Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-11-18
DESCRIBES TYPE
Of SOLDIERS AT fort,
LINCOLN IN OLDEN DAY,

stevenson ana buIOrQ. Al pOSlS, 10
Gated as were Stevenson and BufOrd,
before the days OF railroads and tele-
graphs, life during the long winters
was lonely indeed. There was also
a post and military reservation at
Bismarck. Camp Hancock, where the
weather bureau is now. A small
number of soldiers stationed
there until 1898. It was a supply de-.
pot where troops could secure ra-
lions when on their way through
town to upper river posts. Lieuten-
ant josiah Chance, no afterwards
drew thirty thousand dollars in the
Louisiana lottery, was the last officer
who commanded at Hancock. In 1873
all supplies Of food g shipped to
Lincoln. and the place made a depot
Of the quartermasrers department,
with Captain E. D. Baker quartermas-
ter. The place was retained as a
depot of the quartermasters depart
ment until the late eighties hen 1t
was transferred to the weather bur
eau.
Captain Baker was a son of E. D.
Baker, senator from Oregon, friend of
LincoIns. and general in the, civil
war, killed at Balls Bluff, Va, IN
1861.
In 1878 the great civil war had
ended only thirteen years before, and
many Of the officers and men, then
in service, had served through that
war. or the On.cers then at Lincoln,
some had arisen from the ranks Of
the regular army, some we're COM
missioned from civil life, for service
in the war, others were from West
Point, the last mentioned were in
the minority. The education of many
of those who came from the ranks
were limited. but for first class sold.
iers and fighters they were hard to
excel. After long service with
those who came from the ranks, JUS
tice compels me 70 say, in all homes.
ty, that in the majority Of cases
they maintained the dignity of their
positions, and few disgraced the rank
won on the field of battle. In all his.
tory l have failed to find more loyal
tv shown towards a government than
that shown by the enlisted men of the
army when she civil war started be-
tween the states. Few indeed were
the number of enlisted men who de
serted the colors, yet many of these
men were born under the flags Of 9th
er countries. All honor to these
men, whether they were educated or
not, they were true to their. oaths.
There came to the United States
during the alst part Of the war, when
counties high, men who had
served in about all the armies of
Europe, some were the younger sons
Of wealthy European families, and
were men of superior education.
Many of these entered the army, in
which some received commissions.
When the war ended many of this
class joined the regular army. It was
nothing uncommon in these days to
have men in the ranks who could
speak and write two and three Ian
guages, and many of them were well
grounded in Latin and Greek. The
only person l ever met who could, on
sight, give the two translations to
the following Latin puzzle, "Mea ma.
ter mala sus est" was a private sold
Ter and a graduate of Oxford univer-
sity. With these men were civil en-
gineers, architects, artists, navaga.
tors, and some of the best of musi-
clans. In cur regiment we had, serv-
ing as a company farrier, Sir Hugh
Pollock. who was discharged at Camp
Verde In 1867, at the request of the
British minister at Washington.
Many soldiers from the English ar.
my had served in the Crimea, and
the Sepoy rebellion; these were ex-
cellent soldiers and the best of
horsem)n, and swordsmen, though
their style Of riding differed from
ours.
Another class, whom it is presumed
the lure Of the military life or the
expectation Of a war with the French,
in Mexico, brought into the service
shortly after the war. These were
native born Americans, many of
whom had held commissions. Some
of these were men from good famil.
les and e%Xcucated.
The foregoing description will give
an idea of the class of men in the
army thirty.five years ago. I know
many persons, who only saw a drunk.