Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-08-04
BOOTS AND SADDLES.
THE GREAT CAYAi RY RECRUITING
DEPOT FOR THE q. s. A.
Experience of One Who Entered the
Service-The Hard Training that
Makes Soldiers.

About nine miles from the heart of tn,
city Of ST. Louis, on the west bank Of the
Mississippi, is situated Jefferson Barracks
1t is beautiful spot and has always beer
a popular post with the officers of tn,
army. At this post the greatest General
OF the late war were stationed while We
Lieutenants On the parade the late Gen
erals U. S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Alber
Sidney johnson and Winfield S. Hancock
instructed their several companies in the
manual of arms and in marching. Here
also was the headquarters of the first bod,
of cavalry ever organized by the United
States. The post has also been garrisonet
by regiments Of infantry, artillery, cavalry
the engineer corps and ordnance depart
| ment.
Jefferson Barracks are endeared to many
hundreds of officers of the army who have
| served here for time and who always
look back with fond recollections upon tn,
gay society of the city such short dis
tance away. The society people of St
Louis have always taken an interest in the
officers stationed at the barracks, as numer
Gus balls given in their honor testify. Al
| some of the balls, which are recorded il
the history Of St. Louis. there were pres
ent many prominent French mobiles and
military men,
The barracks are built upon bluff thai
| gradually rises from the edge of the muddy
waters of the Mississippi. The buildings
which are in the shape of a hollow square
were erected in 1926, and are of limestone
| great quantities of which are to be found
in the vicinity. On the right, as one has
assembled the rustic stairway from the rail
road track, are the quarters Of the com.
manding officer, the second ranking officer
the post offices and the quarters of the
companies. On the left are the quarters
of the officers, the library with its 1000 or
so books, the printing office and more
company quarters; while looking down the
parade can be seen the quarters of other
officers, and the band headquarters. The
parade is kept in the neatest possible con-
dition and the grass is closely cropped
while at the east end and around the
band stand are choice flowers and beds
of roses.
In what are now the band headquarters,
Generals Grant, Lee and Hancock had
their quarters. 1t is related of the former
| that he first met his wife here. or at her
fathers farm, which is five miles back in
| the country, and has recently been sold
and that after leaving the army he used to
draw cord wood and peddle vegetables to
the officers here. Grant used to furnish
Colonel Albert Sidney johnson with all
his wood when the latter was in command
of the post in 1855.
In 1888, the First Dragons, now the
First Cavalry, was organized at this point
with Colonel Henry Dodge, Lieutenant
Colonel 5. W. Kearney and Major +. B
Mason as ranking officers Among the
Lieutenants was Jefferson Davis, who al
the time was a great favorite both in and
out of army circles. Soon after the Second
| Dragons, now Second Cavalry, were
formed, and they in turn were followed by
the mounted rifemen, who did such good
service in the Mexican war Major Sum
ner trained the latter on the drill ground
In rear of the quarters, and also at target.
placed across the river in the State O.
Illinois.
At this time the barracks were first uti
lized for recruiting purposes, with Colone
| Bragg as commander. While here the
Colonel organized his famous flying artillery
company.
In 1858 General Newman S. Clark, com
manding the Sixth Military Division, haG
his headquarters here, and appointed Lieu
tenant W. S. Hancock Adintant. II wa.
here Hancock first met his wife
The Second Regiment of Cavalry wa,
l 70 at fla Ia
son Davis, then Secretary of War, for sery
ice in Texas. The regiment received the
sobriquet Of Davis Pets" because ht
took such an interest in them. Among
the officers who commanded the $50 mer
of this regiment were several whose names
in a few years became world-renowned
The Colonel was Albert Sidney johnson
Lieutenant-C Colonel, Robert E. Lee Major
William j. Hardie; and Captains, Brackett
Richard w. Johnson and George A
Thomas
After the breaking out of the civil wal
the Barracks was used for hospital quar-
tiers. In 1862 additional buildings were
erected and accommodations for 5000 pa
tients were provided. For short time
after the war it was again used as a garri
son for troops, bus soon abandoned to the
engineered who garrisoned it for nearly
year, when it was abandoned and shortly
afterward regarris0ned by the Ordnance
Department. This department kept con
troll Of the barracks until July, 1873
when it was ordered to move lust north O.
the Barracks and the Barracks to be re
fitted for 4 cavalry recruiting depot, anc
such 1t has remained and is now.
The depot is garrisoned now by recruits
who get their first taste of army life II
this historical post
Where do the recruits come from ?r i.
a question often asked by visitors to th,
garrison "surely you cannot enlist al
these men here is often added to the
question. The recruits come from all over
the East, and are chiefly farm boys and
others who have served in the militia. O
course great many pretty tough charac
ters get into the army, but of late year,
the recruiting officers bave refused thou
sands of men on account of their disrepu.
table appearance. No man will be accepted
who looks like a drinker, neither will any
one be accepted who has persons depend.
ent upon him for support; and it is out
OF the question for a man with any kind o.
disease or rheumatism to get into the
army. The tough characters who do gel
into the army soon become quiet, as the
sergeants and corporals take it out of then
in one way or another.
As soon as a recruiting rendezvous has Z
few recruits together they are sent on tc
this depot IN charge of a sergeant Oh
their arrival at Jefferson Barracks the,
are drawn up in line, and with all thei
possessions spread ont on the walk in from
of the depot Adjutant's Office, the Adiu
tant and Sergeant-Maior check off eaci
article. If anything drawn from the Gov
ernment is found missing the recruit is i'm
lmediately sent TO the guard-house anC
charges Of dispesing Of Government prop
erty are placed against him. This results
if proved in a Cour t-martial, in fine an(
imprisonment. Those Of the recruits whc
have all of their clothing are assigned t,
the different companies, and after thei
clothes have been marked and their name
put upon the roll, they are given bunk
and a locker with the remark, One sol
der, one bunk That means, do not Ii,
down or sit on other hunks than your own
They have to answer their calls that da,
and if possible go over to the hospital fo
re-examination, and here diseases tha
have passed the recruiting surgeons motto,
are discovered and the man rejected. Hi
| TRANSFORMATION tn the CITY whore he enIista,