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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 1899)
a- I I Conservative/ 11 rived Sdptoiubor 15,1847 , at Tnblo creek , on the Missouri river. September 28 Lieut. D. P. Woodbury , engineer corps , with an escort x > f five officers and seventy-eight men loft for Grand Island on the Platte river. October 23 , escort returned from Grand Island ; March 12 , 1847 , Lieut. Colonel Powell relinquished command and loft for Grand Island. April 28 , detachment eighteen officers and 875 men loft for Grand Island ; ar rived June 1. 80. Hd. Qrs. Squadron Mounted Riflemen , Fort Ohilds , Indian Territory , November 1 , 1848. Sir : I .have the honor to report that in obedience to orders No. 4 , of the Sixth military department , of October 2 , 1848 ( referring to orders of a previous date from the headquarters of the army ) I left Fort Leavenworth on October 15 , in command of companies I and G of regiment of Mounted Riflemen , to re lieve the volunteer garrison at Fort Ohilds , Platte river , and arrived at this post on October 28 ; marching about 280 miles and in most inclement weather. I found on my arrival hero that Lieut. Colonel Powell , Missouri volunteers pre viously in command of this post , had left for Fort Leaveuworth on or about October 9 , leaving as a garrison for this place , one first lieutenant and eighteen privates. These under my instructions I immediately ordered to report at Fort Leavenworth , for which post they left on October 80. Our situation at this post will be for this winter one of ex treme hardship and I fear much suffer ing. We have our shelters yet to erect both for men and horses and the weather already exceedingly cold , has every indication of heavy snow with se vere cold , and the material of which this post is to bo constructed ( sod and sundried brick ) can not be procured or worked in the snow. In consequence of the scarcity of forage at this post , I have considered it best to send back to Fort Leavenworth a portion of our horses , re serving seventy-three ( about sufficient to mount four-fifths of each company ) and the larger portion of these I fear must perish in this northern latitude and exposed prairies without shelter. I have placed my entire command with the exception of a sufficient guard , upon duty constructing shelters , under the direction , of First Lieut. "Woodbury , en gineer corps. I regret that the extraordinary con duct of Lieut. Colonel Powell in order ing or permitting Assistant Surgeon Joseph Walker , U. S. A. , to accompany him to Fort Leavenworth , has loft us entirely without medical attendance and never did troops need a medical officer more than this garrison composed en tirely of raw recruits. I have accord ingly directed the assistant quartermas ter to endeavor to employ a suitable person but have not the slightest sus picion that any person can be found , for the compensation allowed by regulation ( $40 per mouth ) to come at this most in clement season of the year , this distance (220 ( miles beyond the frontiers of Mis souri ) ; I trust therefore the department will see urgent necessity of prompt action and that the secretary of war will direct a medical officer to repair to this post immediately. Dr. Walker's presence with Colonel Powell could not have boon necessary as a medical officer , inasmuch as the strength of Colonel Powell's escort was , as I am informed , only four men , in cluding the medical officer of his own volunteer battalion. In connection with ihe departure of Lieut. Colonel Powell [ report also that ho carried off with iiim all books , papers , orders or instruc tions relative or belonging to this post , copies of which last I suggest may bo forwarded to me. Two days previous to leaving Fort Leavenworth I addressed the headquarters of this department , rel ative to the destitute condition of the troops of this squadron , in woolen cloth ing. And I now repeat to the depart ment , that the enlisted men of this com mand are absolutely suffering for good and sufficient clothing. At Fort Leav enworth previous to leaving , I made every effort to procure wool overalls , but there was not a pair of any arm of the service at that post. I trust that this will receive the consideration of the de partment , as I fear , in consequence of the illness of General Kearney ( com manding this military department ) there may be some delay which our condition here does not admit of. I send an ex press with the muster rolls to Fort Leav euworth and shall send again to that post about December 1 ; after that period and until May 1,1849,1 shall send to Linden , Atchison county , Missouri. All communications for this garrison should accordingly be directed to the postoffice at Linden. I am informed by the assistant quar termaster at this post , that under the directions of Lieut. Colonel Powell , he has in his employ an express rider , an experienced mountain trapper and trader at $50 ( or $55 for the winter ) per mouth. Whatever may be thought of the neces sity of employing this man during the summer months , it is very certain now that in a garrison of inexperienced re cruits , it will be altogether impracticable , if not totally impossible , to obtain mail at this post during the winter , by means of any soldier of the command. Accordingly , by my approval , the man is retained in the previous employment , until this reference for the sanction oi the secretary of war can be replied to or until the opening of safe travel in the spring. I am , sir , very respectfully , Your Obedt Servt. , O. F. RUFF , Capt. Mounted Riflemen Comdg. General R. Jones , Adjutant General , U. S. A. , Washington , D. 0. 81. Id'q'rs Squadron Mounted Riflemen , ) ; Fort OhildB , Oregon route , > February 20 , 1849. ) Sir : I have the honor to recall to your consideration the necessity of defi nite instructions regarding the move ments and distribution of the troops on the Platte river under my command ; it will bo remembered that by orders from the war department of September 20 , 1848,1 was assigned to the command of the troops on the Platte river with instruc tions to relieve the battalion of Missouri volunteers at the posts on that river and its vicinity. As previously reported I found a small detachment (18 ( men ) of ; ho volunteer battalion at this post. Fort Kearney , the other post indicated , had boon previously entirely abandoned and the public property ( building ma terials ) there placed in charge of a citizen in the employ of the assistant quarter master ; on my arrival hero I found the winter too far advanced to send a de tachment to Fort Kearney , there to con struct winter quarters , storehouses , etc. , unless the necessity had been impera tive and apparent , which was not the case. The point now upon which I desire - sire instructions and information is whether Fort Kearney , as originally intended , is to bo the depot of supplies and transportation for this post and others on the route , or whether Fort Kearney is to be abandoned ( as in my opinion it should be ) and Fort Leaven worth , which is now and must continue the depot for New Mexico and Califor nia should be considered the depot for this route also ; information upon this point is necessary , to enable me to de termine of the necessity of occupying Fort Kearney as soon in the spring as troops can march. The only possible good to be derived from occupying Fort Kearney is the obtaining the better road and direct route to this post and others on the Oregon route ; a military garri son is not necessary there for the pro tection of the frontiers of Missouri , this post being for that purpose , far nioro effectual with a garrison of mounted troops. The expense of erecting quar ters and buildings is a consideration which will unquestionably have much weight with the secretary of war. If , on the other hand , Fort Leavenworth is to be the depot for this route , a survey of a practicable road should at once bo directed either from this post to Fort Leavenworth or from Fort Leaven- wortti' to this post j the present traveled route is totally impracticable for heav ily loaded wagons , in consequence the supplies intended for this post will prob ably bo transported by the Missouri river to Fort Kearney before the proper survey can bo made , unless that survey bo ordered forthwith and at the same time directions for the district quarter master at St. Louis not to ship to a point higher than Fort Leavenworth. It is proper to add that Fort Kearney is
