The Portland daily press., 1892-02-23
LOST ON THE PLAINS.
Experience Of a Kansas Regiment in
a Blizzard.
Ten Days Without Rations - Men and
Horses Frozen A Terrible Night
Stampede - TIE Famous In
dian Campaign of 1SGS.
Especial Kansas Letter.l

In q recent article in one of the city
dailies, regarding the western expert
ence of one of the regular officers at
Fort Sheridan, reference. was made to
Gen. Sheridans great disappointment
over the non-cffieicncy of the Nine
.teenth Kansas volunteer cavalry during
the winter operations of 1868, but no
reasons were given for the condition Of
that regiment, which was organized by
Gov: S. J. Crawford for this special
service, under call made by Gen. Sher-
idan. The regiment was mustered into
the United States army at Topeka be-
tween the 1st and 5th of November by
Gen. Forsyth of Sheridan's staff, and
the day before marching orders were
issued Gov. Crawford, who had but
few months tenure of Office, resigned
his gubernatorial position to assume
command of the new regiment Lieut..
Gov. Green took the oath of Office as
Crawford's successor at midnight of
the 5th of November, 1868, and his first
official act was the signing of -Craw-
ford's commission as colonel of the
Nineteenth Kansas cavalry. The day
following. November 6. the command
started for the s'Dutch Henry Crossing
of the Arkansas river some $50 miles
distant, and after seven days of hard
marching reached the designated point.
This, then well-known, crossing was
about three miles above the present
site of Wichita and the nearest settle
ments were fifty miles away in the
Saline valley to the north, and the only
human habitations there were a half
dozen Cado and Sac hunting wickies in
dilapidated condition and a few rickety
sheds used for military supply depot.
Capt. Ball, of the regular army, was
in charge with a small detachment of
infantry, but instead of having the abun-
dance of supplies anticipated in Gen.
Sheridan's orders, he had less than five
days half rations and forage with
which to fill the acquisitions of the
Nineteenth Kansas. These rations con-
sisted of poor bacon, hard bread. coffee
and sugar, and the forage was limited
to musty corn in sacks, where the reg
iment had expected an abundance of
baled hay. The die was cast, how
ever, and after but two days rest the
command struck out for the wilds of
southwestern Kansas and the Indian
territory under the guidance OF
"Apache BILL a government scout
who assumed to know the Dutch Henry
trail to the Cernerone river, about one
hundred and fifty miles distant, where
Gen. Sheridan had established Camp Sup
ply and expected the Nineteenth to join
the Seventh United States cavalry un-
Ger Custer and four companies of in
fantry and assume personal direction
of the winter operations against the
Indians, known to be encamped in the
Antelope hills, Wichita mountains and
along the larger streams of the western
part of the territory.
The Nineteenth crossed the Arkansas
river on the morning of the 10th of No
vember and plunged into the rough and
barren sandhills on the south side,
where sage brush and cactus were the
only evidences of vegetation. The day
was cold and gloomy. The fast falling
snow had completely covered the
ground, preventing the horses from
grazing upon the stunted buffalo grass,
and concealing every vestiSe Of buffalo
chips which are ordinarily used by
scouting parties for cooking and heat
ing, where no timber grows. :
By midnight the storm had increased
to regular blizzard, the thermometer
had gone down to ten degrees below
zero, and troopers and officers who were
not forced out of their blankets to
warm up their blood by exercise were
covered beneath mounds of snow.
The supplies ON hand were fast melt
ing away and a few days delay under
these conditions meant sure death to
over 1,ooa animals and imminent dan
ger to the entire command. Slowly and
laborious1y tho line of march was again
taken up. to Chamber over hills and
ravines, stumble into snow-hlled hol-
lows or wind tediously through the
Binuosities OF rugged canyons, the men
leading their horses and staggering
along in depressing silence. Thus
passed the second, third and fourth
days ont, and the fifth day found the
regiment far south of the right trail,
and utterly bewildered. At council
of officers called by Col. Crawford
"Apache Bill" the scout, was forced to
acknowledge that he did not know
where they were, or how to pilot the
lost regiment to any point on the
Cemerone river. This was a startling
confession from the only guide, who
had previously manifested the greatest
confidence in his ability to direct the
line Of march, but the colonel at once
assumed the responsibility, consulted
with number of old plainsmen in the
command, and quickly decided upon the
course to pursue. The storm, which
was one of the worst and of longest
duration of any known upon the plains,
was still raging. though somewhat
moderated; the cold was intense, and
every night horses died at the
lines of each company, while the mules
of the wagon train were SO reduced i'll
number and emaciated in form that
they could scarcely pull the now almost
empty wagons. Rations and forage
were entirely exhausted.
On the evening of the seventh day,
after short march, the climax to the
suffering and discouragements of the