Campaigning with Crook, and Stories of Army LifeKing, Charles
History
Campaigning with Crook, and Stories of Army Life
King, Charles
Crook, George, 1829-1890; Indians of North America -- Wars -- 1866-1895; United States. Army. Cavalry, 5th
On the campaign of '76, Mr. D---- again made his appearance as
commissioner, started with General Crook's staff, but ere long was
called upon to find new accommodations elsewhere. How it all came about
I never cared to know, but after unpleasant experiences with first one
set and then another, he gravitated eventually to the packers, who made
him do guard and herd duty. He pushed ahead with Major Mills's command,
and stumbled with them into the morning battle at Slim Buttes. This he
witnessed in a state of abject terror, and then, when the danger was
over, wrote a most scandalous account, accusing Major Mills of all
manner of misbehavior. His paper published it, but had to eat humble
pie, make a most complete apology, and, I think, dismiss its
correspondent. Camelquo Creek is the only existing trace of poor D----
of which we have any knowledge.
Once fairly in the Black Hills, and resting on the banks of French
Creek, we set to work to count up the losses of the campaign. In
horseflesh and equipments the gaps were appalling. Some companies in
the Fifth were very much reduced, and, of course, when the horse dropped
exhausted on the trail, there was no transportation for the saddle,
bridle, and "kit." It often happened that for days the soldier led his
horse along the flanks of the column or in the rear of the regiment,
striving hard to nurse his failing strength, hunting eagerly for every
little bunch of grass that might eke out his meagre subsistence. In all
the array of company losses there was one, and only one, shining
contrast--Montgomery, with Company "B," the Grays, calmly submitted a
clear "bill of health;" he had not lost a single horse, which was
marvellous in itself, but when "Monty" proceeded to state that every
Company "B" man had his saddle, bridle, nose bag, lariat, picket-pin,
side lines, etc., the thing was incomprehensible; that is, it seemed
incomprehensible, until the fact was taken into consideration that those
companies which bivouacked on either flank of the Grays woke each
morning to the realization of a predatory ability on the part of "them
d--d Company 'B' fellers" that rose superior to any defensive devices
they might invent. But Company "B" could not acquire gray horses at the
expense of the rest of the regiment, whatever it might have done in side
and other lines, and the fact that Captain "Monty" paraded every horse
with which he started is due to the unerring judgment and ceaseless
vigilance with which he noted every symptom of weakness in any and every
animal in his troop, and cared for it accordingly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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