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
