Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1909-10-20

Carson City knows Orrin BeckstcaG
that gray haired kindly old pioneer
and Mexican War Veteran you see
tOery day on the streets, and who
proudly bears aioft the flag OF his
country ON state occasions. as the
sole survivor of the Mexican War
Veterans In this state. and who,
though bowed with the weight of four
score years and more. still lives TO
tell OF tn cthrilling events OF our his
tory during tac administration OF
President James X. Polk. He Is doubt
less the last of u battalion oi nv" hum
dred Dragons who volunteered their
services to their country and enlisted
at Council Bluffs, Iowa, in 1916 The
old mans eyes kindled with p.casurc
as hc related interesting incidents of
their long march. and then again fill
ed with tears as his memory went
back to the hardahips hc endured. His
memory Is good hut ais limbs are
weak. his steps uncertain but the
patriotism of his early youth is still
there. Yes, Orrin BeckStcad, that
whom you see every day, was one OF
The history makers Of this country,
and for that reason an Appeal report
er interviewed him and herewith pres
ents u statement verbatim OF what
hc claims to be tae longest march ev-
or made by troops afoot:
was only Il boy, On the 10th ol July,
1876. | was mustered into the army
at Council Bluffs Iowa. On the 10Th
we started for Fort l.aevenworth-
down the river over two hundred
miles. There We fitted out for Mex
leo. We started with about five hun
dred Dragons In our battalion, which
was infantry. with General Pailip
kearncy In command
We marched unopposed from the
Arkansas river to Santa Fc, took pos
session OF this place and annexed
New Mexico as Il territory 10 the I'M
ited States. 1t was II hard trip. We
had one desert to cross before we got
to Santa Fc from the Arkansas river
At Santa Fe We received orders to-
go to California and take that country.
We went down the Rio Grande river
below El Paso and there General
kearney met Kit Carson coming back
with dispatches from California. He
reported that California had been TAX
en by the navy and that everything
there was peaceablc and quiet. Gen
eral eKarney then sent the dispatch
es on and sent back all but hundred
OF the dragons to General Price at
Santa Fe and kept Kit Carson as a
guide.
When he fixed up with Kit Carson
to remain with him as a guide, he
planned TO take II narrow route and
strike the head Of the ella river, but
the train could not so through the
narrow pass, so We in the train, had
to go farther around and down into
Arizona. We went nearly to Chihu-
ahua in Mexico.
We had II hard time crossing the
deserts without water. We started
wilh 60 days ratiOns. OF course the
first month or SO We lived on full ra-
tions; but on the desert, seeing that
our provisions were not going to hold
out. we had to cut down our rations.
At one time the guide had to take
new route and We were out five days
without water. We knew it would be
a hard jon to get through but our
colonel was pretty gritty. He said
he had started for California and was
going to- get through at all hazards.
After q time the guide found Il rock
where We got what water We needed.
We had pretty hard time and suf
fered considerably for water and
from living on short ratiOns.
We had u mountain to cross and
canyon to go down. In the canyon
we had To- let the wagons down with
ropes. One day We made only about
two miles. We were three days In
that canyon. II wasn't over ten miles
to get through It, Our provisions
were short. With each company We
had four hunters armed with rifles.
One OF the hunters started out ahead
10 get game. He got down where the