El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1897-05-20
ARMY TRANSFERS.
The Headquarters of the Sixth Infan-
try Nav be Removed to this City.

| According to the Army and Navy
| Journal. the 14th infantry, now with
! Headquarters at Van Couver barracks
to exchange with the 10Th infantry
who e headquarters are at Fort Mis-
! soula Mont: the 1st infantry, now at
San Diego, and the Preside of San
Francisco, to exchange with the 9TH
| infantry, whose headquarters are at
Fort Logan. Colo the 18th infantry,
with headquarters nov at Fort Bliss,
Tex, to exchange with the 9th infan-
try, whose headquarters are at Fort
Thomas, Ky. If these changes are
made the transfers are to take place
before July l, next.
The entire 18th infantry will be con-
centrated at Fort Thomas, but wheth-
er the h. adquarters of the 9th regi-
ment will be located at Fort Bliss, or
this post be turned into a cavalry post
as Col. Parker prophesied, remains to
be seen. The 9th was Gen. McCook's
regiment, and was stationed at Fort
Douglas, Utah, just outside of Salt
Lake City. McCook was in command
at the time of the excitement of July
t, 1885, when the Latter Day Saints
half masted the American flag on the
principal building in town. The COM
manding officer did not see fit to inter-
fere without orders from Washington,
but United States Marshal ireland
persuaded the MOrmOns to restore the
flags to sfull mast early in the after
loon. The church authorities explain
cd subsequently that the half mastlng
was not out of contempt for the United
States but to show their regret and
sorrow at the attitude of the govern
meut in prosecutions against Israel
and the Lords apnointed' in the pro-
secutions for ''unlawful cohabitatiOn"
or violations of the Eimunds law.
A prominent army officer, now re-
tired, told a Salt Lake Tribune report
err now resident of Ell Paso, that when
General Sheridan heard of how the
commanding officer had waited for
orders from Washington on the oc-
casion of tue half masting business, the
great soldier jumped clean out of his
seat, with'a big, big-well expression
such as Sheridan alone could give, and
exclaimed, "Wait for orders. orders
be''-well blessed, "when the Ameri-
can flag was being insulted"' Sheri-
dan strobe up and down his Office in
Washington like Gagged lion aroused,
and was very indignant. 1t was noticed
that after that vigilance from Fort
Douglas was such as to call for COM
mendation only from the grand army
and patriotic gentiles Of Salt Lake City.
A battery of artillery was sent for
from Omaha and Col. McCooE with
his regimSut escorted the battery from
the depot up the hill to the garrison,
while a company was stationed in the
heart of the city as an outlying guard
for some time under command of Cap
tain Penny who may be sent here next
summer.
When the Gentiles captured the
city election for the first time in Feb
ruary, 1891, the entire regiment and
battery were under arms for thi&ty-six
hours, The battery having 1909 lbs. of
fixed ammunition in its caissons; in fact
the garrison slept under arms, ready
to swoop down on the town at NOM
snt's notice. The result was that the
election passed off as quietly as a
Quaker prayer meeting: there was no
trouble whatever. Col. McCook was
transferred to the command of Fort
leaving Lt.-COl, Osborne,
late colonel of the fifth with hladquar=
Jers a. old Fort Bliss, in command.
The regiment was subsequently trans
fered to Fort Thomas, Ky, and ita
place al Fort Douglas was taken by the
10th infantry from San Antonio, re-
Gently transferred to Idaho, 10 take the
place of the fourth infantry transfer
ed to Fort Sheridan, Chicago. The
sixth infantry has had great history,
and is one Of the noted regiments Of
the army.