Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1913-03-07
CHAPTER !.
!. ,lrOIeasant Situation.


:. urOIeasant Situation.
!" iate in May, 1868, Major
SlsI nanopald, Sixth Infantry, was
ia . a to command the new
!. ' company post established south
y Fort Dodge, designed to pro-
@o newly discovered Cimarron
asdipg to Santa Fe across the
" and, purely by courtesy. Of
w ~ termed Fort Devere, he nat
\, y considered it perfectly safe to
Sio only daughter to join him
tor her summer vacation. In
!, st that time, there was ap-
s,,y no valid reason why he
Il a. DENY himself this pleasure.
.,t for certain vague rumors re-
s.s nneasiness among the Sioux
'. y, north of the Platte, the vari-
rihos Of the plains were causing
,,rcraI trouble to military authori-
although. of course, there was
fine in the history of that country
Wv devoid of peril from young
n, usually aided and abetted by
,at whites. However, the Santa
mite by this date, had become a
travelled trail, protected by scat
\ Dosts along it's entire route, fire.
sty patrolled by troops, and mere
npsidered dangerous for small par
,mth of the Cimarron, where row.
rOmanches in bad humor might
ncOuntered.
bDv assured as to this by officers
At Fort Ripley, Mcdonald, who
never before served west of the
stsippi wrote his daughter a long
tg describing in careful detail the
NJ set an exact date for her de-
tue and then, satisfied all was
arranged, set forth with his
N command on the long march
ssnd He had not seen his daugh-
ior over two years, as during her
adon time (she was attending
nrrest school, on the Hudson) /,
made her home with an aunt in
rNcticut. This year the aunt was
hDpe not expecting to return I'M
all, and the father had hopefully
ahd on having the girl with him
again in Kentucky. Then came
sudden, unexpected transfer west,
the final decision to have her join
There Why not? If she remain
he same high-spirited army girl,
would thoroughly enjoy the I'M
a experience of a few months of
frontier life, and the only hard
4hTOlVed would be the long stage
shOm Ripley. This, however, was
seher prairie travel, monotonous
Agh surely, but without special
Nf, and he could doubtless ar
y to meet her himself at Kansas
Or send one of his officers for
tlurpose.
IBIS was the situation in May, but
De middle of June conditions had
aly changed throughout all the
u plains country. The spirit of
a war had spread rapidly from
rate to the Rio Pecos, and
9ey wild tribe remained disaf-
~ Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Pawnee,
aacne and Apache alike espoused
0use Of the Sioux, and their
y warriors, breaking away from
~alol of older chiefs, became
aa Warlike. Devere, isolated as
Y nom the main route of travel
santa Fe stages still following
~o'e northern traiD, heard mere
.lVS OF the prevailing condition
" carrying hunters, and posi-
occasional army courier, yet
''ailIed the gravity of the stu
OV'auSe of the almost total
.OE OF travel by way of the
,ion and the growing 'insolence
surrounding Comanches. De-
'On the small garrison were,
Urgent orders from headquar-
surt Wallace, kept constantly
aS lar south as the fork of
~. ~ i"er, and then west to the
aus Squads from the single
=, 'Ompany guarded the few
~. - 'enturing still to cross the
n "a uesert, or bore dispatches
DOuge. Thus the few soldiers
rs On duty at the home sta
=, aus !. Slowly aware that this
~ ! u savagery was no longer a
va va affair Outrages we're re-
Il rOa the solomon, the Repub-
~ - arkansas valleys. A settle
Falded on Smoky Fork;
M "'Iacked near the Caches.
A. Oarhed; wagon train was
3 ~ y. N the Ration pass. and only
a, ~ desperate fighting Al
N ,a-' NC situation appeared ex-
s. o.lOus and summer promised
ID y was rather slow to ap-
rns NC real facts. His knowl-
ulan tactics was exceeding