The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-10-04

they had feared him before. so thsy,x
trusted him now. He dealt with them
with equal honesty and thoroughnes,
whether the business was of peace or
of war. Mr.. Sabin prints extracts fr,rf
his reports that show, on Carson's nast
a quality Of craftsmanship. II may Ne
big word to use of a little thing but the
quality was certainly there: and many
reputation for statcsmanship ha,
been made where the trials of the sltua.
ton were less sharp and less constant.
In the civil war Kit Carson rendered
precisely such service as might he pred.
icated from his character and his prev.
ious career. As n Colonel his command
was not larFc. but 1t was highly uscful
In the open. scattered fighting that
characterized that little corner of tina
theatre of war. overshadowcd ~ tina
conflict OF huge forces in the East
| The author may be trusted not to I'm.
: derstatc the case for Kit Carson md
| II is on behalf of his hero that he states
| the case for the fighting in the South.
west the reader may apply the salt
for himself: Had the Confederate pni.
ect Of investing the Rocky Mountain
country met with only measure OF
success, II would have started in thu
| flesh OF the republic malignant sore
OF guerrilla warfare more Yrulcnt than
ever yet has been prescribed for. White
and red against white and rod. the
fever would have swept desert. pass.
plain and ale" Col Carson's uarf IN
/ the battle OF Valverdc, y. NJ. February
| 81, 1862, is not impressive; the plains.
man had everything to learn ahou.
civilized" warfare, and there vers
West Pointers there to demonstrate IN.
art for his edlfication.
After all. the best Kit Carson II in
the homely stories of tho plainsman.
This one, from a private letter to the
author by Capt. George H. Potts "
Rhode Island, who commanded COM
pany in the Navajo campaign, is char.
acteristic: The troops arriving al Fort
| Wingate late I'm the day. one Of the men
asked the company clerk for an order
on the post commissary for n quart u
molasses. AS such orders called for the
validating signature of the post com.
mander, the soldier presented his rider
to Col. Carson. explaining what It was
for Returning with his mo!asScs. tho
man told his comrades he did not he
lieve the Colonel could read manuscript
and suggested rich possibilities: The
open the bung of the suffers whlskey
barrel,
A couple OF weeks later the Colon.
dropped in upon the sutler. "Hows
business?" he asked. Fine" says SUIT
Ter John Waters. Two barrels Of whis-
key sold To II company, by the canteen-
full at 81 a fill!" why, John" says tho
Colonel, don't you know that it's agln
regulations to sell whisllcy to enlisted
men OF the post without the written
order Of the commanding oficcr?"
Whereupon Waters showed foot thick
pad of orders impaled upon his fling
| hook. After that the Colonel refused 10
sign papers until his adjutant. Lieut.
Lawrence Murphy, had read them 10
him. One wonders what kept those two
barrels of whiskey so quiet for two
weeks: but IL is a story
Carson was not always treated well
by the authorities at Washington.
after long hard service az a Second
Lieutenant be learned that his appoint
ment had failed OF confirmation, posi-
bly, because Senators welcomed IN.
chance TO take a slap at his sponsor.
Benton, who had been an open scorner
of West Pointers in favor II the rough
and ready fighters of the frontier: hut.
although the news OF his lack of official
status came to him in the middle or a
long ride on an arduous tour of duty.
the Lieutenant that was not continued
his mission to the end, without paw OF
honor. But he was recognized fairly
enough in his last years and now his
life work is commemorated generously
in the part of the country where It's
busiest scenes were staged, with monu-
ments In Santa Fe and Denver. TRIM
dad has n Kit Carson park and Is 10
adorn 1t with statue OF its namesake
Kentucky and Missouri also, il is said,
are 10 mark the places where he was
born and raised. There are patriotic
projects for "shrines" at Taos, where he
lived and is buried. and at Fort Lyon.
where he died.
Mr.. Sabin's book is full of good West
ern stuff" rather informally set FORT !;
and his reproductions of old American
prints deserve honorable mention. Car
sons Indian agency reports, appended
in part. will well repay perusal by those
who are curious either about the Gen
eral as a Government official or about
; the administrative difficulties of the In
dian problem in its early days.