The National tribune., 1909-10-21
ON THE PILhNS.
Hard Work There During and After
the War. a. 6si

l
| Editor National Tribune: have been
la reader for many years of your valua-
| BILE paper, and am much Interested in
its editorials and genefal Tews, as also
1.-THE news from the OLD soldiers giving
accounts of their experiences and ex-
pIoits. Unfortunately for me, as my
service was rendered on the plains
| from 1863 to 1866, against the treach-
erous red man, the history Iof which
has never yet been written i have been
unable from experience to verify or con-
tradict what has beea written of oc-
currences of the business thet was go
ing on down South during the civil
war / have read several short sketches
in your paper from those who took part
on the plains along about the troublous
| times. and it was very interesting to me,
but it seems to me that someone might
| arise who is well enough acquainted
with the facts and write the story of
the war from the standpoint of the
plains. The occasion or necessity of
| naking this history arose from the up
rising of the hostile Indians on the
plains, taking advantage of our stress
going on in the South, and poor Lo
| had to. be subdued while. we were at
! the same time subduing the rebellion.
Enlisting myself when scarcely IS years
old and occupying humble position as
| u private soldier for two years of my
three of service, had no opportunity
| to collect or preserve facts of history,
nor was I able to gather them. The
regiment to which ] belonged, the 7th
Iowa Cav, made its advent on the West
! ern Frontier in the Summer of 1868.
There had been before US, doing service
against the Indians, the 9Th Iowa Cav.
and the I'd Neb. Cav, nine-months
regiment, who were being mustered out
as we entered.
Our regiment was scattered from
| Omaha westward up the Platte River to
the mountains. with two companies in
Kansas and four companies, W tn Gen.
Sully, up the Missouri in the Dakotas.
The 9Th Iowa Cav. was q three-years
regiment, and marched to the frontier
in the Spring of 1863, and did duty in
the Dakotas and the Upper Missouri
and did some splendid lighting along
with some of the companies of our reg
iment that were. there. There was so
much territory to cover and such few
troops to do the work you may be as
sured that the service was arduous. In
the Spring of 1864 the 1St Neb. Battery
was raised by Maj. Armstrong, and was
composed of four companies of men,
largely recruited from the nine-months
regiment that had been mustered out
the Fall before. This battalion was sent
to our aid, and soon the old 1st Neb.,
-
done good service in the South under
Col. J. NJ. Thayer. who had been pro-
NOTED to n Brigadier-General, and
whose regiment had been mounted and
veteranized and renamed the 1st Neb.
Cav, came next to our relief. This reg
iment was then commanded by Col. r.
II. Livingston. Then, after the war
was pretty well over in the South, there
were sent West several regiments,
among whom was the ! Sth U. s., COM
manded by Col. Fl. w. Darlington, who.
by the way, has letter in your issue of
Sept ., and a detachment of tlle I'd u.
S. Cav. and the 9th w. Va. Cav. under
Lieut.-Col. II. f.. Fleming! The I'd Mo-
Art, -s3Hder Col! aCola; 1.-THE 18TH Nor
cay; the -5th Mich. CGv,H under Lieut.--
Col Peer Stagg: theC2 ist' N.GY. Cav,
under-Cdl fFibbetts, also II paPt'0f"a q
Massachusetts, regiment and ~ part of
a Pennsylvania regimeht.1A good many
of tilesc TegiFneHts-di id not stayiong, ,ras1
the time of their enlistment soon ex-
pired and many of them Were.Sent East
for final rnIrsteT-eut; sbEt enough rtroopsl
were left to make it vhrm,fopIpOor Lo.
and while my regiment: helpeIl subdue
him, there was a good deal tgSdo after
we were ordered uusteBed out. in May,
1856. as can be attestesf ;byaGol.t Car
rington and other officers who took
part in the sangainsry:s d divfusion,. of
t'hAAAi'iS ttN tu1tt
some competent man does not take hold
and weave this Western Indian cam
paign into a succinct history that would
at one and. the same time be reliable
and interesting. The present Commits
sioner of Pensions, Hon. Vespasian
Warner, as well as Eugene f. Ware.
late Commissioner of Pensions, both
saw Service on the plains and many 9TH
er notable, men that l have nos,time
now to enumerate, as my letter is get
ting too lengthy for the editor. am
not trying to wrjte,any part of q. history
of these times. but asking that some
one who is competent for the task might
take it -up.--I- G. Mcdonald. Cipcin-J
natl, Iowa