That unpleasant features were there is not, however, to be denied;
and as my aim is to present both the lights and shadows of army life,
I will now describe a few of the latter.
As before stated, the supposed impending war with Mexico was the
occasion of an influx of troops far greater than our post could
comfortably accommodate. After we had been at Fort Clark a year and
a half, occupying that pretty, vine-embowered house, we learned that
our garrison of ten companies was to be increased to twenty-five,
with two headquarters and two bands.
The custom that obtains throughout the army of each officer selecting
according to his rank the quarters which he may prefer, was never
more fully enforced than at Fort Clark. Fifty times, perhaps, there
was a general move of at least ten families, because some officer had
arrived who, in selecting a house, caused a dozen other officers to
move, for each in turn chose the one then occupied by the next lower
in rank. We used to call it “bricks falling,” because each toppled
that next in order over; but the annoyance was endured with great
good nature.
When tidings of such an unusual expected influx reached our ears, we
wondered what would become of us, as there were not accommodations
for half the number who were to arrive. An onlooker would doubtless
have found the anxiety experienced by the officers’ wives amusing;
for though prepared for the worst we were, of course, solicitous.
I was ill at the time, confined to my room; and messages were brought
at intervals from six different officers, who all outranked Mr. Boyd,
that each had selected our house. Ridiculous as it may seem, every
one was outranked by another. Finally, a captain of infantry chose
our quarters, and then the doctor declared I could not be moved;
consequently, the captain went temporarily into the house which we
were eventually compelled to occupy.
Next day our third child and second son was born. During the entire
time of my recovery I indulged a delusive hope that the officer who
had chosen our home would be content to remain in the little house he
was then occupying, and which I dreaded to think of living in because
it was so small for our increased family. Delusive hope! built
entirely upon my belief in, or knowledge of, our respective needs. I
felt that a bachelor could live less inconveniently in one room than
could a family of five.
The very day our baby was born the little fellow contracted
whooping-cough from his sister, who, charmed to welcome a new
brother, had repeatedly kissed him. I had no idea such a disease was
in the garrison, and when we learned of it the harm had been done.
Not only did all three of our children suffer in the most pronounced
fashion, but it was pitiable to see and hear that tiny baby coughing
violently before he was two weeks old. He would turn so black in the
face, perhaps a hundred times a day, that his nurse hardly dared
close her eyes, as it would be necessary to raise the infant to a
perfectly erect posture to prevent his strangling.
In spite of baby’s sufferings he never lost flesh, which the doctor
said was marvelous, for my neighbors declared they could hear him
cough a hundred yards away. Our anxiety was great, and Mr. Boyd was a
veritable slave.
For a week I was at death’s door with fever; and yet the very day
baby was four weeks old we were obliged to move, that the captain,
who demanded his house without further delay, might be accommodated.
Each of the children caught cold, and bronchitis was added to
whooping-cough; in consequence of which, during that and the
succeeding winter, I always slept with one hand under baby’s head, in
order to raise him suddenly when attacked by those terrible fits of
coughing.
When I state that our new house consisted of but one room, with a
tiny addition back which was quite uninhabitable, and that we lived
in such quarters for two long summers and winters, it will scarcely
be believed. But even those meager accommodations were not deemed a
very severe hardship by many of the ladies who had been at Fort Clark
for years before the new quarters had been built, and who told tales
of far greater crowding.
Among others, the case of a little bride was cited, who, coming from
a luxurious Eastern home, had been glad to find quarters in a hallway
between two other families. One morning her husband was told that
some superior officer wanted his hall, and disgusted he resigned.
The recital of many such absolutely true tales might, perhaps, have
comforted me in some measure, had we not already endured ten long
years of hardships; and it seemed as if the time should have come
when length of service counted for something.
But it never does in the army, as possibly only those know who have
realized the fact through actual experience. There one must endure
all discomforts as uncomplainingly as possible, and meekly relinquish
the refinements of life, which such a mode of living absolutely
forbids. For a family of five to live in one room through two
fearfully warm summers and two winters was far from pleasant; and in
order to relieve ourselves of discomforts so far as was possible, we
remained out-doors on our pleasant porch nearly all the time.
The winters were delightful in that part of Texas, and yet very
trying. The only really cold weather there is caused by the
“northers,” which come up so suddenly as to render it out of
the question to be prepared for the change. A norther is always
preceded by a very sultry day; then the thermometer falls perhaps
fifty degrees in an hour, and there is something in the chill north
wind which seems to freeze the very blood in one’s veins. When, in
addition, a rainstorm follows, it is little wonder that the cattle
interests of Texas suffer, for no living creature can well exist in
such an atmosphere when exposed.
Our little back room faced the north, so we could not use it in
winter, for the tiny house, built of wood with a canvas ceiling,
was then like a barn; and it was so old that in summer the canvas
and woodwork harbored every species of vermin, with which it simply
became alive.
I was awakened one night by the raging of a violent storm that seemed
to shake the house to its foundations. The rain descended with such
force that I expected every moment the roof would fall in. A glance
showed me water pouring in under the door which separated the small
back room from the larger one in which we slept. I quickly arose
and stepped into the little room to find myself literally wading in
water which reached above my ankles. The fierce storm had beaten in
the old, weather-worn roof, and through a large hole which had been
forced in the canvas ceiling a stream of liquid mud was pouring that
deluged everything. The opening was directly over an open bureau
drawer, the contents of which were a strange sight. The mud was
formed by rain falling on the accumulation of dirt that miserable old
canvas held; and before the storm had ceased our possessions were
worthless, and the room, which within our knowledge never had been
worthy of the name, was still less so.
Every house in the post was in a wretched condition long before
morning, and each woman thought that her individual experience could
not be exceeded in misery.
It was so common for roofs to leak and plaster to fall that we
expected such mishaps; but fortunately, because they left more
serious trouble in their wake, such furious storms were not frequent.
One lady, a bride, who until that night had seen only the bright side
of army life, decided that if such experiences were common she did
not care to become accustomed to them; so one result in that instance
was her husband’s resignation from the army.
A large double bed stood in one corner of our only room, and in the
other a lounge that could be used for the children at night. Over
our bed I swung a hammock, which served admirably for baby’s cradle,
and as an economy of space it was a great success. But during warm
weather the porch, as already stated, was our dwelling-place, and
at night the hammock suspended there was frequently occupied by Mr.
Boyd; for in such a climate to sleep with four other persons in one
small room was not very refreshing.
We were, however, very gay through all our miseries and deprivations;
for with seventy-five officers and forty ladies in the garrison
many pleasures could be enjoyed. During the first winter we had a
series of balls for the exchange of regimental courtesies. Those
already stationed at Fort Clark gave a large ball to welcome the
new-comers, even if they did turn us out of houses and homes, which
courtesy was returned by a very grand affair. Then each regiment—six
were represented, two of them colored—extended hospitalities on
its individual account, and each vied with the others in somewhat
varying the character of the entertainment.
Following that, the bachelors gave a large german where the favors
were superb. Then the ladies united in a New Year’s reception,
which was said to surpass all the rest. Afterward we had weekly
hops, a masquerade and phantom party, at which it was difficult to
hide our identity; for in a garrison where every personal trait was
necessarily observed, to disguise one’s individuality was not easy.
Probably the officer who entered the room encased in a well-stuffed
mattress did so most effectually.
Studying how to puzzle the rest was great fun. So many amusements,
combined with the real kindly feeling constantly evinced, made our
social life very enjoyable. Every excuse for pleasant intercourse
was freely sought; and so long as life lasts I shall remember those
years at Fort Clark as not only joyous, but given up to experiences
so distinctly different from all others as to merit perpetual and
delightful recollection.
In the first place, every one lived out-of-doors nine months of the
year. That necessitated, or made more easily possible, a constant
interchange of friendly remarks, and we became more like one large
family than like strangers. Our interests were identical. If any
change was made, it affected so many that all were drawn together by
that “fellow feeling which makes us wondrous kind.”
When troops were ordered away, their departure was dreaded because
the officers’ society would be greatly missed. If new-comers arrived,
as they constantly did, we welcomed them cordially. Every time
an inspecting officer or one of high rank came to Fort Clark, as
frequently happened, we rejoiced in the opportunity to give a ball
in his honor, and the band serenaded him each night of his sojourn;
in fact, nothing was lacking that would prove our hospitality and
cordiality.
Riding and driving parties were indulged in daily; for fully half of
the officers stationed at our garrison were in the cavalry, and in
addition to their mounts had fine carriages. When the cavalry were
sent to graze their horses near streams, and permanent camps were
thus established, we visited them frequently. In turn, they combined
their forces and gave grand picnics, which were so successful we were
enraptured.
One night I shall never forget. The moon shone her best and brightest
on a smooth stretch of canvas, spread so as to form a splendid
dancing-floor, and on trees hung with fairy lanterns, which extending
as far as the eye could reach met as background the pretty little
stream on whose banks lovers wandered. Of course, in that region of
soft tropic warmth and fervor, romance blended with everything; and
no eligible young lady was ever known to leave Fort Clark without a
tiny circlet on her finger, which proved her right to return as an
officer’s bride.
Meantime, rumors of war kept increasing, and finally all our troops
were marched into Mexico during the hottest month of the year. This
was, however, done merely as a menace; for in a week’s time they
returned, having faced the Mexicans on their own ground without
even exchanging shots. Blistered feet and swollen limbs, gained by
marching through parching sands, were the only reminders of the
affair brought back.
Soon after, Mexico arranged new terms with our authorities, in
accordance with which incursions over the border were allowed when
our troops were on the trail of desperate adventurers who were
escaping with much booty. This caused the withdrawal from Fort Clark
of the gallant cavalry regiment, which with our own had hoped to reap
a little glory from the strained relations between our country and
her sister republic.
Courtesies were exchanged between leading officers in the Mexican
and American armies, which we shared in by giving a grand ball to
the general and staff of the Mexican army on their visit to our post
while negotiating terms of peace. Our third winter at Fort Clark was
brilliant socially. We organized a theatrical company, which gave
with great success a number of popular plays, including “Caste,”
“Ours,” and several farces that were a source of much merriment. The
soldiers were allowed to fill the hall to its utmost capacity, and
their appreciation was an additional reward for our efforts.
I doubt if anything can be funnier than a familiar face and form
rendered unrecognizable by an absurd and ridiculous disguise. The
night “Caste” was produced, I excelled myself in so completely
changing Mr. Boyd’s appearance that his entrance on the stage as
“Old Eccles” was greeted by loud and long-continued shouts, which
ceased only to be again and again renewed. It was the success of the
evening. In our sentimental parts Mr. Boyd eclipsed us all, and was
the cynosure of all eyes in his maudlin drunkenness.
After having studied the book of directions until I understood how
to make my husband look utterly disreputable and unlike himself, I
delighted in having him assume various odd characters; for the moment
he appeared before an audience, deafening applause invariably greeted
him.
We worked as hard to secure the success of our plays as though
fortunes had depended upon it, and unhesitatingly robbed our houses
of ornaments in order that the stage might present an attractive
appearance.
I would not like to be a professional on the boards if it
necessitated as much real labor as did our amateur performances. But
we soon found that a good paying audience could readily be commanded,
and after the first few evenings raised money enough to build a very
pretty stage, and completely renovate the only hall in the garrison,
which had been used for church, schoolroom, ballroom, and theater for
years without any improvements or alterations having been made, and
was in sad need of the new floor and ceiling our money supplied.
We also gave performances for several charities. One for the
famishing Irish, when we “Caste” our bread upon the waters, was
especially successful; and when at the approach of Christmas, money
was needed for a tree with which to gladden the hearts of the
soldiers’ one hundred little children, we had an immense audience.
The actors afterwards went to San Antonio, where they played for the
Masonic fund; and also to a little nearby town where a church was
greatly needed.