Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1885-07-18
A GALLANT YOUNG OFFICER.
Son-in-Law of a Frostburg Gentleman.

SOn-in-Law of q FrOstburg Gentleman
The Sunday Herald, Of Washington
D. c., of recent date, makes lengthy
and complimentary eference to Lieut..
Charles B. Gatewood, q son-in-law OF
Hon. Thomas G. McCulloh. Of this
place. One of the reports sent to the
War Department by Gen. Crook is
stated in effect as follows:
| Gen. Crook reports that he has reason to
believe that a small party of Indians are still
in the mountains on the Upper ella River.
Scouts have been sent out under Gatewood
to drive them out or destroy them. Gen.
Crook says it is his purpose to place troops in
all the water-holes along the border from the
Rio Grande to prevent the Indians returning
to the United States should they be driven
out of Mexico This disposition will not be
made, however, until Gatewood reports that
there are no hostiles on our side of the line
Resuming, the Herald goes on to say:
The young officer mentioned is Lieutenant
Charles B. Gatcwood, of the Sixth Cavalry,
perhaps the most expert scout, trailer, and
mountain man of his years on the frontier
Twelve years ago this officer was a young
country lad in the Virginia mountains. He
heard stories told at his fathers hearth of the
great War until his heart was full of a name
less longing to see the world and be soldier,
as his ancestors had been. But how should
he do this? A good genius guided his steps,
and he was gazetted to West Point. He was
a boy then, and rather an ungainly one at
that, for he had the long figure of his noun
tain face, not yet filled out to manhood's
growth. After four years of training at our
military school you would not have known
him. Tall, perfectly straight, with steely
gray eye that looked at you in frank honesty
you felt that he would be a friend upon
whom you could lean in time of need as
against rock, or an enemy that would never
forget or condOne an intentional wrong.
Though Lieut.. Gatewood has been in the
service as a commissioned officer only eight
years, he has made a reputation in this brief
period of thrice his service might be proud to
own. He is the commander of a battalion of
five companies Of Apache scouts-thc hard
est service soldier can have
Reader, let me tell you what this means
1t means that for months at a time lie lives
with these savages, risking his life upon
their faith. They are the human bloodhounds
hired to hunt down the desperadoes and
murderers Of their own race. AS crackers
they are unrivaled, for they know of many
mountain Businesses that white men have
never penetrated. The officer who commands
these savages must possess some unusual and
even remarkable qualities. He must have
thorough knowledge of the Indian character
and tongue. He must be brave or they would
despise him, for if he flinched for a moment
they would see it and his influence would
vanish. Beyond all these things he must be
born mountain man, one who has lived
face to face with nature and can discover
her mysteries, let them be hidden never so
cunningly. When this Indian battalion was
raised, under special act of Congress for
specific purposes, to be effective and do the
work expected of it, it must needs be very
carefully Differed With all these things in
consideration the General commanding
himself famous Indian tighter-bestowed
the chief command upon the youth from the
Virginia mountains And well has he done
his duty. Through mountain gorges where
the sunlight is shut out forever, from whose
depths you can see the stars at noon, through
canons that have never been penetrated by
human foot since the sons of God shouted
for JOY when this earth was born, along
mountain sides where the sure-footed wild
goat can scarcely make his way, these Apa-
ches and their fearless young chief have
hunted out the marauding bands red-handed
with innocent blood, that were hid in fancied
security, and, when found, fighting and dy-
ing in desperate silence like mountain wolves.
Think of such a life as this, we who are
sneering at the uselessness of West Point
and its training! In these Businesses, unseen
before of men, the trained sense of the West
Pointer is as keen as that of the Apache
Never is a trail so dim that he cannot see it,
nor Sign" that he does not Immediately
interpret with the unerring sagacity of old
Trackless himself. He sleeps calmly among
his sayages week after week without a
thought Of fear. They respect courage and
sagacity equal to theirs, with the added adj
vantage of training that brings every fac
ulty into the most perfect discipline and the
highest uses. Men like Charles B. Gatewood,
living life like this and furnishing an ex-
ample of calm, cool courage to all about
them, are a credit to the service and honor
the uniform they so deservedly wear.