Omaha daily bee., 1889-09-10
SOLDIERS TAKE The FIELD.
Troops at Fort Robinson Will
Practice the Art of War.
WHOLE WEEK TO BE OCCUPIED.
The Second District Congressional
Convention Called For October
IL Beatrice's New Depot
Observation-Disclosures News.
Busr sccnes at Camp Crook.

Fort ROBINSON, Neb., Sept. Especial
Telegram to The BEE. 1T was busy Sun
day in camp. The rumble of wagons and
rattle OF wheels resounded all day
through the garrison as supplies and am
munition for the expedition of to-day have
been collected at Camp Crook preparatory
TO the mornings breaking OF camp. Four
teen thousand ratious were added and
eighty thousand rounds of ammunition is-
sued. Forty pack mules from Chey-
enne brayed melodously, and twice
that number Of officers swore as
stentoriously over what they call monkey
business war" The prospect OF seven days
in the field lodging baroed wire fences and
bombarding farm houses with blank cart
rid ges, while the rear guards are cautioned
against attacks which they do not fear, to
protect the wagons for which they have no
use, has cast dampener over the spirits Of
an overworked camp Still orders are or
ders, and officers and men busted themselves
to carry out instructions to the let
ter. The camp Is now deserted for
week in charge of single
CAPTAIN with $50 men under him. The re-
naming twenty odd hundred men are tramp
ing through the dust to essay war with three
skeleton brigades and the department COM
mander IA actors and q host Of grangers as
Interested spectators.
The command broke camp in three bri-
gades, the first moving at 4 the second at Q
and the third at IL in the morning. The
cavalry and artillery were divided
among the brigades as IN division
drills. The first brigade, General Kautz,
commanding, took up its march up Soldier
creek, acting as il retreating army, with
the cavalry forming rear guard. The re-
naming brigades, as pursuers, followed after
and will attempt to intercept and flank
the first brigade If they can. After q long
and dusty march all the commands will go
into camp, when the pr ogramme will proba-
bly, be reversed on the next day. changed
upon the next succeeding, metamorphosed on
the fourth, amended on the fifth, and so on
until the seventh.
1t is not surprising that after two weeks of
dust, dirt and sun the amount of enthusiasm
manifested in the command of the coming
weeks performance is not visible to
the naked eye. Pay day closed Saturday
night by order of the department command
er. All the stores in the immediate neigh
borhood of the camp were closed early in the
evening. The result was an exodus of 600
soldiers to Crawford, where the night was
made hideous until the morning stars gave
place to the sun, and scores of dismantled
doughboys and troopers were lugged home
in wagons and hacks from the town, while
bne crack OF reVOlVerS ana tne yellS OF the
inmates indicated that the neighboring home
ranches were doing land office business.
There were good number of hats put on
with shoe horns this morning, of sore heads
and of barked shins among the tramping
blue coats who started out on the march.
General Crook, with a party of thirty, left
this morning tour of observation in the
Big Horn mountains. The party will direct
most of their attention to observing whether
the game in the country is yet extinct. Sixty
n
the caravan, and two army officers, three
guests and thirty-ive enlisted men, team
sters, Indians, squaws and papooses, will
complete the expedition. The Elkhorn Val
ley road kindly furnishes transportation to
Casper, Wyo. Large military results are
anticipated in consequence of the trip