(_Extract_)
* * * * *
V. Second Lieutenant _R. G. Carter_, 4th Cavalry, with a detail
consisting of two non commissioned officers and eleven privates
of that Regiment, mounted, fully armed and equipped, furnished
one day's rations and sixty rounds of ammunition per man, will
proceed at Retreat this day, in pursuit of deserters under the
_verbal instructions_ of the Commanding Officer of the Post. The
A. C. S. will turn over to _Lieut Carter_, the sum of ($250) Two
hundred and fifty dollars, subsistence funds, for the purchase
of subsistence for the men of his detail-- The A. A. Q. M. will
turn over to _Lieut Carter_, the sum of ($300) three hundred
dollars, Quartermaster's funds, for the purchase of forage for
the public animals.
By Command of Colonel RANALD S. MACKENZIE,
(Signed) W. J. KYLE,
1st Lieut. 11th Infantry, Post Adjutant.
Lieut R. G. CARTER, 4th Cavalry--
The money was turned over to us by the Post Adjutant--Lawton receiving
the same amount--and then turning to both of us--Mackenzie said: "In
addition to those orders, I wish to give you special instructions for
your guidance in this most important duty you are going on-- I shall not
expect you to follow them implicitly but to be guided by circumstances
arising at the moment--and which, being on the spot, you will know how
to deal with better than anybody else--and to use your best judgment and
wisest discretion at all times-- You are to keep one Corporal with you
all the time, taking him into your confidence so far as you may deem
it necessary for your success. You are to go in different directions--
Lawton is to go on the Decatur road--while you (the writer) are to
follow the Weatherford road-- You are to cover all of the intermediate
settlements near and beyond those towns, seeking at all times the
assistance of the Civil authorities and holding out to them the prospect
of the Government reward ($30) for the apprehension and delivery to
you of each deserter-- The towns should only be entered at night and
then with a deputy sheriff or other civil officer-- It should be
systematically and thoroughly searched-- Should you find that these
deserters have headed for the railroads, and you have traced them that
far--and it becomes necessary, drop your detachment, leaving it in
charge of one non-commissioned officer, while you take the other with
you, continuing the pursuit, even if it leads to Galveston and New
Orleans, or, even to New York"--and then, hesitating somewhat--he
added--pitching his voice to a high key, and as was his habit--snapping
the stumps of his amputated fingers--"_I don't want either of you to
come back until you have accomplished results-- I want these men brought
back and punished_-- Obey the _Civil Laws_ and if they are not violated
and you stick to the spirit of your instructions, I will cover all of
your acts with a '_blanket order_.'" The writer suggested that Lawton
and himself, and the Corporals whom we might select to remain with us
wherever we went--should go in citizens clothes, since, if we had to
"cut loose" from our detachments, we would be able to co-operate more
effectively with the Civil Authorities when we might be acting as
detectives about the large towns, especially at night-- To this
Mackenzie readily agreed, saying that it was an excellent and practical
suggestion-- He included this idea in his instructions-- The writer had
been at an immense conscript and draft rendezvous during the Civil
War--among the worst classes of "substitutes" and "bounty jumpers"--ever
known in the history of our Army-- They were deserters from every Army
and Navy of the world; had come over here for the huge bounties paid
under our vicious conscript laws--only to desert--re-enlist and repeat
the method again and again-- We frequently mingled with them in citizens
clothes--got their plans, and either thwarted them or caused their
arrest and punishment; On one occasion the execution of two for
desertion.
We thought that these instructions were very lucid and certainly were
very wide sweeping--enough so to satisfy the most exacting soldier-- It
looked like a winter's job had been cut out for us--and secretly in our
hearts--we wished the trail might lead through the places he named.
Visions of Galveston, New Orleans and "Little Old New York" loomed up
very large--and alluring, for neither of us had visited those attractive
"burgs" and elysiums of pleasure--for a long time--but the conditional,
or "_If_" clause in this interview caused us to dubiously shake our
heads--with feeling of hope, it is true, but not of elation--and not
unmixed with some dread and apprehension for the future, hardly knowing
what was before us in this, to us, most novel frontier adventure-- It
was now nearly dark, and wishing Mackenzie "Good Night", and stepping
out into the gloom of approaching night to face the drizzle of a
gathering "Norther," we (Lawton and the writer) shook hands and
separated, both busily chewing the cud of reflection, inwardly cursing
our reputed Civil War efficiency that had led to our selection for such
"beastly" service, and industriously trying to digest and assimilate
these most elaborate and elastic, carte blanche instructions the "Old
Man" had given us-- While we felt that in a measure, we were free
lances--all freebooters, with nobody to say "Yea or Nay", our own
Commanding officers with no one to disturb our independence of thought
and action (and with such limited means of communication at that period
and under such conditions, one can easily see that no such limitations
could be imposed as are placed to-day), we also realized the terrible
responsibility so suddenly thrust upon us, and the great risks we ran in
dealing with determined men wrought up to such a desperate pitch as they
were by alleged acts of injustice--and hard and fast conditions under
which they were serving-- All this aided, as we felt these men might be,
by other equally bad gun-men--all over and down through that country
wherever we might trail them.
I had selected Corporal John B. Charlton of Troop "F" for my _civilian_
companion-- I considered him one of the best non-commissioned officers
in the regiment-- While he had a free, rollicking, reckless, dare devil
spirit about him--he was easily controlled, and perfectly amenable to
discipline-- He was a very handsome, intelligent, active, energetic
man of about 24 years of age--and was on his second 5 years
enlistment--his first having been in the Fifth Artillery-- He was fully
six feet--spare, sinewy, straight as an arrow--an athlete--one of the
best riders, shots and hunters, and all round soldiers in the regiment--
He had a straight nose--strong chin and steel-blue eyes, the glint
of which, when he was aroused--looked dangerous when squinting down
the sights of our old Spencer Carbines-- He reminded me of that
free, rollicksome--"devil-may-care" d'Artagnan, one of the "Three
Musketeers"-- He probably had a past like many other enlisted men who
entered the regular army after the Civil War-- If so, for obvious
reasons, we never pried into that past. He entered into the spirit and
novelty of this new adventure with commendable zeal, energy, spirit and
enthusiasm-- I felt that I knew my man perfectly, and that, under all
circumstances, he would prove absolutely loyal to all duty and be
faithful to whatever trust I reposed in him--
We were all well mounted, well armed, and had one good, well trained
pack mule to carry our grub-- We both had guides, the one assigned to
the writer being William Rhodes, a rancher, who had been driven in to
the shelter of the post by Indians, a very quiet, sturdy, honest and
reliable man who knew the country fairly well within a radius of 40
miles, but beyond that his knowledge was no better than my own or any
other man in the detachment, besides being one more man to feed and care
for after he had got beyond his bailiwick as a post guide-- I never took
another guide beyond a 50 mile radius.