Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-12-02
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies whiIed
Away Life In Camp-Foraging Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-ThriI.
iinR scsnes on the Battlefield.

tor. Il saw in Nebraska paper an
nouncement of the death OF Colonel
Robert w. FurnaS. This recalled to
my mind an almost forgotten chapter
Iir the history of the Civil War on the
border In 1862 our regiment was
part of the Indian expedition or OF the
command organized TO march into In
dian territory The Indians. like the
whites Of southern Missouri. divided
on the question of secession. Two
Regiments of cavalry were organized
in Indian territory for the Confederate
service, and they made it very UNI
comfortable for the Greeks, Seminoes,
iCherokees, and others who stood by
the Union,
.The old Creek chief, Hopocithleyo-
ihola, organized the Union Indians and
defied the Confederates. He fought
several engagements against the Con
federates. white and Indian, but was
compelled to retreat north toward
Kansas in the winter of 1862. He
took with him all his tribe and all the
property he could transport, His peo-
pile suffered many hardshps, but were
Joined by many Cherokees. When our
lexpedition came within range of these
Indian refugees they were eager to
join us and Colonel Furnas proceeded
to organize three Indian regiments
"Furnas became Colonel of the first
Indian regiment. John Richie of the
second. and William A. Phillips Colo
mel of the third. In the first there
were many Creeks, the third was all
CheokeeS and the second was made
up of Cherokees and members of other
tribes Colonel Furnas was very much
in earnest but his Indian brigade (he
soon came to the command of the
three regimentsl served the purpose of
a circus to the white regiments. When
uniforms were issued the Indians had
no sense of fitness or proportion.
They made monkeys Of themselves,
tail fellows getting into short blouses
and trousers. short fellows into long
suits and all wore over their long hair
the high-crowned, stiff wool hats is
sued to the volunteers of that day.
"The most of them we're large men.
but all rode small Indian ponies, with
their feet almost touching the ground,
and when they fell in for a march
they were, with their war paint and
war whoops, funnier than any roaring
burlesque | ever saw on the stage.
But. great Scot, they were in earnest,
and they went into the territory and
through ii after the scampering Con-
federates like a tornado, They didn't
care for clothes They were erratic in
the matter OF discipline, but they
fought like veterans and won in every
fight.
Our expedition drove the Coufed-
crates out of the territory and then re-
turned northward, taking old Chief
John Ross of the Cherokees with MS
But Colonel Furnas and his Indian
brigade elected to stay in the terri
tory, and we left with them one sec
ton Of Captain Aliens First Kansas
battery. They kept mp their activity
against the rebels. and in several en-
gagements made fine records. They
were employed in the later years OF
the war in extended operations, and
became famous in the campaigns on
the border
They would have been, in the be-
ginning, trial to any other man than
Colonel Furnas | remember on one
occasion a whole battalion went off on
a buffalo hunt of several days, and it
was surmised they had deserted. But
in due time they Joined the column as
good as new, and impcryious to criti-
cism. On another occasion a regiment
was sent out to engage regiment Of
Confederate Indians Some Of us. who
We're watching operations We're
amazed to see only one company ride
forward TO attack, and then retreat
with great deal Of war-who0ping
and shooting, The Confederate Indians
followed reckIessly, sure Of capturing
the small force of UnOnists. when the
other companies of our Indian rcgi-
ment dashed In on the enemy's tanks
and rear and completely routed the
Coufederates. our Indians never
turned hair when they were compli.
mented for their strategy, That was
their way of fighting, and Furnas
managed them to the credit of the
army until he returned To Nebaska.
Il was in Washington IN Mach.
ISL, to see Garfield inaugurated. one
day went to Mount Vernon on the
boat with one Of Furnas' old captains.
He was Of Indian blood, possibly. but
he carried himself like a white man.
and was accepted as one. ON the
I journey down some one went to the
piano and played with unusual expires
sion some popular air / heard the
Captain sitting at my side give a con
| temptuous snort. and thought he
didn't like the music But pointing
/ TO the musician, he said: What IS he