The Republican journal., 1916-09-28
Crossing the Plains.

My next letter was dated Camp of
End Column, Utah Army, Ash Point,
May %. 1858, 'and began as follows: "W e
left Fort Leavenworth the 23d and over
took the column early in the morning,
ard hard days journey We had of it.
Several wagons were stalled and it took
twelve mules to pull them out" That
does not fully describe the conditions.
There had been continuous rains and the
wagons were constantly gong to the
hubs, calling for double teamng, and
some days we only moved three or four
miles.
The column was composed of eleven
companies of infantry, battalion of
dragons. one of infantry recruits and
one of artillery, making about one. thou
sand men. AS camp equipment, NUM-
tons, food, clothing, ETC., had to be
transported with them large number of
canvas-covered wagons, drawn by six
mules each, were requlred-between
three and four hundred-and when the
whole command was Strengthened out it
was about three miles long,
The commanding officer was Col. John
Munroe, Scotchman by birth, who had
served with distinction in three cam
paigns against the Florida Indians, for
which he was brevetted, and he was bre-
yetted later for gallant and meritorious
conduct in the battles of Monterey and
Buena Vista in the Mexican war. The
quartermaster was Capt. George H.
Paige, native of Vermont, splendid
specimen of young manhood, standing
over six feet and finely proportioned. He
died two years later. The paymaster,
Major Henry Prince, was a native of
PASSPORT, who had specially distinguish
ed himself in the field during the Mexi-
can war and was twice brevetted. He
resigned from the regular army at the
beginning of the Civil War to enter the
volunteer service, in which he further
distinguished himself and was again bre-
yetted and attained the rank of brigadier
general. He served until the close of the
war and then returned to the pay depart
ment of the regular army and a few
years later retired. He died in London.
England.
The paymaster and clerk had for trans
portatlon light ambulance drawn by
two mules, in which to ride and carry
their personal belongings, and a wagon
for baggage, etc. Our ambulance team
was not equal to the four mule team we
had in Texas. One mule was large and
slab-slded with a tendency to lean
against something, and the other small,
quick, and lame in two legs. Our team
ster rejoiced in the name of Sam Penn
sylvania, or Pennsylvany as his brother
teamsters called him. There were at least
1000 mules to draw the wagons and am
balances, and in addition the horses,
ponies and mules of the officers and
civilian employees. The mule, of which
1t is said that it has no pride of ancestry
or nope OF posterity, is curious animal.
At the fashionable summer resorts nv
chief amusement had been study of the
characteristics and costumes of the peo-
pie. On the Plains, riding behind them
daily and surrounded by them in camp, |
found mules an interesting study, as l
had previously done in Texas. The goat
which is credited with an appetite for
TIN cans, hoop skirts, etc., the digestion
of an ostrich, and the fussiness of some
people we know, have nothing on the
mule. If mule can get at horse it
will strip him of his name and leave
nothing of his tail but the bone, and
they devour the curtains of an anbu-
lance with apparent relish. In Texas
we had picked up wooden chair with
rawhide seat that had dropped from
eettler's wagon and the mules kicked
the chair to pieces and ate the rawhide
Every wagon and ambulance has
bucket hung on behind with which to
water the team, and our Texas team
would not drink out of any other bucket,
no matter how thirsty they might be;
and sometimes they would refuse to
drink when crossing stream, even
when they had been many hours without
water. On the Plains, sitting before
The tent on camp stool, with hundreds
OF mules in sight grazing it was inter-
esting to watch their antics and attitudes.
The professional contortionist has moth
ing on the mule in his hours of relaxation,
and the artist who drew them in some
of their postures would be put down as
a fakir. This reminds me of an item