The National tribune., 1904-07-28

of Assistant to Underhll. which Hugh Of
fered me. We Immediately loaded up Wit
commiSSarics and. under an escort of Il
company of cavalry, started down i'll tn"
Nation to Ovrrtake the invading command
Here, being in the country at present
held by the enemy all wagon trains are
guarded and escorted by soldiers.
| From Fort Scott to Baxter Springs. CA
| miles, the country is entirely unsettled
| This strip at that time was called the
| Cherokee Neutral Land, and now consti-
tutes the Counties of Crawford and Chero
kee. in Kansas.
At Baxter Springs. where there was but
| one house. we caught up with the rear Of
the invading column. and travelled with il
| down to Cabin Creek where we found the
| main command under Bvt. Brig. Cen
Weir. formerly Colonel of the 10Th kans
A day or two before our arrival Weir
| had surprised a body Of rebels. commanded
by the rebel Gen. Cooper. at place called
| Locust Grove. and whipped them captur-
ing their camp and some prisoners.
Chief John Ross. of the cherokees. and
his family joined us at Cabin Creek. He
| had been playing fast and loose" with
| the rebels. until our arrival gave him an
| opportunity TO get out Of their clutches of
which he promptly awaited himself.
| John Ross took no active part in the
war. but Immediately went on East with
manned till the war ended. He is reputed
| to be wealthy.
We moved by easy Misunderstanding our
way-from Cabin Creek 10 Flat Rock
Creek, within II miles Of Fort Gibson.
where the rebels were said TO be in con
| siderable force. under command Of Gems
| Cooper and Stand Waite The latter is a
| fullbloodcd Cherokee and in command Of
| all the rebel Indians. He is described as
| quite an intelligent and well-cduc7ited
man, and the ugliest featured man in the
| Nation.
From Baxter Springs. as we move TO-
wards Gibson, the settlements tfarmS-nO
| towns become more numerous, but still
| the country IS sparSnly settled. the i'm
provements being confined TO the choicest
| localities along the water courses. This is
| truly n fine country. fairly diversified in
prairie and timber and well watercd by
| numerous fine streams, nearly all Of which
are hordercd 10y timber.
/ Wherever we find houses they seem to
have been either recently abandoned or are
| occupied only by women and children or
negroes. \ man or boy big enough to
| bear arms cannot remain ut home here
| whore the country is ovcrrun first by reb-
els and then FcderalS; and even the WON
on and children are moving ont as fast a.
they can get opportunities. 10 places Of
greater security: abandoning live stock.
some going North, some South. in which.
ever direction they have friends, or their
political sympathies lead them Some
families are still remaining and holding
on 10 their homes and property, 10th to
abandon and lose what they cannot take
away with them but they have a rough
time Of II. being subjected to abuse and
robbery by rowing parties from either
army.
Most Of the well-to-do families of the
Nation own slaves, and the negroes arc
not slow to take advantage of the situa
ton TO secure their freedom. Those whose
masters have gone into tho rebel arm,
usually help themselves to the best of Their
owners horses or mules and ride away Il
Kansas or to the Union camps to seel
freedom and employment; some beine
given work rs teamSters and laborers IL
the Quartermaster' Department.; some Sc
curing employment as officers servants
: Many OF the women and girls eagerly &C
. | cept service as cooks, or to do Hny kind o.
work for teamSterS, soldiers or any on,
; who can afford TO feed them asking M
other compcnSat ton
, Our camps soon became SO crowded
, with these suddenly-freed slaves that tn.
Commanding General found Ii necessar,
, to ship train loads of them to Kansas, ant
usually the empty mule trains returning t.
Fort Scott are loaded with negroes ant
! their plumber.
All horses. mules or other property cap
tured from the rebels, or taken from tn,
families OF rebels, are supposed to be con
, hscated for the use of the Government
and the livestock is turned into q drov,
called the 'contraband herd"
The country is full of nice, fat cattle
and or these the army appropriates VIVA
IT needs for beef
, CoNTRABAND MULE BUSINESS.
An officer called Provost marshal" il
command of detail of soldiers called
"provost-guards," takes charge of all con
ira band property until it is turned owe.
to the Quartermaster's Department 70,