Omaha daily bee., 1889-08-21
ARRIVAL OF THE TROOPS.
Department Of the Platte Soldiers
at Fort Robinson.
PRETTY ENCAMPMENT GROUNDS
The First Engagement Takes Place
In an Attempt to Capture the
Twenty-First Infantry's Train
Nebraska News.

and warm sun has beaten down OF this sec
tion of country to-day and everybody is an
ticipating keenly the opening of Camp Crook,
which takes place tomorrow. As already
mentioned in my dispatches, there will take
part in tho encampmeut troops from every
post, save Duchesne, in this department.
Niobrara sends band and six companies Of
the Eighth infantry and two companies of
the Ninth cavalry. Fort Omaha sends the
band ana six companies of the Second in
fantry. Sidney will be represented by five
companies of the Twenty-first infantry; Lar
annie by the band and three companies of the
Seventh; Pilot Butte, one company OF the
Seventh; Robinson, band, three troops
of the Ninth cavalry and three companies of
the Eighth infantry; Bridger, two compa-
nies of the Seventeenth infantry and three
companies Of the Twenty y-tirst infantry;
Douglas, band, one battery of the Fifth ar
tillery, six companies of the Sixteenth in
fantry and one company of the Twenty-frst
infantry; Russell, band and eight companies
of the Seventeenth infantry; Mckinney,
two troops Ninth cavalry and one company
of the Twenty-frst infantry and one troop
of the Ninth cavalry and two companies of
the Seventh infantry from Washakic. This
makes total of seven bands, six battalions
of infantry, three of which are full regl-
ments one battery of light artillery, nine
troops of cavalry, about 159 officers and APP
proximately 2,416 men. 1t is the largest
number of regulars which has been gotten
together since the reorganization Of the
army. The object is 20 enable the older
members of the army to keep alive the
knowledge of the art of war which many of
them acquired on the field, and to give to the
younger members and especially those who
have entered the army without preparatory
training an idea of what army life Is.
The encampment will be held about a mile
northwest of Fort Robinson. The lines have
been drawn with mathematical precision,
and when the troops arrive tomorrow morn
ing they will be enabled TO march to their
respective places, forming one OF the pretti-
est tented fields ever seen in this section of
the country In command will be General
John r. Brooke, commander of
the department of the Platte.
His staff comprises the following officers:
Major Peter d. Vroom. inspector general,
chief of staff; First Lieutenant Fayette w.
Roe Third infantry, aide-decamp, acting
assistant adiutant general; First Lieutenant
Charles M. Truitt, Twenty-tirs infantry,
aide-de-camp; Captain William V. Rich
ards, Sixteenth infantry, acting chief quar-
termastcr; First. Lieutenant M. w. Day,
quartermaster Ninth cavalry, acting chief
commissary of subsistance: Major Dallas
Bache, surgeon, medical director: First
Lieutenant Charles A. Worden, Seventh in
fantry, acting engineer officer; Major Guy
V. Henry, inspector of small arms practice
The infantry will be formed into three
brigades The first of these will be COM
manded by Colonel August Y. Kautz; The
second by Colonel Frank Wheaton, of the
Second infantry; the third by Colonel
Matthew NJ. Blunt, of the Sixteenth. The
artillery will be under command of Captain
David H. KinAe
A signal corps will be formed which will
be mounted, equipped and distributed as may
be required during the movements to be
made.
The encampment will last until September
90 In the meantime, the command will take
part in a number of engagements, surprises,
forced marches and unexpected calls to duty,
in other words, every thing which might be
expected from soldier in the face Of the
enemy.
The site of the camp Is beautiful in the ex-
treme. 1t ls in the gradual and grassy ap-
proach to the clay buttes which rise in so inn
posing a manner north and west Of this post.
These buttes are more or less connected with
the legends of the Indian tribes who for
merly inhabited these plains. They are IN
various stages of decentralization, some of
them looking like dismantled editices of
other eras, and not few suggesting the
ecclesiastic ruins which are said to be scat
tered throughout Europe.
The plain is drained by the White river
and Soldier creek, from which water for all
purposes may be easily procured. ....
To-day the first day of excitement over the
coming gathering was experienced. Several
| officers and civilians arrived, and the arrival
| OF others was anticipated by their wives
Among the arrivals were Ma jor Paddock
| and w. E. Amin, of Omaha; Colonel Rand
| lett of the Ninth cavalry, of Fort Kinney,
| but who is to be located at this post when
| Colonel Henry goes to the former place;
Lieutenant Burlington of the Seventh in
| fantry. of Wasbakie; DR.. Bache, Omaha,
| medical inspector of the department of the
| Platte; Lieutenant Wright, Ninth cavalry.
| just returned from the cavalry competition
| at Bellevue; Mrs. Custer, guest of Mrs.
| Captain Parker and widow of the captain of
that name who died year ago; Miss En-
sign, of New York, cousin of Mr.. and Mrs.
| Lieutenant Wright, of whom she is to be a
| guest
Last year the troops complained that the
| marching to and from the encampment was
| too monotonous. To vary it this year. General
| Brook ordered attacks to be made on a couple
| of the columns, to compel the utmost vigi-
lance on the part of the one and sagacity on
| the part of the other, The first announce
| ment of a meeting of this kind reached here
yesterday, coming from the camp of Colonel
| Merriam, who was located seven miles from
this point A visit out to the command
| found IL quartered on great height with a
magnificent view of the surrounding coun-
| try. The men We're resting utter the fatigue
| of the day, the commander desiring to spend
the day in camp having until Tuesday to
| reach Camp Crook. Colonel Merriam had
| been ordered by General Brook to attempt
| the capture of the train of the Twenty-first,
| under Colonel Casey, from Sidney. Mer-
RAMS command, consisting of four COM
1 panles of the Seventh, was joined near the
| Nobrara by three troops of the Ninth cav
airy aud three companies OF the Eighth in-
fantry from Robinson. Merriam sent the
| infantry ahead and with his cavalry watched
| every movement of the enemy He found
| that Caseys teams were parked as they
moved along, and carefully guarded by men
| In front, TANKS and rear To capture it
under those circumstances was impossible.
Notwithstanding, by means of signals,
Colonel Merriam was kept Informed
as TO the changes made in the
| conduct of the train, the signals
| coming from tWoman's Dress, an Indian
| scout connected with Fort Robinson. AT
| length the news came that the fiankers had
| been withdrawn. This was cheering news,
because Merriam's men We're concealed in q
| pocket in side hill about four hundred
| yards from the road. The pocket was near
the crest of the ridge. The infantry and
| government wagons were suffered TO ascend
| the hill and descend on the opposite side,
| when suddenly Merriam's men rushed from
their concealment and cut of from the rest
| of the train and column six of the contract
| wagons, The drivers were ordered to turn