The National tribune., 1903-12-03
AMONG ABORIGINES.
Soldering in the Southwest.
Leng Marches Over Desolate
Plains - Natives and Their
Habits.
BY A. srErP, 6rn L. s, HERNpoN, PA.

BY a. STEpP, 9TH L. s., HERNDoN, PA.
Sometime ago l gave an account in your
valuable paper of our march through Kan
sas. well as a partial description of
the country as l saw it in 1861 from Fort
Leavenwortf. Kan. to Fort Gibson.
Cherokee Nation and Indian Territory.
At the last-named place we arrived the
latter part of November. 1867, after n
tough and dusty march. which gave us an
idea what soldering really meant. Gibson
was then an old military post which had
been built and occupied by the Govern
ment long before the war with Mexico.
All the buildings We're of hewed oak tim
ber: namely, four barracks to hold two
ters, as well as Commissary and Quarter
master storehouscs, hospital. ETC.. with
lots OF small Jog shanties. occupied by
negroes and Indians, outside of the gar
| rison.
In these log huts bloody fights often oc
Cured between drunken soldiers, negroes
and Indians. a few of each We're shot
and killed; one man of Co. ID, 9Th Inf.
was shot aud killed near these huts while
walking his beat On guard, one night, by
an Indian.
The fort is on high ground, with level
/ parade ground of about 10 acres. The
grass was clipped short by the prisoners
in the guard-house. with nice gravel walks.
Everything was kept nice and clean:
whilewash was in evidence wherever you
looked. Cleanliness Oi person. clothing
and equipment is the pride of the T. s.
Regular soldier, officer and private. and
! everything else must correspond to GER
] 4,;,, 4
nninvting at this time. and the land was
of poor quaiity-sand ridges and brush
| read in a paper not long ago that ii
was at this old fort in the old long ago
and while Gen. Zachary Taylor. of Mex
lean War fame, then IL Colonel of some
regiment, was in command of the post. be
| fore the Mexican war. 1t was stated that
it was here that J, ,fferson Davis first met
the lady who after, ard became his wife
Davis was then Lieutenant fresh from
the Military School at West Point. The
| locality was hcslthy, and the place well
adapted for defense. During the civil war
Ithey built heavy breastwOrks around the
| fort, which were leveled after our regi-
mcnt occupied the place. 1t was altogether
an out-of-tfe-way place-away from rail
roads and civilization, and ike ali frontier
1 posts. Soldering was then not the most
/ pleasant occupation that Il man could fol
! low in these out-of- -the-way forts.
Forts Gibson. Washita and Arbuckle
were the only forts in the Territory before
the Mexican war. Fort Washita was
abandoned by the Government Before the
civil war. Gibson and .irbnckle We're first
occupied after the war by part of the 19th
u. 6. relieved by our regiment in 1866.
| coming from Charleston. s. c.
| A brief description of the Cherokee In
dams ut this place may rot be amiss here.
| These Indians were brought to the Terri
| tory from Tennessee and Georgia. They
| were much scattered over their country.
| locking after their cattle. hunting, steal
! ing horses. and anything except work.
! They had no aptitude for work. What I
saw of them were of small stature. shift
| less and lazy. They lay around the sutler
stores, smoking cigarets made of cheap
| tobacco with corn lusk fer wrappers.
! 'fhnv dressed in ANYTHING they could get
snldicrs' discarded uniforms hiicLsllin
pants and coats. Some wore coats of
| 'arge5fgnred calico: in fact they wore
| most ANYTHING and any kind of clothing
| except the blanket of the tribes further
west. They had lots Of cattle. and sold
TO the Government to supply the garrison
with fresh beef. Trey a so sold wild game
To the soldiers. such as venison. wild
turkey, prairie hens. etc.
They had lots of ponies. and were almost
constantly riding around in the surround
ing country. They had no tents or wig
vans to move around with. like the West
ern tribes. but had small log huts. some.
indeed. too small for comfort.
The Government had formed of these
Indians y mounted patrol to hunt horse
thieves and other hard characters. They
were uniformed and paid by the Govern
ment. These fellows had Il good time
among their people. doing nothing and re-
ceivin" regular pay. There were some
half-breeds among them-that is half
white. half Indian; others were q mixture
of Indian and negro. These haif-breeds
generally had struggling. mustache and
cnatee. of which they were very proud.
The squaws were homey. sunburnsd crea-
trres of untidy appearance. although re-
member a man in Co. G. named Jimmy
| '.rnds, who married one of them and took
her to Arbuckle when the company moved
out there.
These Cherokee Indians could have
greatly improved their condition. but they
lacked the energy and push of the white
man. which is required to become suc
.essfnl in a new or uninhabited country.
Fhey were always heavily armed. as every
body else was at that time throughout the
Territory. Everybody you met had strap
nrd around his waist Il belt with a pair of
heavy revolvers and the well-known bowie
knife. or as it was there called. Arkansas
toothpick. with blade SIX to eight inches,
with guard of silver or brass. and some
we're inlaid with pearl. and sold there at
from SO 10 So. The revolvers were gen
orally Colts navy. 3S calbcr. which were
then sold at so each.
After arriving at the front. on n Mon
day morning at roll call the officers came
qut to our tents and told David Ham
Who was Acting First Sergeant. to keen
us in ranks. The First Sergeant of each
company was also there 4 Captain of
one of the companies stepped up and said
Each man as your name is called step
two PAGES to the front" He had slip
If paper. and read the names till he had
his share of fresh fish: and SO each com
panv in succession.
When all these companies were filled
was one of the unfortunates left standin.
here for n company in some other place
Each squad was then marched to their
company quarters by their Sergeants. W.
returned to our tents. After breakfast I
detail was made of every man in the for:
not on other duty. and they marched III
to the QuartermasterS Store-house, where
each man WAS furnished with Il shovel
md thence we marched northwest of the
thrown up during the civil war. These
ve were to level again. The ditch was
ibout eight feet wide and six feet dceu.
We worked there Monday and Tuesday
and on Tuesday evening got orders to b.
ready to march on Wednesday morning
That meant another march of 80 miles
for us. Early on Wednesday. after break
'ast. We bade our friends good-by AMI
struck out with about 30 wagons and one
ambulance and lesS' than half as many
men as we had from Leavenworth to Gil,
son. Lieut.. Cook. Co d. 9th Inf was in
large To tuIn uS Ia Fort ArhucEIa Fart