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g[gt I THE LIFE OF TWO GOYKRRORS,I An Incident of the Live* of Texas tad Virflinia’t Chief Executive.* Ol (Specially prepared for the Dailt Timm.)v«H There it# an incident in the lives JtTu l^e pri sent governors of the states I of Virginia and Texas, which is j worth telling. In 1858, Capt. Sol », 1 Ross was in command of a company | of rangers, organized for the protection of the frontier against incursions from the Comanche and ; other wild Indian tribes, which fre-| quently com nut ted the most bur-all | barioiiH atrocities all along tin* line of the Texas frontier. This fron-her was more than a thousand miles in extent, stretcinnlt; from Red | riv. r to the Rio (irande. A line of LJ, military p«»sts covered its entire front, but as they were otcr om hundred miles apart, and garrison ♦ d almost entirely by regular infantry. they afforded but slight pro-f1 teetion indetd to the scattered in-liubitants along the line of settle*the— The • In fa t t he people of Texas had States ,!0 eon fid ence whatever in the sys-■eWfor! t('m wbich tt»snyed to protect them j against our savage marauders who may he said to have lived ia the saddle, and was perhaps the most : accomplished horseman of the age,0 la i by a few scattered companies ofI foot soldiery, without the least Sally j training or experience in Indiana warfare. A few companies of the second United States Cavalry were along the Rio Grande, where they rendered excellent and arduous service, but they were of little avail in protecting a thousand miles of scattered settlements. In this emergency the state of Texas al-ves-j ways kept one or two companies of ould j rangers along the frontier, and in ;heirj command of one of these companies oods: was young Sul. Ross, now the gov-uent | ernor of the Lone Star state.Ion 1 Among the young second lieuten-j ants of the 2nd cavalry, doing duty ! on the Rio Grande at the same time, hall ! Wils Uitzhugh Uee, now Governor ,J , I of the Old Dominion. The spring f*,t I and summer of 1858 witnessed a ( on ! hng series of Indian outrages of the on most heartless and barbarous nature j along what was then the Texas frou-j tier. Frantic calls, amid much in-an’s I ,l,Knaf'1lt;n, were made upon the gen sent 1ra^ government for protection, and I finally a large expedition, consisting r j of two companies of United States *0f | cavalry and four companies of rang-tled ! er3 was organized to hunt the Co-j uianche in his home in the Wichita j mountains, five hundred miles be-i yond the line of frontier. The ex-imn ! pedition was placed under command1 0f! of Major Earl Van Dorn, of the 2nd j cavalry, and started from Fort .jgt_ Belknap in July, 1858. low j After a long and tireless march, ieis with Captain Ross company in the ant I advance as scouts, a large force of rell j Indians was discovered quietly en-isi- camped in a gorge of the mountains, ars j Captain Ross secreted his force and re a’sent back a party of scouts to ap-ite. * prise Major Van Dorn of the pres-| ence of the savages, and hasten for-1 ward the main body of the comma; mand. This body made a forced I march of seventy miles, without t a j getting out of the saddle. The In-ur-jdians were surprised and routed, ifie ; with great slaughter. Seventy-nine \1., j Indians were buried in one spot, ifie and cattle and hores to the num-irs. her of over a thousand were recov-m.;|ered. Buffalo Hump and Iron Ip. i Jacket, two famous chiefs, were Kor j among the killed. Iron Jacket was irs,! so called from the fact that he wore in-j an old Spanish armor, supposed to lti- have been carried into Mexico by de, some of the soldiers of Cortez. This relic of the days of Spanish i greatness was secured, and it is said may still be seen in the state pay house at Austin, Texas, ow After nightfall the scattered *re | troops were called together and a i nn lt;picket line csiablished, as we were »v-; not fully aware how badly the sav-»111 ages hid been punished. Rosa’ me company formed the picket,covering of i a pass into which a small band of for j Indians had retreated after dark.* if | Late in the night a body of horse-ere| men were heard slowly approaching her j from this pass. Instautly Capt. eir j Ross was called, and his sagacity eni j possibly saved the life of Lieut. Lee, nto j as he decided it not at all probable ; that the foe would approach in such ! a manner. He therefore ordered [18 -j | the picket to challenge instead of 8. firing. He did so, and the answer rm!wa8“a detachment of the Second red j United States Cavalry, in search of ; jn ! Major Van Dorn,” and it proved to 8S | be a force under the command of erl I Lieut. Lee which had followed us ilr. I by rapid marches, only to come up iej! after the battle had been fought 0f |and won.. | These two soldiers, who were af-red i terwards destined to achieve envia-op-1 ble distinction in war and politics, ing! met for the first time under the peed. culiar circumstances in the heart of in, | the Wichita mountains, an almost ive I impenetrable wilderness, upon the ! close of a military achievement an | which possibly forshadowed the career of both. Captain Ross wel-( X-1 corned Lieutenant Lee with charac-f a teristic Teir hospitality, and | shared with hrrn his blanket for the j remainder of the night. re | In the morning the ground was I covered with snow, the first that ! some of the Texas boys had ever j seen. As I saw Lieut. Lee and *n' | Capt. Ross in a very quiet butearn-rPs 1 est conversation over the contents of Lieut. Lee’s canteen, I have no doubt the intimacy had grown to considerable dimensions. As I was only a private, my enjoyment of the scene was limited to a thorough appreciation of the comfort of mySonfoil*speautteimostUlovei of tilspirjiiiK.withfearlthroiS|foragivenextPre*feelwarrnour Blyt sens# greal half vei to nt educ metli is ret mear tion perfe weep of he rifice Iful tlt;tures expre thouj Blytl the g her stand Sei WiesiKii Uneg $1.25 at HiCoi^orj superiors. T. F. McCardell.Ch move dence Mr low V nia f( MrMrpositiMrhavetour.Mr in thi Ell storei gtoreiBai a lar^ Ilam(8 piMr*birth l a girl ing tl well.Mrs mothe tendin Beal, lt;whom her mj being writm the beBaltin his he ing fri
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Cumberland Daily Times
Cumberland, Maryland, US
Tue, Dec 04, 1888
Page 2
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USA 12 Feb 2024
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