April 25, 1863, Standard (Clarksville, Texas)
Fort Arbuckle
Indian Territory
March 30th 1863
Dear Standard:–
On yesterday (Sunday) morning, the 29th rode into Arbuckle, and took formal possession relieving Capt. Scanland and Squadron, who had held possession for the previous two months.
There was a high wind blowing, and our battle flag floated out in its full dimensions, as we rode up the hill our trumpet sounding, the small garrison gathered around lazily to look at the newcomers. Our column filed into the central square of the Post, was halted and dismounted and stood by their horses until arrangements for occupancy were perfected, by the examination and selection of quarters. On the previous evening the Col. and Capt. Hooks of Red River had called upon Capt. Scarland, and the Col. issued the order relieving Capt. Scarland, who commenced preparations for his departure.–We came here with two companies, Co. D, Capt. Hooks, and Co. I, Capt. Elliott; having left Co. K Capt. Warren at Tishemingo, to scout for runaway negroes and other depredators. A day or two previous to our arrival, Gov. Harris of the Chickisaws, with a small party, had come upon some runaway negroes, killed two, and captured three. All trains from Washita to Arbuckle travel with scouts. We found encamped in the vicinity, Co. B Capt. Wilson and Co. H Capt. Brown, who were sent down on the Red River line, this morning and will be replaced here by four other companies. Capt. Warren will also come up in a few days, and four or five companies will be thrown forward to Elm Springs 30 miles above here, and scout across the country westward. We shall investigate the statement about the big camp of Indians on the Canadian. Our Colonel holds a conference day after to morrow, with Chiefs of the Seminoles, Osages, Comanches, Ionies, Anadachoes, Caddoes, and Tonkoways. He will meet them at Cherokee-town about 15 miles north of this, and will be accompanied by an escort. He has all necessary authority to make all desirable arrangements and alliances with them; and it is understood that they have long waited his coming, having been informed that he would bring a force sufficiently imposing for protection. The Indians named are not numerous, but useful allies for frontier protection.–The Tonkaways were nearly exterminated by the Comanches last year. The tongs have invariably been friends of the Texans. One of them a very sensible looking old fellow, who calls himself “Jeff Davis” came with two squaws to our camp below Washita, and asked for the “big captain,” and after obtaining rations for himself and family; presented a hair rope of his own manufacture to the Col; his presentation address being “me–give you.” Of course he knew, that to a cavalry man, such a present must be acceptable. Having obtained his rations, our friend Jeff, who is a prudent provider, elaborating upon the extent of his family, big and little requiring to be fed, “heap-e little ones” went that same evening to Washita, a distance of two miles, and drew again for his interesting family. Jeff is a shrewd man, and has a decidedly sensible cast of countenance–rather intellectual. His old squaw was large, fat, and as a matter of unusual delicacy, had a clean cotton handkerchief over her breast. The younger one (I suppose) looked old in the face, but was thought to be a daughter. Both wore Buckskin pantalettes, and had a much saver way of riding on horseback than the feminines on our side of the creek. These ladies in the graceful style of their tribe, held their feet down on both sides of their horses; I believe it looks better, because more natural, than the way of disposing of one’s entire bulk, on one side of the horse, to say nothing of the natural position. This question can be argued at greater length hereafter.
I believe, that in my last, I gave no description of Fort Washita. It is a beautiful locality, and the buildings, in much better order than I supposed from description. Fort proper there is none; but officers quarters, soldiers barracks, Hospital and officers family residences. Quartermasters, and Commissary’s store houses, Armories, Blacksmiths and wagon shops. There were the wrecks of some old stables, never of much value. Some ornamental fencing had been torn away, but no material damage done the post. The hospital of brick, is a large, and good structure. There is one concrete building for barracks. The remainder, I believe, are all frame buildings, most of them well built, and commodious. The scenery around is beautiful. At Flatborough near Washita the Colonel had a conference with Gen. Cooper, who was temporarily at that place, his usual head quarters being at Nunni Waiyah on the Canadian. We had some wagon work, gun work, and horse shoeing done at Washita, got some powder and caps, and stopped on the evening of Thursday the 26th, on Pennington, a beautiful creek, which runs by Tishemingo, in water as clear as crystal, pouring through a sandy bed, with a hill on one side, and masses of rock, bordering and projecting into the stream, we caught fish by tying four hooks together, jerking them into the fish as they passed over the hooks, using no bait.–They were called red horse fish, and were clean looking and had a good flavor. It was a beautiful camping place. Small pieces of quartz were numerous lying about the larger rocks, which were gray externally. I had no means of breaking, and determining their proper classifications.
The next day we got two miles this side the place of Gov. Harris, which is situated upon black land, and adjacent to a beautiful, free running, rocky creek, which made a bend at the road, requiring us to cross it twice. In the morning, our road lay through high prairie with masses of rock in bold forms on either side, the land mostly poor and coarsely sandy. The rock was in great quantity, and was of a granitic formation, red–In one place was a bed which looked like red marble, spotted with white. At another place on the road side, was a small rock of white marble with blue veins, I tried unsuccessfully to break some but got only some small fragments. The streams throughout the day were clear, with sandy beds. The scenery was very agreeable to me, as a change from the more level confirmation on our side of the river. The prairies were gemmed with myriads of little white flowers, and the little chickasaw Plum bushes were frequent. I looked for cactus, but found only a few of the common Prickly Pear. Arbuckle is a beautiful locality. High ground with mountains in the distance; sandy around the Fort, but in the bottom near by, splendid mulatto soil, resembling Old Caney. Where we crossed the Washita, five miles before getting to this place, the stream is clear, the bed sandy and rocky, and rising the bank, the lands magnificently rich. Grass is quite short, and it will be close work to keep up our horses here, even by grazing them all day. At Elm Springs above here, the grass is said to be rich. Cattle about here are in good order. The buildings here are commodious and extensive, but were never quite as good as at Washita, and have been more abused. All the post furniture has been carried off, except one large double desk, and a few iron bed steads. There is a large well of excellent water in the centre of the square, and under the hill a magnificent spring. A house has been erected over a square basin of ten by twelve feet, with four feet depth, water entirely clear, and unceasingly bubbling up from the bottom in circles which maintain their identity until they reach the surface, and sparkle as they rise, here and there, continually. If the water were confined, the body of water might be some feet deeper, but an outlet has been given it, and it runs off in a bold branch which would turn a large mill wheel. I have not found time to go any distance around the Post, as yet. There are a few Indian families living about here–two in the Post, and one or two close by. The stables here are large, but somewhat out of order. They are useful however for confining our horses so that we can guard them at night.
A Soldier of the 29th.