Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-16
LOST IN A TEXAS WASTE.
Sufierinss Of a Cavalry Troop on the Staked
Plains.

AS hot as Texas" long ago became {
phrase serving as preventive of pro
| idhlty. ana since the DAYS of Sherman il
mas ALSO Deeh an expression of the high
est conception of torridity. That mild
hammered gentleman is credited with say.
| ING thtt II ne owned both hell and Texas
ne would live in the former and rent ou
me latter. During the years 1S67-90. the
| "th united states Cavalry. consisting OF
| coiored troopers, was almost continuously
employed IN Indian warfare of the hard
est sort III Kansas the Indian Territory
| w" MeNico ana Texas, engaging in two
| campaigns which were classed as wars
| ana Tor participation in which the mer
| VINO survived and are still in the army
| no" Wear chevrons as evidence of wal
service. Ihese were the war against the
| CheNennes, Arapahoes ana Comancne In
| uiahS III Kansas, Colorado and Indian
| territory, lS6I-6SG9. and the campaigns
| aEdihst the kiowas. Commences and
| ,hSNehnes IN Kansas, Colorado, Texas
ana indian Territory in lS74-75
| IN theSe campaigns. with several 9TH
| Srs OF less magnitude, there were many
| hdfd-lought battles and many long. try
| ing ana dangerous rides. No fewer than
oo enlsted men of the regiment were
| honofably mentioned in orders for distn-
SulSned SaIlantry during this service
Whlle one received a Congressional medal
and two Congressional certificates of
| merit; yet Chief Trumpeter Thomas who
Joined the regiment in 1867 and was with
| it through all these har(ships. saws that
| ne recalls no experience where more suf-
| ferlnG was endured by both men and
| beasts than in the scouts over the Staked
| Plains in lS15-111. The story of one of
| these trips is thus told by Lieut.. Bgelow
| IN his sketch of the regiment published in
the Journal of the Military Service IN
stitution:
"On the 10th of July 1871 Troop A left
| Fort Concho under command OF Captain
| Nolan, for scout on the Staked Plains.
! The command got lost. and as a conse-
quence Capt. Nolan. Lieut.. Cooper. Ser
geant Jackson and about 10 privates We're
! 96 hours without water. Four of the
men died. Other parties were from p to
| 81 hours without water. The command
was found by party sent out to search
| for it
| This brief outline covers a story of in
tense suffering and misfortune that
might be spread out into a volume The
| details which are presented here have
been gathered from participants and
| from others who Were familiar with the
| country at that time and knew all the
| circumstances. Especially may he men
| toned Sergeant Thomas A. Alsup. who
| has recently been placed upon the retired
| list, after having been first sergeant of
| Troop ID since 1877. The writer met Ser
geant Alsup in 1896. when the troop was
| engaged in rounding up the Cree Indians
and transporting them to Canada. 1t is
| principally his story that it told III the
| following paragraphs:
| The troop left Fort Concho, on the Con-
| cho river. western Texas, and after cs-
| tablshing a supply camp on Cow creek
| a,,t mrnp =, nvnaditia, aftar tos+ila
Cn,,,aln,,,, 90 n, ~ $500 pio;s o.
! no III dav o1t ,l1n ,,en arri,.ad at vbat
| was called Double y. a confluence of two
small streams. not far from Double
Mountains. Here they struck fresh
| ti,is It'll ,fn,ii r;rht oynrtoolt tbonn
when. making a dry camp. they rested
| themselves and the horses, although the
poor animals had no water and the men
| had only a littIe left in their cauteens.
which they had filled at Double X.
| The next morning. the march was re-
sumed shortly after davbreak. and kept
| IN with occasional balts throughout the
| dav vritbont . dron Of watar fan tba ant
n,a1s Ina a,.er,. clntaan anong tbe rnan
| vs. soon amn+ied Durind tho course
| If Tia daY tbrea mo, rava o,,t and u.are
| obardono5 ~, tb.. traiI Abo,t 4 o,cloolx
| e., 80 ~, f. ,' ~ e., .a.,,1+ u
~ 'ite [ii0 80
| t,.o, ,t 80 49, f,e,,a1 1,I;- , n
49, u.N out ~, ~ 40 nla9 q
siaNg ~ - m"9 -" ~ .
| saNeu tIe " llolr t.o"P' ny 81 5e''1' - :
| 49, a. * 0i.olI' az" Po 80 ~ ~
| 'oHultIuh VI tlit men ne ii"u leit. iie
was put III arrest ulsd pN eourt,iilarlial;
| !'u 9tIt'itti " uISI'oIloi 'tole uiSlil'Ssol
| - go - '''f
| prlSonmcht. nut was subsequently par
doned. one OF the three men apahUohtu
| caught up with the troop during Inc
| nght ana continued with II 10 Inc thu.
| The remains OF the othtr TWO We're lQund
| ABOUT TWO months dltei"alu. eHtitriF
hu4e; III q utP taS.on r'tlieu hittel i,N' e
"hItH 'tt titiieS t"I1tdii9 StI'l SuPliH VI
| water ditiLouSh 'iit WduFt = ~ ,'lS y
| inprcsha'ed with aihaIt' IL Is propanle
| tildt lhe poor men "'lii"titu ttett ~
search or water, ana. hhdlhS none sank
down ana died
| On the morning of the third day II
| men and two officers drew up in line tC
| pegn the march. BY 10 O'Clock the
| column had lwindled to seven men and
the two officers. The others were scat
| tered over the plains for miles. Most OF
| the men had cast away the greater p ART
| of their clothing. retaining only theiI
| shirts ard rubber blankets. The heat
was intense. They decided to go no fur
Their. and made camp as best they could
| under the blazing sun. WIN no water
| to be found ABOUT CLOCK IN uie atttI-
ing shower OF ABOUT three minutes our fA-
ton fell upon the suffering camp. ne
men VINO were able spread out thelr fllp
drops, which they eagerly licked up VIII
| their swollen tongues LOT SoNlT oi th'
| men tongues We're 50 SWoileh lhdt theA
| could not close lneif nouns, anu thti
eyes appeared unnatural ana ShaStiy- Al
but Il OF the horSeS We're otdt oL NJ
Slrayed away anu OF lhe W pa'h II, ili, ne
hot had Gf a.