The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1918-06-21
Much Credit Is Due
Brigadier General
II. S. McKinzie
DECISIVE WCTCRY
AT SAN JUAN HILL
Monument Erected In Cuba--
Brilliant Record Made
In the Nineties
Special to the Globe:

Special to the Globe:-
In recounting the history Of the
Oath u S. Infantry, l am confronted
with a pleasure that is likewise a
task. To embrace in one sheet all Of
the deeds of gallautry, bravery, kind
ness and courage Of the oath U. S.
Infantry would require a volume that
in its very enormity would discourage
the efforts of any historian to do full
justice to the valor and fidelity of
the oath U. S. Infantry would require
the ability Of Shakespeare and the
perseverance of Bacon. l have
neither, so my ambition must be re-
stricted to modest mention of some
of the principal events in the life of
the regiment.
The oath U. S. Infantry came into
being in 1869 as result of the con-
solidation of the 38th and 41st In.
fantry. This was occasioned by an act
of Congress reducing the number of
Infantry regiments in the U. S. Army
The brilliant record of the oath U
s. Infantry, the results of this com
bination has demonstrated as no other
fact could. The wisdom of this legis
lation could the farmer of that act
but review the score of the oath U
s. Infantry he would burst with pride
at his foresight.
The first commander of the regi
nient was Brigadier General Ronald
s. McKinzie, and to him is due much
of the credit for its high character
he was as stately man as ever
donned spur and his military bear
ing was the ideal and inspiration Of
his men.
The first station of the oath U. S
Infantry was along the southern edge
of the staked plains of Texas. The
regiment was broken up and scat
tered along a frontier of three hun
dred and twenty miles. 1t was wild
and rugged a country then as the
most ambitious prospector could wish
At the interior posts the officer lived
the inspiring life of the frontier
shooting buffalo eder, the numerous
other wild game so abundant in this
section. The routine Of the service
was varied by hunting, fishing anG
rare isolated raids by small bands Of
Indians, and to scout out and locate
hostile bands.
Geographically the station was idea
being near the Mexican border, where
the climate was high, dry and invig
Grating, life was some what wild il
those days for the big boundless ex
panse of prairie lent itself admirably
to the red Spanish life with it's padre
its alcalde, its guitar, its fandang(
and it's sinorites. The remembrance
Of this still stirs the blood of the very
few "old timers" who underwent this
experience. At this time Col. Abnel
Doubleday, hero Of Fort Sumptel
and Corps Commander at Gettysburg
came into command of the Gath u
s. Infantry, and the regiment wa!
transferred to Fort Ring, gold in thu
Spring to Seventy-two, this was tn,
land of the Chapparal, the ebony tree
the Sen0rita, the cigarette and th
mescal. The youngsters took all bu
the tree. The regiment lived lif
OF freedom, free from all save th
discomforts of the wilderness, it's dut.
= was to seek out true and substantial
pleasure.
During the eleven years that tn,
regiment was stationed here lon,
marches and scouting expedition,
were taken into the Indian countr,
for the purpose of suppressing Tino
insurrections, and uprisings amon6 th
red skins and to make maps of tn,
country. Maps thus made are s,
authentic that they are now frequent
ly referred to when accuracy Il
desirable. In 1880, the regiment wen
into Indian Territory for the purpos
OF taking cHhrge of the Indians Their
and to keeTE (white) somesteaders out
This period was uneventful excep,
for few minor pitched battles upo,
the occasion of several enthusiastica
Sun dances.
The year 1883 with the exceptio,
OF the Spanish-American war, prob
ply saw the hardest time the regi
4 ut has ever had. In this yea
II were transferred from Indial
Int n Territory to New Mexico an,
Aris pa. Great discomfort was ex
perie bed here on account of the DIR.
climate and hot temperature. Th
heat was intense and the air was thicl
with files. The nights were spent IL
restless tossing and praying for day
and the days were spent praying TO
night to shield their cracked skin
from the glaring rays Of the sun. Th
duty here was to protect the few
settlers from the terrorizing raids o
the redoubtable Apache Kid" Th
regiment remained here until 1895 O.
1887 when It was decided to send 1