Evening star., 1897-03-04

ohio and western New York. The
t,esigra don of the regiment was chang
"a 10 the 9Th Cavalry August. 1861.
the Mounted Rifles becoming the Sd
cavalry In October. 1861. the organ
.z.-i companies were transferred to the
camp of instruction east of the Capltol at
Washington and its first service was at
fairfax Court House. 1t was present AT
.he evacuation of Yorktown and partici-
pated in the peninsula campaign as part OF
ten. Stonema1's command 1t was part ol
the advance guard of the Army of the 20
tomac, and had many exciting experiences.
Ii was engaged at Malvern Hill. Sugar
Loaf Mountain, Antietam, the RaDpahan-
mock Gettysburg, Brandy Station, ana IN
The memorable campaign against fich-
mond.
II also took mart in the severe engage
mert at Yellow Tavern, which resulted Ill
the defeat of the rebels and the death OF
their great cavalry leader. j. E. b STUART
and subsequently. in the battle OF Nlnches-
Ter under Sheridan and the march up the
Shenandoah valley. which cumlnated IN
the surrender at Appomattox- Its war
record was most brilliant. 1t took active
part in nearly sixty engagements, ana iost
! officers and 6S9 enlisted men.
From 1855 TO 1871 the regiment was sta
toned in Texas. and duties devolVed upon
it were of the most dangerous ana varied
kind. Many soldiers were aSSassinated Tor
their devotion to law and order. and moth
ing but incessant vigilance and unfinch-
ing courage prevented the guerrilla COM
muIity from running the touHlitS
of the state. One troop marched more
than 900 miles in pursuit of outlaws dur
ing the last three months OF 1853. rights
with Indians were of frequent and fatal
occurrence During the early part of 1871
the regiment was ordered to the Depart
rnent of the Missouri, and was engaged in
constant scouting in the Indian country
until 1919. when the hostiles in the Pan
Handle region were completely subdued.
The 9th took a leading part in the opera
tions against the Cheyennes, kiowas and
Comanch hes in 1874. under Gen. Miles. re-
surfing in the battle at the mouth or the
Tule.
Cen Miles has given personal testimony
| to tie cool courage. heroism and self-sacri-
flee of the troops Of the 9th in the Indian
campaigns. Fierce engagements were al
mCst continuous except for a snort season
OF peace in the winter of 1874. The follow
ing spring the Cheyennes again went on the
warpath and cut cut great deal OF nara
work for the 9th. While the 9Th was sta
toned in Arizona marauding bands OF
Apaches were almost always engaged IN
| their deyiltry, and in the summer of 1916,
| while the Sioux was in progress in the
| north. the 9th was in the field against the
! Chiricah hua Apaches. A band of Apaches
| was defeated in the Leitendorf mountains,
| y. NJ, in January, 1877, and cons1dera-
| Bile plunder recovered. Good work was
done in putting an effectual stop 10 the IN
| cessant raids across the border of small
! parties from Mexico. Subsequently Vic
| toria's band of Apaches was driven into
/ a MEXICAN column anu dlIIiOSt uesti oy Su-
| Soon after an outbreak of the White mount
| ain Apaches near Cibicu creek involved the
| " hole regiment in short campaign. re-
| sulting in the overthrow of the Indians
| Depredations by the Chiricahuas kept the
| 9Th in the saddle almost constantly up to
| June 1884. when the troops of the 9Th
| were transferred to New Mexico and Colo
| RADIO. During the nine years service in
! Arizona the hardest work was the inces-
SAINT detachment duty. which was neces-
| sary to such extent that troops rarely
| II ever took the field over thrty-hve
| strong The average marching of the
| troops of the regiment for the time was
| 6.4l9 miles. the greatest being S.5l4 miles
| by Troop "a Two of the young officers
| of this regiment deserve special mention
! one Lieut. John "A. Rueker, whose station
| was always "in the field" and who laid
down his young life in a seething mountain
| torrent. in which no living being could
| exist for moment, in an unsuccessful
| effort to save brother officer, Lieut.
| Henely. the other is Lieut.. Chas. B. Gate
| wood who saw much hard service during
the Apache troubles. and who was com
mended in general orders for bravery in
boldly and alone riding into Geronimo's
camp of hostile Apache Indians in Ari
| zona and demanding their surrender"
A short season of garrison life in New
! Mexico was followed in the spring of 1888;
| by another expedition to- Arizona agans
| their old enemies. the Apaches. who haC
| broken out again and fed into Mexico
The next field service of the 9th was a sue
| cessful attack on the Sioux at White rivel
| in 1890 From the close Of the civil wal
until a few years ago. when the regimen
was transferred to the Department of the
East, Il had stood to horse" near an In
dian reservation. ready to suppress out
breaks on the part Of Indians.