The National tribune., 1884-09-11
BUSHWHACkERS.
Lively Experiences Along the exam
Sas Line"


To TIE EDITOR: noticed in the last num-
Der of your and our paper, the song-and q
beautiful one it is toO-entitled "The Rebel
Soldier from Near the Kansas Line" Espe-
pecially the last line, that says, They had
made howling wilderness along the Kansas
line" The old soldiers doing outpost duty by
detachments and companies along the line, have
a vivid recollection of the chimneys, standing
solitary and alone, that were styled Jenis0ns
Monuments -" of the neglected fruit trees,
surrounded and often hid by the weeds, that
they visited in season and out Of season for
ripe fruit,-for if they couldn't eat the apples,
there was nothing to prevent them from peit-
ing one another with them, and that was some
fun for soldier; of the lonesome bowling of
the deserted and half-wild dogs that took up
| and bedded with the equally wild hogs in cold
weather,-all this contributed to make up a
scene of desolation where once had been happy
homes and plenty. The duty of the soldiers
at the ontposts consisted chiefly in watching
the movements of the bushwhaekers by pa
trolling the line and by frequent scouting par
ties through the deserted Counties of Missouri
| But little struggling was done on our part
while scouting, as capture by the enemy was
certain DEATH unless like Private Hargis, of
| the 9th Kan. Cav, we were tenacious Of life
| enough to get up and walk oR after we had
been murdered and left for dead. Hargis was
after carrying dispatch TO Pleasant Hill, Mo.
| We had to depend for information as to the
enemy's movements and samps altogether on
our citizen scouts. And those that brought US
/ the most reliable information at times we sus-
| pected OF being bushwhackors themselves
/ when it suited thsir convenience, in order to
| stand in with them and still draw pay from
| Uncle Sam.
| Now, Mr.. Editor, IL we are not trespassing
| too much on your time and space in THE rRIB-
| UNE, let US go ON one of our many scouts and
| sum up results. 1t may cause others TO write
| up their experiences of border warfare and
make the best soldier paper still better reading
at home. We left Santa Fe, on the line,
| Capt. Coleman, of the 9th Kan. Cav, in CON-
mand of part of his company and a detach-
ment of Co. M, 5th Kan Cav. We left one of
/ our scouts named Houston, by himself in the
woods. Houston's instructions were to en-
/ deavor to locate the camp of the bushwhackers,
| who were reported to be concentrating in those
| parts. The rest of US returned to Pleasant
| Hill to wait developments AS we rode in On
the Fair Ground to go into camp, "WiId Bill"
| OF Coleman's company caused regular staIn-
pede of the command by jayhawking stand
| OF bees, and proffering some of the honey TO
| the rest of the boys as he rode along the col
umn. The bees didn't appear to sting him, but
| took their spite out on the rest of US and our
| horses. Houston returned the next evening
and reported two camps of the enemy on the
| tributaries of Sni Creek. He said ne had not
| been into either camp, but he had located one
| OF them near enough (by the instructions he
| got from a whacker) to enable him to lead the
! command on TO them. Orders were to prepare
for marching, without the calls of the bugle,
| at o'clock p. m., when the moon rose. We
| got Off IN good shape, without noise Or confu-
/ sion. Silently we rode along, at times in the
shadows of overhanging trees and again
| in the more cheerful light of the open prai-
rfa1 ia nfc tnx-o
to be heard, for we had discarded them as
| useless appendages in our border scouts On
through the village of Lone Jack, where there
was not soul left to welcome us as friends or
| hide from us as enemies. Occasionally door
| or window blind moved by the wind would
/ cause some of the scouts TO look in that direc-
| ton as We marched along. Before daylight
the command entered the timber and contin-
ued in shelter of the same by marching down
| the creek.
After daylight had fairly dawned the COM
| mand dismounted, about one-half taking the
| advance, while their horses were being led IN
! the rear. Capt. Coleman was with the advance,
| as he always was, when three fresh horse tracks
were discovered in the old road that we were
following. They had crossed the road from
| right to left. The command halted, and a
cautionary signal passed along the column.
| Coleman, with 10 men, left the command and
| followed in the direction the tracks led. 1t
4
/ covered fresh signs riled water hole and
| the sand and gravel On the opposite side
| wet, convinced Us that they had watered
| their horses there that morning. We crossed
the creek and advanced cautiously. short
| distance from the creek Sergt Ditmars, of the
| 9th, discovered, through the underbrush,
| gray horse tied to a sapling, and drew the at
tention of the rest of the squad by low Ssh"
Coleman ordered US to lay low, while he re-
| turned TO the command. "We will sur
round them" said the Captain. We concluded
| to crawl up a little closer after the Captain
left, and, on going few feet further, we found
that we were at the edge of the opening in the
underbrush, where their camp was situated.
We lay fate the ground watching their move
ments, and anxiously waiting for the rest of
| the boys TO close in on the other three sides.
| Some were engaged at card playing; several
| observing and encouraging two that were en-
| gagged III a scufile. They all appeared To be
enjoying themselves hugely, little dreaming of
what was In store Tor them. Two that were
saddling their horses evidently with the in
4 tention of leaving camp, caused Us some uneasi-
ness, for fear that they would start out and dis
cover our movements before our comrades could
surround them. Our fears in that direction
| proved correct, for the flank movement had
| hardly commenced when one of them mounted
his horse called his comrads " Bill y to hurry
/ up, and ordered the cook, who was busy at one
| of the fres to have dinner ready gin we
get back, your soul" Those were his
last words on earth. AS he rode in among our
squad Serg't Martin, of the 5th, sprang to his
feet, and at the crack of the Sergeant's rife
both horse and rider came to the ground. at
the same instant the rest of our squad gave
yell, sprang in among them, firing right and
Left with our reyolvers. 1t was to them COM
plete surprise, and they did not stand on the
order of their going, but went out on the oppo-
site side OF their camp-ground at once, leaving
camp equipage, guns and horses to the numbero OF
90, saddles, etc, behind. It took US but few
minutes to pile their commissary, saddles, guns
and plumber generally On the fire and skip out
| with our eaptured stock-"out Of the howling
wilderness across the Kansas line."-H. n.
| DUNLAP, Sedan, Kan.
| Thanks Her.
To THE EDITOR: Mrs. Ellen Williams has