The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-08-04

are fixed there for Wagon Masters. but
III help you to get place somehow. /
think we can surely find something for
you down there better than driving a team.
Colonel TO Gibson of the I'd Indian Regi-
ment, and am ordered to Gibson to take
command of it, Col. Richie being on de-
tached service in Kansas. There will be
4 large brigade train going down under
command of Brigade Wagon Master George
Magee. You see him and arrange to drive
team down there, or TO work your way
through in some capacity, and We'll see
what we can do for you after we get
there"
Taking Col. Shorty's advice, l imme-
diately notified Billy Armstrong, our Post
place. got my time" from him, went to
the officer and drew my pay, sent the
money to my wife in Leavenworth, and
hunted up George Magee, the Brigade
Wagon Master. He sent me to Wagon
Master jeff Anthony, who wanted some
teams and caissons to Fort Gibson with
the big train, which battery outfit was
being sent there to complete the fitting
out of field battery, the guns and linn
bers of which had lately been captured
from the rebels by Capt. Henry Hopkins's
pany was now to be turned into a light
battery.
Taking my roll of blankets and "Sara-
toga" Ia mule SINNERS trunk is generally
gunnysack locked up with hame
string), ! joined jeff Anthony's camp to
play artilleryman for short time. We
had six caissons and one battery wagon
carrying forage, tools, etc. Each caisson
and the tool wagon is drawn by six horses
To each span of horses there is a driver
who rides his near horse, designated as
wheel, swing and lead drivers. / was as
signed as lead driver.
A battery team is hitched together very
differently from six-mule team. Instead
of using fifth chain" and 'spreaders," the
traces of the swing horses are hooked into
| the harness of the wheelers, and the traces
OF the leaders to harness of the swings
All the wheels Of batteries (fOre and hindu
are the same size and interchangeable, and
each caIss0n carries an extra wheel, on
n fixed spindle elevated a little in rear of
the hinder box and wheels, to be used to
replace any wheel that gets broken in
action.
We had two six-mule teams; one for
mess wagon, to carry our tents, blankets,
| rations, mess kits, etc, and one empty
wagon and team for foraging. We started
out of Fort Scott in wet, muddy time,
and had heavy roads nearly all the way.
Magee's brigade train consisted Of five
trains of % teams each, besides our bat
terry outfit; and in addition to these we
were accompanied by large number of
two and fOur-hOrSe teams hauling goods
for suffers. When this long train was
strung, out on muddy road it took up
several miles. We were escorted by sew
eral companies of Sd Wis. Cav. and about
800 Indians (some mounted, some afoot)
from Fort Gibson. Besides our advance
and rear-guard of a company each, the
rest of the escort is marched along on
the TANKS always giving up the road to
the teams), and strung out SO as best tn
nkS
Each team, besides its load of Com
| missary or Quartermaster's stores, carries
| its grain for the trip-sacked corn and
oats. In addition to this we have one
| entire train loaded with sacked corn and
| oats, from which we draw our rations of
| grain each day, or as needed. for the bat
terry horses; but for ''roughness' hay.
cOrn-fodder, or straw we have to depend
| on foraging along the line of travel, and
| for that reason Magee chose to travel
down the old Line road" as it was called,
running near the boundary line that sep
arates the State MissourD and Nation,
passing through the towns Of Lamar,
Carthage, Neosho. and Pineville, Mo- and
at Maysville, Ark, we turned westward
through the Nation, by way of Tahlequah,
| the capital of the Cherokee Nation to Fort
Gibson. This route is longer and also
more dangerous, on account of the country
being timbered and infested by bush
whackers, but as there Is generally con-
sidera bic forage TO be picked up along it,
the trains often take it in preference to the
old military road"-the one l travelled
to Flat Rock and back last Summer.
FORAGIN0
| along the route is done in tins way: AT
| starting from camp each morning an
| empty wagon or two from each train, es-
corted by squad of soldisrs,~is. sent out
other "roughness," or ionu Of grain
either, II they chance to- find It, among the