The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-04-19
llniscences OF General Crooks Cam
pa1gnS.
pa1gns.

IA palgnS.
aptain John G. Bourke, U. S. A.,
wv detached on service with the
Rfnational American Conference,
fs Tor twelve years an aide-de-
snp0f General Crook, and was with
~ In nearly all Of his campaigns
at<einst the hostile Indian tribes west
Qfkne Missouri. Speaking of his old
e1nmander Captain Bourke recalled
N*ny interesting "reminiscences of
tAsfse davs of Indian fighting. "Gen.
e;feOk," he said. "was the typical
1od'an fighter of America, and in
snnle respects reminded one Of Dan
Ief 8oone. He was tall. straight,
sinewey as cat. with not an ounce
Of superhu0us meat. and never knew
the R0rd fatigue. He was dead
:iis with q rifle, an expert horseman.
l2R ~, = iauid read slgils on a trail with a
clearness that | have never seenSat-
rained by any other white man, nor
excelled by an Indian. His Indian
service covered almost forty years,
during which he came face 10 face
with every tribe in our territory.
from the Missouri to the Pacific and
from the British dOmini0ns to beyond
the Mexican border. He was a man
of abstemiOus habits, seldom drink
ing even tea or coffee. and always
taking milk when he could get it. !
have known him on one occasion to
take the saddle at A. NJ, in bitter
winter weather, on the high noun
tains of Arizona. and ride till 8A. NJ,
the next day. Every man in his
command was worn out when they
arrived at San Carlos river, where
the agency now is, but General Crook
showed no signs of exhaustion, and,
taking his gun. went out and shot
some birds for break fast. If he had
any fault il was his eagerness to kill
bear. In hunting them he would
undergo fatigue, deprivation and ter
rible risks. He was once in the Big
Horn mountains of Montana when a
big she bear rushed angrily from be-
hind thicket of reeds where she had
young cubs and approached with
open jaws to within twelve feet OF
him. Without moving, Genera
Crook raised his rifle. pulled the trig.
ger and put bullet through her
open mouth into the base of her brain
aud she fell dead at his feet. He wa'
an enthusiastic fisherman, and per-
haps his greatest enjoyment in life
was to remain for weeks in the for.
ests and can0ns of the mountains
subsisting chiefly on the spoils of hi;
gun and rod. General Crooks ser
vices to Western civilization cannot
be expressed in words. nor computed
in dollars and cents. He subdueG
the Snakes. Piutes and Bannotks o
Oregon and Idaho, where are now
prosperous mining regions, following
them in the depths of winter to theiI
lava beds and capturing their fort
resses by direct assault. Up to hi;
assignment to the command IL Ari
zona, in 1871, the Apaches were lord:
of the soil and had defed our oWr
Government and that of the Mexican
Republic. keeping the people of New
Mexico. Arizona. Western Texas
and the states Chihuahua and Sonors
ir a state of abject terror that cannot
be understood by person not on the
ground at the time. General Crook
began his campaign by holding ar
interview with all the chiefs wht
were on the fence and could be in
duced to held a council with him
He explained to them that it rested
with themselves to say how long tht
war should continue and evil.dlspos
ing ones mar their destiny. They
saw the force of his words and agreed
to furnish scouts from among thei
young men to go out after the hos
tiles who were still on the war path
The result is already a part of his
tory. In less than year he whip
ped every band of Arizona Apache
into submission and put 5000 at worl
for living. Another campaign il
which Crook took a distinguished
part was against the Sioux and Chey
ennes of the North. He kept his col
umns moving against them. reliev
ing one force with another, but stay
ing constantly in the field for seven
teen months. His marches wer
made in the depth of winter, witt
the mercury frozen solid in the bulb
and in the heart of summer, wheI
the thermometer registered III de
grees, and in rains that were deluges
No officer or man can ever forget tn
thrilling experience, One episod
will show the severity of the cam
paign. His command left Coos
oroaL with half rations Of coffee