Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-06-27
The Avant Courier.



by night and in detachmcnts? Gencr
Crook did put these Indians on their rose
vations: but ask if there is any man
this House having the responsibility WI
would put less than one thousand and 81
men. the present force. in charge of tho
twenty thousand Indians ard require the
nj the same time TO keep watch on Il
border?
In California there are but few sma
g1rrisOns. lii Nevada there are less. and j
Washington Territory 100 troops undo
General Sully st: nd guard over 1922 Ii
dams.
Mr.. Ioung-Will The gentleman allo,
me to interrupt him!
Mr.. Ma2inni>--I would rather not. Thi
is the disposition made Of your frontie
forces. Is there any military genius anon:
the warriors and statesmen in this House
some of whom have had rs large schoolin.
in war as the veteran soldiers Of the frs
Napoleon. that can suggest better dispo
sition of these troops:
But gentlemen say. come east Of tho
Mississippi and You viii find a vast reserve
of troops. Mighty reserve. How many
available for frontier service? No cavalry
One little regiment of infantry at Atlanta.
and another at New Orleans. waiting to 90
Vest rs soon rs they can abandon the
quarters they now occupy and find shell
ter OF hnts nj some new post on the Dor
der. What else have we? Artillery rcei-
ments TO garrison and keep up the pcrma-
ncnt scaboard and northern Notifications
and to practice the science of gilnncrv.
unfit for frontier purposes. Not one of
these is mustered out by This bill. These
are all east of the Mississipp: and. sup
posing there should be Il few stations
where regiments worn ont and wearied by
long frontier service might occasionally
pass Il pleasant year of duty in contact
with the associations and reiincmcnts of
The last. we should not "rumblc. There
are many on this floor who have again and
again been wasted in useless and indccisiyc
battles. w"aricd in pu"posclcss marches.
worn out with the ttgues of an over
worked soldiers existence. till martial ar
dor and patriotism palrd their fires and
only duty and discipline kept them in line. |
Is it for you. gentlemen. who know some
thing Of these things. to say that there
Shall be no pleasant posts to Viii II orr
soldiers can exchange once in ten or fifteen |
years; that there shall be no holiday in
the FIFE Of the American soldier: But
gentlemen around me say that we have as
great IN army now rs we had in 1860: and
what need have we OF more now: Sir. the
lines of the settlements have been vastly
extended since 1860. Few of tie Terri
tories now organized had then been org:,- !
nized. There is hardly an Indian rpscrva-
ton on this continent that Is not borlerel
by white mans farm. But another thing
unmentiOnCd in this debate is after all the {
greater cause Of difference in the cOnd- !
lions OF savage warfare between now and |
1850. that is the brccch-loading rifle. the
magazine gun. No longer can company 0
OF your cavalry dash with the saber thro'
IN Indian village: no more can company I,
OF infantry stand in ,ollying line against
the lanccs and arrows and tlint-lock ttlkcs II
of thrice their number: no longer, like a
mailed tOrtez cutting through naked "
'wamps. can one disciplined troop dispersc p
whole tribes. The breec-loader has made "
he Indians last fight an equal fight He
vas born TO the tactics which belong to il. -
10 was reared in the skill to use it. and he IL
WINS the weapon which makes him the III
crfcct warrior. III
Sir. this new arm has rcyolntionizcd ,he nc
OF warfare all over the world.
DO you think il has not changed the situa- ~
ION on our plains and in our mountains III
nat has The late war between Russia and
turkey proven: What are Won Moltkc. az
IcAahon, Chesney, and the leaders of
Military art in tie Old World doing? III
cad their instructions for battle. the Skin std
fishing, the grouping. the rlshes. What ie''
1t all: They are planning their battles :
the practice OF the american frontier, "''
I'd teaching the armies of Europe the tao va I,
rs OF the American savage. III.
And. gentlemen. 90 back for COMPARE ''ei
N to 1850. Why not 20 back to Give or ga
Cortez: Did xe have army enough in .'o'
40? Why. sir, the American has from ''i
e first been called on again and again to o :,
arch against overwhelming numbers and 'n ~.
meet disaster. Not from any fault of en- =,
ganizalion. but from simple want of ,''i
rces. o"t
MassocroS bovo ho.o,,,o 60 ,,,.,, . the
OF course in our military history that o'''
2 admire the continued devotion with "
men Our soldiers march forth against
erwhelnng odds and threatened ami '''.
ation still ficin" duty in this savage Gov
arlare, where disaster is death and victo- ','o
hrpr. M ro,,,,.,, the
en- calling the conflict war. and DENYING ~
I'm the dignity which grea. battlc-felds "i :, y
re to their dead. Yet the pages of his ~
~ are not Illuminated by greater hero ,cc =.
or devotion; and when | recall the 'e''
lssacrrs of Florida and Oregon or Fet- 40,
man and the / ;.tIo Pic Uorn I ro,ora Thi
the legend apon the Alamo: oeS
hermopylT hal its messenger of defeat, but SCI
these hal none.'' all {
dev
Here the hammer fell. the
Mr.. Ryan obtained the floor and yielded On
time TO Mr.. Maginnis. bull
'lr. Ma-irnis-Thank YOU. sir. has
These gentlemen defend their biz witt, gre
lcii ingenuity on the ground that it does eln
reduce the tiwhlin~ forca ~ tho ,r,,, cha
the consolidation Of the skeleton rcyi- eau
mis- and the abolition of details we are are
ing to have stronger army than now. zen
nat a singular prono.itiop. NJ ,ha;r cans
II. In the same army, under the same s'oi
ha%ement. yon are going to cut OFT sew |
hundred officers and five thousand men thei
have more soldiers for frontier service paF'
N before. Greater than Caesar. or The
aderlck, or Napoleon is the military That
Mus that c:in accomtish th,t ta.,t as /
eater than all combined is lac who c,n hay
it as the bill proposes. barely touching graz