Sheridan's Troopers on the Borders: a Winter Campaign on the Plains

ESS than a year and half ago, one midnight, the writer of these pages entered the distant western town of Leavenworth in the state of Kansas.Three sooty lanterns cast a dubious light upon a dozen passengers groping their way amongst tlReshing machines, barrels and boxes, towards a rickety and battered coach.Said coach had the appearance of having migrated, by slow stages, all the way from the Atlantic sea-board, keeping pace with the ad- vance tide of civilization, and shunning railroads as relentless intruders.dred miles and shipped to the eastern markets St. Louis, Chicago, and the great cities of the Atlantic.Towards evening an odd buffalo or a small herd of antelopes appeared in the distance, but not in sufficient proximity to get even a good sight.At eight o'clock the train reached Fort Harker.Here we were delayed some minutes awaiting the special train of the commanding general from the west.We then pushed on to Ellsworth, three miles further.Owing to hostilities and the presence of Indian war parties along the line of road beyond, the running of trains except by daylight had been abandoned.We were therefore booked for the night.Leaving the train and walking a few hundred feet across an open space covered with boxes, broken barrels, tin cans, and every other variety of rubbish, we reached the "Urst class " hotel, known as the Anderson House.We were received at the door by a wizen-faced, spare individual, who was afterwards found to be the proprietor.The hotel was a frame struc- ture about forty feet front and two stories in height.The accommodations were not of the most commodious character, though this inconvenience was obviated by the hospitality, for a pecuniary consideration, of the citizens of the place.Those who could not be accommodated at the hotel, were taken in tow by a seedy African and escorted to some neighboring house or tent to be provided for.Being the first to reach the hotel I had the first chance of accommodation, and was accordingly assigned to room No. 1.The other passengers were provided for to the extent of five persons in three rooms.The rest of the passengers, now reduced to twenty, either were billeted on the citizens or slept in the cars.After a supper on buffalo steak, antelope ham, soggy bread, and a cup of warm water, flavored with a grain of coffee or a leaf of tea, the passengers gathered in the hotel office, a small room eight by ten and furnished with a counter and several dilapidated chairs.The proprietor presided.. Seating himself streams, the Solomon, the Smokey Hill, the north Fork of the Canadian and the Washita.Besides these, innumerable tribu- taries answering more the purposes of an extensive system of drainage daring the rainy season, than permanently flowing cur- rents, are to be found every where.A peculiar feature of all the plains streams, is the effect of the seasons upon their size.During the summer the largest rivers dwindle into utter insignificance and the fact that they were ever anything more, is only observable by their dry sandy bed cov- ered when the streams are swelled by the melting snows and spring rains.When the larger streams are effected by the ex- cessive lack of rain, it is easy to imagine that the tributaries and smaller water courses are lost entirely.It frequently hap- pens that the water loses itself in the sand and at intervals of a few miles will rise again to the surface, forming a chain of ponds with no apparent communication with each other.In some of the streams the water is exceedingly impregnated with alkaline substances and is very unpalatable, as well as injurious to either man or beast.This is particularly the case with the Cimmaron region.Timber is the rare exception, rather than the common repre- sentative of the vegetable kingdom of the plains.The traveler pursues his way for mile after mile, without seeing a single tree, nor even a shrub.Where trees are found at all, is upon the banks of some of the krger streams and then a very sparse growth.The Indian when it is possible establishes the seat of his families where wood and brush are to be had, while his hunting-parties build their fires of buffalo chips.The emigrant trails have generaly been laid out with a view to the streams presenting the advantages of timber and water.The only vegetation which thrives, is a tenacious, diminutive, but very nutritious growth called thfc "buffalo grass" and by some set down as a variety of mosquito.With this grass the entire country is covered, until within a short distance of the mountains where the sage brush predominates.The traveler in passing over this country naturally asks him- SHERIDAN'S TROOPERS the railroad company, for the use of the employees to defend their trains against Indian attacks.As soon as the firing commenced several of the train men rushed into the car in which I was seated, snatched a rifle from the rack, rammed a couple of handsful of cartridges in their pockets and darted back again into the forward car.At this juncture as I thought things were getting serious I re-examined my own rifle, buckled on a pair of pistols, slung my cartridge box over my shoulder and started forward to look into the cause of all the commotion.At this moment a shout "Buffalo crossing the track" was heard and bang !bang !bang !simultaneously went several pieces.Poking my head out of the car window I observed a small herd of six buffalo bulls run- ning at full speed parallel with the train, about a hundred yards ahead and not more than sixty feet from the track.The stupid animals seemed bent upon crossing, but finding the locomotive pursuing too closely, at the last moment turned and attempted to get out of reach.While the pursuit was going on, a number of shots were fired but without effect.As the herd left the track, the engineer slackened the speed of the train.A fusilade now began in earnest.Each person vied with the other in firing the most shots.Two of the animals were wounded, one mor- tally.The locomotive whistled "down breaks."Without waiting for the train to stop every one, engineer, conductor, brakesman and passengers, leaving only the fireman, jumped off the cars and gave chase.The wounded buffalo still on his feet, with great effort was trying to make his escape.He had been shot in the thigh and though retarded, made good progress, when another ball taking effect in the other leg, let his hind-quarters down upon the ground.Nothing daunted the wounded animal made every exertion to drag himself off, on his two fore feet, when a ball under the shoulder put an end to his sufferings and his efforts to rejoin his companions.A cheer wound up the railroad chase, when the busy knives of "professionals" in hip- joint operations, soon had the "rumps" severed and after cut- ting out the tongues and a few etrips of "hump" the rest of the ON Til K DO II I) fJU.S. 21 two immense carcasses were left as a dainty and abundant re- past for the wolf.The meat was put on the train, and again we continued our journey.Both the animals killed were bulls, and, judging from the rings on their horns and their long shaggy manes, had already outlived the ordinary life-time of their spe- cies.Without further delay at about noon the train reached Haya city.Here for the present was the termination of my journey.Hays city was, and probably is still if not migrated further west as is a peculiar habit of plains towns, located on the rail- road, three hundred miles from the eastern state line of Kansas and five hundred and eighty three miles west of St. Louis.Its population, composed of Americans, Germans, Swiss, French, Jews, Mexicans, and a few women, numbered not more than two hundred souls.The place when the terminus of the road, could have mastered a much stronger force, but with the rail- road, all the restless spirits pushed farther west.Even the houses were taken down and carried to Phil Sheridan* station, a hundred miles away.The houses still standing at the time of my visit were the depot, the hotel, a dozen "rum holes" and a few shops, mainly kept by Jews, a drug store, a lawyer's office and the post-office.These were all built of wood in the most economical manner, frequently with canvas roofs.The citizens occupied "doabce" huts and tents.Wonderful stories of an excessively sanguinary character were told me concerning the early ages of Hays city, that was about twelve months before.Drunken brawls, murders and robberies, were the every day enjoyment of the citizens.ed, by illness, from overtaking him, in time to witness his bril liant victories, and becoming personally acquainted with him.The conversation, of course, was on the subject of the war.In- dian fighting was evidently not a new thing to the General, and his plans were so arranged as to accomplish the greatest results with the least means.His military department embraced the states of Missouri and Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, and the Indian Territory, an extent of country equal, in area, to nearly a half dozen ordinary states.The Pacific Railway, it is true, was convenient, as communicating with the base of operations, and enabled him to establish large depots of supplies at the forts on the line.This was the least portion of the labor.Stores had to be shipped to the posts away from the railroad, and that too, within a limited time, before the setting in of the wintry storms.Government wagon trains, as well as "citizen" trains, were constantly passing between the railroad and Forts Dodge, Wallace, and Lyon.Large contracts were also given out for the supply of Fort Bascom, from New Mexico, and Fort Arbuckle, from Kansas, and the Cherokee county.This was literally going back to warfare according to first principles.The General, certainly, had now a fair opportunity of making up his mind as to the utility, convenience, and economy of rail- ways, as compared with wagon trains, in conducting warlike operations.The theatre of war was so extensive, that there were about the same chances of scouti

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