The Van Buren press., 1893-07-15
APROFESSIONAL SKIPPER
The Trials Of Deserter as Told
by Himself.

OF the American army. Like all other
evils, it has its causes. In the old days
when the frontier was the frontier,
harsh treatment, bad food, hard service
in the field, the monotony of garrison
life and the lack of amusements and
recreations In the isolated and shabby
little posts were among the causes that
impelled men to desert their colors.
Among the enlisted men desertion
was regarded as very venial offense;
and it was held that men who were Ill
treated had right to desert; men who
were discontented ought to desert; and
men who were found to be rogues were
encouraged to desert by public senti-
ment and certain rude but significant
hints.
This constant depletion of the ranks
by desertion, and the great expense in
transporting recruits to distant sta
tions, as well as the difficulty of OBJ
tanning recruits for the hard and unro-
mantle service of the plains, made the
evil very serious problem for the war
department to solve.
Fort Wingate, situated on the slopes
of the Zuni mountains in Campbells
pass, New Mexico, being without tele-
graphic communication with the inner
world, suffered great deal from deser-
ton.
After each visit of the paymaster
there was decrease in the ranks and
stables of the garrison. The officers
were used to it; the men expected it,;
and the flight Of these military birds of
passage became one of the pleasing ex-
elements of the post. They furnished
weeks holiday for pursuing party,
which chased the fugitives as far as
San Mateo, where they remained to
have q good time with the daughters of
the town as long as their cash lasted,
and then returned leisurely to the post,
to report that the deserters had es-
capped.
In the ease and safety of Skipping"
as it was termed in army slang, the
cavnlryman Ind the advantage over the
mere infantrynan. While the poor
''doughboy" deserter was hiding in the
hills by day and tramping over dusty
trails by night, with heavy "long
Tom on his shoulder, the cavalry
''slSipper" was riding gayly to freedom,
careless of pursuit, able and willing to
stand off any too-otlicious civil officer,
confident that his comrades would not
bother him unless he ran into their
arms, and certain that his good troop
horse was worth hundred dollars in
the settlement, when he had cunningly
burned out the U. S. brand with red
hot currycomb.
The experience of Fort Wingate was
duplicated in every western post, and
soldiers deserted in parts of the country
and reached civilization when it was
deemed hazardous for armed trains to
travel Strange as it may appear, men
never deserted in the field during an In
dian campaign; it was garrison dull
ness that made deserters, not the fight
ing and hard riding of plains and sier-
raS
In 1878 Gen. Grant issued procla-
nation pardoning all deserters who
surrendered to the military authorities
and returned to their colols. The
president wisely concluded that this
to the army and stop the outflow for
awhile; but he hardly realized the
story it would tell in the army itself
At Wingate the proclamation was the
universal subject of talk in the COM
pany quarters, and conjectures were
made as to the number of men who
would avail themselves of its clemency
Int # n fnt ta1 cfr nfh of trEt
in my own company, some twenty re-
ported themselves as shippers"
Then we began to hear from posts in
Arizona, Utah, Kansas, Texas, Dakota,
in fact from all parts of the American
military world, from men who were
getting in out of the rain, and, per
contra, there was constant demand
for the records of elusive soldiers who
in times past had slipped away unos-
tentatiously and were now willing to
return to their first love.
The most interesting of all this host
OF prodigals, to me, was quiet, smart,
clean, well set-up fellow in my own
company, named Dick Brandon, who
modestly admitted twenty-three de-
the move for years and had nervous
objection to remaining long anywhere.
What troubled Dick, now that. his de-
sertions were wiped out, was the haunt
ing dread of the big charges that went
with his skipping"
The captain Of company In the
army is responsible to the government
for every piece of property in his care,
and he must account for it all or pay for
it. Now, the most painstaklng officer in
the world loses things, and unless they
are covered, some way, the unlucky
officer would never draw cent on his
pay certificate. Hence the military
sarcasm hurled at soldier when he
loses cartridge or anything else:
"Lost it, did you? Well, you'll find it
on your muster roll!"
Now smart quartermaster sergeant
found q convenient outlet for all losses
in desertion. When a man skipped he
was charged with not only all he ac-
tually took, but with all that the frugal
quartermaster sergeant had lost. This
was simple and effective. The extent
and variety of property alleged to be
stolen by deserters would stagger any
body except an experienced company
quartermaster sergeant or dull de-
partme0 auditor. They knew from
experience that a deserter was capable
OF stealing anything from ramrod to
o battery of artillery.
When the last of Dick Brandon's ac-
counts came in, we figured 1t out that