th of
July we recommended our march towards
the Rio Grande, and soon found ourselves
again in a more romantic region than that
it which Fort Union is situated.
A town, called Las Vegas, was the fl tst
point of note we passed, and as our regi-
ment marched through the place all the
church bells rang and impaired to the
scenery a solemnity which we had not been
to. We soon found that we
had entered decidedly Catholic country, !,
for there were the crosses, pictures and
statues of Our Savior and the Holy Virgin
at every street corner, such as you meet
with in every Italian or Spanish village.
The whole character and appearance of the
country reminded US of the fact that we
had different race of men to do with than
where we came from. The Anglo-Saxon
race commenced to be in the minority, and
the English had made room to the Spanish
idiom. Black coated, well nourished and
important looking gentlemen would be
seen walking through the streets and show
by their appearance that they were the
shepherds of the Christian flock around
them. The nuns, if there were any, could
not be recognized from the rest of the fe-
male community, for it is customary for all
members of the fair sex in that region to
wear black shawl over their heads, COW
ering the face with the exception of the
eyes, and giving them more solemn and
innocent appearance than their actions
generally justify when their acquaintance
49, A.
of some young girls, who had their faces
covered with white material, looking like
paint and evidently applied by means of