The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-29
BOOTS AND SADDLES.
PARAGRAPHS FROM THE BIOGRAPHY
OF CUSTER, THE CAvALRYMAN.
what Mrs. Custer Says Of Her Husband
Inc Generals Personal Appearance
Daring Horsemanship-Courte
of Frontier Army Life.
Review of Mrs. Clusters Rookl

army OF the Potomac" The main norton
oil the volume relates to the campaign in
Inc northwest which the brave wife shared
with her husband Mrs Custer saws.
FROM the first day of our marriage Gen.
custer celebrated every order to move with
Wild demonstrations of joy. His exuberance
Oh spirits always found expression in some
boyish pranks before he could set to work
seriously to prepare for duty. As soon as
the officer announcing the order to move
had disappeared, all sorts of wild hiIarity
began had learned to take up safe posi-
tlon on top Of the table, that is if had not
already been forcibly placed there as a spec
tator Occasionally at such times the gem
erai would accidentally break a weak chair
or two, when Eliza's woody head would
thrust itself through the door to reprimand
her master and say: "Chairs don't grow on
trees in these yere parts, gen1" But the
hllarity went on all the same, till the house
hold goods and gods were got into few
gnny sacks and barrels So began the
move for the summer campaign against the
Indians, In all the confusion nobody was
cross. To the general it meant reunion with
his regiment and a new activity, and also a
good deal more than that To Mrs. Gus
Ter It meant new and vigorous life alter
mating with months of loneliness, anxiety
and terror. Fortunately, there was too
much to do to have leisure for thoughts"
She gives graphic descriptions of her first
impressions of Dakota and the country over
which the army marched OF the general
Mrs. G. artlessly says: II never tired of
watching the start for the hunt The gem
aral a, hat
tention anywhere. He had marked indi.
viduality of appearance and certain I'M
studied carelesSness in the wearing of his
costume that gave a picturesque effect. not
the least out of place on the frontier. He
wore troopboots reaching to his knees,
uckskin brooches fringei on the sides, a
dark navy blue shirt with broad collar a
red necktie whose ends floated over his
shoulder exactly as they did when he and
his entire division of cavalry had worn
them during the war On the broad felt
hat, that was almost a sombrero, was fas-
tened IA slight mark of his rank.
ale was at this time 35 years of age
weighed 10 pounds, and was nearly six feet
i'll height. His eye; were clear blue and
deeply sat his hair short, wavy, and golden
in TINT. His mustache was long and tawny
in color, his complexion was horid, except
where his forehead was shaded by his hat
Tor the sun always burned his skin ruth
leSsly He was the most agile, active man
ever knew and SO very strong and in such
perfect physical condition that he rarely
knew even an hours indisposition. Horse
and man seemed one when the general
vaulted into the saddle His body was so
en- g
lating motion it almost seemed that the wind
moved him As it blew over the plain. With
his own horses he needed neither spur nor
whip They were such friends of his, and
his voice seemed so attuned to their natures,
they knew as well by its infections as by the
slight pressure of the bride on their necks
what he wanted By the merest inclination
the generals part they either sped on the
wings of the wind or adapted their spirited
steps to the slow movement of the march.
1t was a delight to see them together, they
were so in unison, and when he talked 10
them as though they were human beings their
Intelligent eyes seemed to reply.
'As an example of his horsemanship he
had way of escaping from the stagnation
of the dull march, when it was not danger
us to do SO, by riding a short distance in
advance of the column over divide, throw
ing himself on one side of his horse so as tc
be entirely out Of sight from the other direc
ton, giving a signal that the animal under
stood, and tearing off at the best speed that
could be made The horse entered into the
frolic with all the zsst of his master, and
after the race the animals beautiful dis
tended nostrils glowed blood red as he tossed
his head and danced with delight
In hunting the general rode either Vic or
Dandy The dogs were SO fond of the latter
they seemed to have little talks with him.
The generals favorite dog, Butcher, would
leap up TO him in the saddle and jump fairly
over the horse in starting. The spirited
horses, mounted by officers who sat them SC
well; the sound of the horn used for the
purpose of calling the dogs; their answering
bay, the glad voices and the 'whoop-la' &c
the hounds as the party galloped down the
valley, are impressions ineffaoeable from
my memory. They often stated a deer
within sound of the bugle at the post In q
few hours their shouts outside called me to
the window, and there, dropping across tbs
back of one of the Orderlies horses would
be a magnificent buck-tailed deer. We had
saddle of venison hanging on the wood
house almost constantly during the winter
The officers, and even the soldiers tables
had this rarity to vary the monotony r the
inevitable beef"
With all its hardships Mrs Custer show.
how the courtesies of army life made pleas
ant even Che trials the women were called
upon to endure. She remarks: "A woman
| Oh the frontier is SO cherished and appreci
ated because she has the courage to live oui
there that there is nothing that is not don,
for her if she be gracious and courteous
In twenty little ways the officers spoiled us;
they never allowed us to wait on ourselves
to open or shut door. draw up our owl
chair, or to do any little service that they
could perform for us. If we ran to the mex
house for IA chat, with a shawl thrown ovel
our heads, we rarely got a chance to return
alone, but with this undignified head
covering vera formally brought back to oul
door. wonder if it will seem that we wert
foolishly petted if / reveal that our bus
bands buttoned our shoes, wrapped us up i
we went out, warmed our clothes before the
fire, poured the water for our bath out o.
the heavy pitcher. and studied to do innu,
merable little services that maid would
have done for us in the states In our turf
we watched every chance we could to an
ticipate their wants. We did a hundred
things wa would not have remembered to dc
had not the quickly passing time brought
nearer each day those hours of separation
when we would have no one to do for. an
sure ] never saw more tender men than thu
officers. One learned to conceal the fac
that one was ailing or fatigued, for it mads
them so anxious"