The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-03
CHANGE OF REGIMENTS.
THE TWENTY-FoURTH. COLORED,
WANTS TO COME HERE.
They Want a Change and Want it
BadI.-Thc Regiment Has No War
Record.

Anent the removal of the Sixteenth
infantry from Fort Douglas the Chi
cago Chronicle gives the following dis
patch from Washington:
While it is pretty certain that the
Fifteenth infantry, now at Fort Sheri-
dan, Will be sent 10 Fort Bayard, n.
NJ, it is by no means certain that the
Twenty-fourth infantry, now there,
will change places with the Fifteenth.
The Twenty-fourth wants a change.
and wants it badly. for it has been at
Fort Bayard twenty-siX years, but it is
not particularly anxious to come TO
Chicago. The regiment will appre-
ciate any change which will bring il
nearer to a big city, but there are
many towns between Silver City and
Chicago which will fill the bill. -Four
companies of the Twenty-fourth are
at Fort Huachuaca, Ariz., and during
March of this year every officer serv-
ing there signed a paper telling the
colonel that they would like a change.
They expressed preference for Fort
Douglas. which is 9only three miles
from Salt Lake city.
The war department admits that af-
ter its -twenty-siX. years in the west,
with lots of hard service, the Twenty
fourth deserves, consideration. 1t has
virtually been promised a change and
it is understood that. within certain
limitations, it can pick its post The
general sentiment among the officers is
that the regiment would esteem it an
honor to be given Fort Sheridan, but
that nooody's heart is set upon that
post in particular. IN
The Twenty-fourth regiment can
lay no claim TO war records. except TO
the individual ones of its officers. for
the sufficient reason that il was de-
priVed of it's records by consolida ton.
Under the act of July %. 1866. the
Thirty-eighth and Forty-first regiments
of infantry were organized. both to
consist of coiored men. All the Of
ficers in both regiments had seen SER
vice. as had most of the men. March
s. 1863 the two regiments were con-
solidated into the Twenty-fourth in
fantry. The regiment was in Texas
from 1869 to 1880, and has been sta
toned at different times at most of the
posts of that state. The duties falling
to it were many, consisting of expedi-
tons against Indians over the staked
plains" guarding strategic points,
building roads. hunting horse thieves,
and in other ways performing service
which brought no fame. but required
vigilance discretion and care. The
regiment practically cleared western
Texas of Indians and opened the cCun-
try for settlers. In 1880 the regiment
was sent to Indian territory. and in
June. 1888 moved to Arizona. with
headquarters at Fort Bayard. n. NJ,
and the remainder were distributed in
Arizona at San Carlos and Forts Grant
and Thomas. During this time the
only incident Of note was the attack
on Paymaster Wham's escort, COM
OOSed If men of he T'wentV-fOI1rtb nj
the Tenth cavalry. The gang of rob-
perS was beaten off and several of the
Twenty-fourth gained medals for their
work that day.
General -Schofield recently said that a
regiment which had not been east for
twenty-siX years deserved a change,
and he would see that it got one.