The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-02
OUR OLDEST SOLDIER
o7th BIRTHDAY WEDNESDAY .n,,, 90

ana lrqntlcr experiences in the early
Gays. hucker thrashed the Utes in sew
erai nEhts, and then they came in and
sad they would be good Indians. OF
hlt carson Gen. Ruckor says:
| Mt Carson had been the agent for
tne otes, and he was with us. and when
we did pitch the tent which was sell
dom, Carson and | shared il. 7 forgot
the force OF tho Utes, but they were
Pre,ty numerous, and against them we
LOOK TWO companies of the First Ora
Goons, one company of foot artillery and
four companies of Mexican volunteers
~altogether force of about 500 men.
were 4 hardy set and wero professional
packers Pretty good fighters, too,
When they had some one to lead them.
Already IN those days tho Utes were
we'll armed with rifles, and they caused
MS little trouble. Not much, for the
Indian was never tho sort of fighter to
stand up and take his medicine. Am
bushing helpless people was more in his
line. The Utes realized they had no
chance from the start, and-the Indians
or those days were no fOols-thcy came
in and behaved.
'When got through with this task |
came back cast. | sailed from San
Francisco for Panama on one of the
first steamers out after the Aspinwall
treaty had been signed. Lieutenant, af
terward General, Sherman, was one of
my companions. We went across the
isthmus on ponies. and in pirogucs down
the Chagres river, and on the Atlantic
side we took the steamer City Of New
Y ork for Jamaica. where Sherman and
myself went to call on our adversary of
few years previous, Gen. Santa Ana
Quartermaster Work in Civil War.
After period Of service in the east
Gen. Rucker was sent to New Mexico,
and there FOR seven or eight years he
saw almost constant service against the
Apaches. The civil war broke out while
he was in the southwest, and Gen
Rucker was summoned to Washington,
where he was put to work in the quar-
termaSter's department. He wanted to
20 to the front, but, because OF his ex-
perlencc IN this particular kind of staff
duty, he was told that he must stay
and help to straighten out the supply
department. He obeyed orders because
he had to- and it was due to his efforts
In large part that order came out Of
disorder in the equipment department
saw none of the fighting of the
evil war, but some of us had TO serve
In Washington, and the lot fell to me-
Gen. Rucker says of this period. ''In
September, 1861, l was promoted to
be colonel OF volunteers. In MAY, 1863. /
was made brigadier general of volun.
teers; IN 1865 ] was made brevet major !
general, and in September, 1866, was
mustered out, In the regular service. |
however, | was made colonel, and as
slstant quartermaster general in july. |
1866, and as such ] served until Feb |
ruary IL, 1882, when / was made brig
adler general and quartermaster gen
eral, with aides. When that appoint- |
ment came had seen over forty-fve |
years or active service. | was in nv |
list year, and when I wrote a. letter |
to the war department, announcing. in !
view OF my promotion. that ] had sas- |
sumed the duties, they seemed to take |
1T as an indication that | desired to |
retire. ] did not mean it that wav, but |
as they had retired me, | did not pro.
test. Perhaps at II it is time to make |
way Tor the younger men. -
In all ms long service, General Rucker
was never once wounded. He engaged |
IN many, skirmishes with Indians and |
saw hard fighting in the Mexican war.
but escaped untouched. Furthermore
and this is record. General Rucker de-
c!ares that in all the forty-fve wears of |
MS service he was never i'll single day;
that his name was not even once en-. !
tered on the sick list.
General Rucker S daughter, Irene,
married General Philip II. Sheridan in
NhiSdSo III June, 1910 me cider gen |
eral was stationed IN Chicago for a long ,
time, and in the great fire he lost his |
papers, his household goods, and the al
most priceless souvenirs Of nearly forty
years OF army service. Occasionally to-
day General Rucker puts on the uniform
of his rank in the United States service. /
He is still soldierly, and his spirit is
as that of the day when he followed !
Zach Taylor into the thick of the fight |
al Buena Vista.
Three more years and General Rucker
will have lived a century, and will have |
been borne on the military service rolls |
of his country for three quarters of a
century.