May 2, 1863, Standard (Clarksville, Texas)
Fort Arbuckle }
April 6, 1863. }
Ed. Standard:
I believe my last was written to you a day or two before our Col. was to have a conference with the chiefs of the Seminoles, Commanches, Caddos, Anadakos &c. Well the meeting came on according to appointment. The Col, Surgeon Kearby, Dr. Hobson, late Post Surgeon, Capt. Hooks, and Capt. Elliott, with some 30 men from Co’s. D and I, went up to Cherokee town the Caddo village starting on a bright and beautiful morning, the 1swt April, and arriving at Cherokee town at 1 p.m. with our Battle Flag blowing out full in a stiff breeze and the trumpet sounding, we rode up to the village in column of twos, and discovered just before us at the right of the village, a round grove in which was an assemblage of Indians. We rightly inferred that this was a place of council, and dismounted we found a number of Seminoles, Caddoes anadakos and commanches waiting for us, and also two white men. Those we found were Capt. Dial, Quartermaster, and Lt. Patterson, adjutant of Jumpers Battalion. Jumper himself being down in the bottom adjacent, to see Jose Maria, an Anadako chief, who was sick confined to his lodge.
Jumper soon came up, accompanied by Capt. Factor his Interpreter, a half breed Seminole. Lt. Col. Jumper is a full blood Seminole dark expressive countenance, serious. He is six feet 2 or three inches high, stout built was dressed in a blue military frock with the large cape of a Cavalry overcoat on his shoulder; a black hat sent him from Richmond with broad lace band, and some ornaments, and down the stripes of his blue military pants were broad stripes of gold lace. I was told by Dr. Hobson that the Confederate States had sent him last year, a handsome full uniform. He had a semi-savage and imposing look, and makes a good impression by his manner and bearing and style of speech. He speaks no English, though I am told he partially understands it. He is not loquacious, but evidently reflects before he speaks. He and his escort had ridden thirty miles that morning from the Seminole agency, and rode home after 12 p.m. The Council of his nation should have been held that day, and he had postponed it one day.
The two white members of his staff, and his interpreter, were prepossessing and agreeable. Capt. Dial, the Quarter Master, a Virginian who had been in the nation but about 15 months. Dr. Hobson had been with the Seminoles before and they greeted him kindly. He speaks much in their praise, and says they are very honest.
The conference with Jumper was in hearing of all of us. He assented to all the Col‘s propositions, and as soon as the actual business was through left on account of the distance to go before night. He inquired if the Col. wanted him with his battalion, or some of his officers, was told he wanted him and relied much upon him. He said well, he wished to go along with us. After this, Mr. Jones, the Comanche Interpreter told us that the reserves desired to have their talk in the bottom in which part of their lodges are. Where we first halted, is high rolling prairie, with scattering trees of large growth, about a quarter of a mile South west of the Washita. On the high prairie were a few lodges; in the bottom some more, and on the other side of the Ford, the Comanches, who had only been […..] were encamped, after the talk with Jumper we had dinner and in about an hour we were invited to a large lodge in the bottom a sort of Council house circular 12 feet in diameter and open at the top. The frame like […..] of all the lodges, was of poles, connected by small sticks, and filled in with some dry grass covered with some skins and some old tent cloth.
This lodge we entered by a cloth stooping very low and then rising, squatted down all around the lodge, were the young men of the Caddoes and Ana-a-dak-os. Inside of these in a line on one side were Tirrah and Geo. Washington, chief of the Caddoes; and Cocadawy and Tochaway Chief of the Comanches seated on Buffalo robes, Crosslegged. The Indians generally were painted, and dressed in a variety of styles. At first it seemed me that some of them were women, but I was mistaken. Opposite the chiefs, a robe and a cushion were placed for the Colonel, who did all the talking on our side; and was replied to and questioned by the four chiefs successively; at the left of the Col. was the Caddo interpreter an Indian, and Dr. Sturm the Commissary of Jones to the reserves. On the right Mr. Jones Comanche interpreter and to the right of Mr. Jones were ranked Surgeon Kirby, Capt. Hooks, Capt. Elliot, Lt. Gafney, and others. The Chiefs were very careful in their inquiries and evinced more caution than I had supposed was a part of their character. They were told by the Col. what his instructions were, and what he wanted, in positive terms; after a while they pronounced one before the other each making a speech for the ears of the tribe, and each evidently acting for himself, and neither of them saying positively what he would or could do; which as I have since learned is a part of the Indian character, and mode of conference. All stated their satisfaction with what the Colonel said to them, the interpreter saying “he say, he like very much what you say,” but we went back expecting not much from them. It was so near night when we got through that the Command went to a sandy creek, about 1/4th of a mile on our way home, and camped for the night finding excellent grass for our horses, and good water in small basins. This creek running through a rich prairie, filled with great masses of sand with only here and there a little water. The Indians had a large number of ponies running on the grass beginning to thrive. Geo. Washington told us he had eleven young men trying to recover horses stolen from them by wild Indians. Not a few of us thought they might be out stealing themselves; especially as it was said they had been out thirty days, and the tribe was getting anxious about them. But we did them injustice. They have since come in from near Bents ford, having through the influence of Jim Parkmark recovered 53 of their ponies from the Kiowas, who had stolen them. 36 other ponies the Kiowas would not relinquish. Notwithstanding their uncertainty of expression; that very night the tribes began to act as the Colonel requested them to do, and on the 3d down came some 25 of them to see the Colonel and have another talk at his quarters, enrolling their names. Geo. Washington only, of the Chiefs came with them but all were in high glee they had held a war dance all the night before and were quite talkative among themselves. Our men crowded the windows and doors of the Col‘s Quarters, and finally got some to shooting for tobacco. They evinced considerable accuracy with their bows and arrows. Rations of flour and salt were issued to them, and they went home satisfied. The government feeds all the Indians on flour and beef half pound rations flour 2 pounds beef per day. The commaches who left at the attack on Cobb, last fall had only come back some five days since. They have a few cases of smallpox in their lodges. Their two chiefs are fat good natured looking men Cocadaway much disposed to laugh Tochaway more grave, but mild benevolent looking, with a decidedly sensible expression.
Tirrah of the Caddos is dark but pleasant looking. Geo. Washington has a rather Washington expression of countenance, except the expression of intellectuality is not high.–He is considered however quite a sensible old fellow matter of fact business like Indian. He wore a blue military coat striped summer pantaloons, a steeple crown hat with silver plates around it, wore a red ribbon and a black feather upright, after the old continental style.–The other chiefs were in Indian garb. Commanches moved about on their ponies, all get into the saddle from the right side of the horse. All of them look less savage than I anticipated and like to be treated familiarly.
The Tonkaways were here to see the Colonel the day he went to the Caddo villages, and did not like to hear that he had gone there. The Tonkaways at war with the other tribes say that they cannot be confided in. At the breaking up of Cobb the hostile Indians killed 70 of the Tonkaways, and now they have only 50 warriors left of them, 20 are with our companies across the river.
On the morning of the 3d the Tonkaway chief Castayo came again with his interpreter “White” another Tonkaway, stayed till dinner and asking the Colonel when he expected to leave said “ten days–we go with you–to morrow Washita–trade buffalo robes for blanket–we got no blanket–may to go–five six seven days–I come–but me go with you maybe [illegible] Tonkaway go with me–I tell him–may be […..]–but we go with you!” Castayo is a fine looking Indian. The Col. gave him a belt to put around him with C. S. on the plate. He had on the upper part of his body a close fitting cotton under shirt dyed walnut color, and had buckskin leggins of the same kind, and an old blanket around his waist. From the back of his head which was suspended a long strap, on which were strung perhaps twelve or fifteen silver medallions three inches in diameter. He carried a gun, flint lock, […..] musket size, cut short, and with […..] stock. When the Tonkaway came down from the taking of Fort Cobb every night they were surrounded by the hostile tribes and every morning had to fight their way out. Pike had them stationed on rock Creek, about 15 miles from here, near the road to Washington.–They have not much left being […..] what the Government furnished them as it did the other tribe with cattle, but that they ate them all up, cows included. They are said to be great gluttons and eat a weeks rations in three or four days, lie torpid and do without for the remainder of the time. It is said, and I suppose there is doubt that they eat the bodies of their enemies killed in battle with all these faults, and some others not enumerated here, there never has been the shadow of doubt of there loyalty to Texas. Twenty four years ago, when they were nearly always in association with the Spanish they were frequently at Austin and San Antonio. Since then the Lipans have become hostile. Some are in Mexico, and some near Bents fort on the Arkansas. Day before yesterday, Co. I went up to Elm Springs some […..] miles above where we shall make a station. In two or three days more, other companies will go up and a system of scouting across the Wichita mountains be kept up.
The season seems backward here, the trees are just in bloom not yet in leaf too much extent. It seems strange to us that in April there is no shade.
Yesterday I visited the grave yard of the Post a point east of us, not enclosed about a dozen graves are there. Enclosures have been put around single graves and structures of brick and stone have been made but all more or less dilapidated. Two or three inscriptions visible. One body not long since buried was nearly scratched out by the wolves a few night since. Some of our men covered it again. I saw one broken grave stone of marble which I think must be native marble. It is pure white. These graves indicate the frail nature of human endeavors to perpetuate memory monumentally except in the crowded cemeteries adjacent to cities where they are constantly watched. These graves have a neglected and deserted appearance which says as plainly as inanimate things can say, that they are rapidly on the road to desolation and forgetfulness. It seems mournful to the living but the dead feel not and I am inclined to believe that except in well preserved cemetarys where memory is continued by record and constant observation of inscriptions, and by family associations and remembrances, where, even the dead; through the spirit of association maintain an identity and a post mortem existence in ideality that the vast charnel of the Ocean or the middle of the great plains, where no human eye would ever see, nor any human tread desecrate the last resting place of the body; in a locality for the long rest more acceptable to the contemplation than a neighborhood grave yard or the burial place of a frontier post remote from attention of friends. It matters little where we lie at last except that in a well managed ground within the circle of active life, surrounded and cared for by the posterity of our selves or our friends, the chain of kindly association seems to be preserved after death; in the memory of those who know us and loved us in life, and in the knowledge imparted to their children. But on one of these remote hills where nobody goes, a slab, with an inscription is a mockery of memory frigid and wholly unsatisfactory.
“Allas poor Yorick,”
Yours
A Soldier of the 29th.
