The Diaries of John Gregory Bourke Volume 4: July 3, 1880--May 22, 1881

2: Into the Uintahs

43 Chapter 2 ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ Into the Uintahs J uly 26th . Major C.S. Roberts 17th Infantry, reported to Genl. Crook for duty on his Staff as Aide de Camp. Applied to War Dep’t. for revocation of my detail to the Mily. Academy. July 28th . General Crook, Major Roberts, A.D.C., Miss Gertrude Belcher (a bright, pleasant young lady daughter of Major [John Hill] Belcher, U.S.A.) and the writer, left Omaha for the West. In the car with us were Mr. Burt Watson and Miss Yates, accompanying Miss Belcher as far as the incoming train from the West at Valley. Shortly after leaving the dépôt, General Crook received a telegram from Lieut-General Sheridan informing him that the Hd.Qrs. Dep’t Platte were to be removed back to the city of Omaha. This is simply a common sense move, based upon wise business consideration. The transfer to Fort Omaha in the first place was a piece of clap-trap and demagoguery to which, unfortunately, the General of the Army, Sherman, lent too ready an acquiescence. It was, besides being an unnecessary hardship and inconvenience to the officers immediately concerned and their families, a serious hindrance to public business in separating headquarters supply departments from the mercantile branches of the community, and an extravagant increase 44 More Staff Duties in expenditure in the way of buildings for offices and quarters. Then, too, by filling Ft. Omaha with members of the Staff, no room was left for companies which had been in the field for months and which accordingly, instead of securing pleasant stations, had to be assigned to remote, dreary and uncomfortable posts in Wyoming and Utah. Lieut. Geo. B. Davis, 5th Cavalry, came on board at Frémont, going to Sidney as a witness before a General Court-Martial. Davis is a remarkably bright and well-educated man and “a fellow of infinite jest.” During his last visit to Omaha, he and I made up our minds to take in the circus (Cole’s.) then exhibiting. While going through the menagerie, we stopped in front of the cage of the Royal Bengal Tiger,—a splendid creature, with broad stripes around his body and eyes glistening like fire in the dim-light of the tent. We admired his stately proportions and shuddered at the idea of running against him in his native jungle. [“]Just look at his teeth, Bill,[”] said I—[“] Yes,[”] replied Davis–[“]he’s a hard-looking customer and I’ll bet he’s eaten many a man in his time”. “Good Lord, man,[”] interrupted one of the circus attendants standing near by, “Good Lord, (in a very disgusted tone.) that ain’t no Bengal Tiger—that’s a zebra”. July 29th . Miss Belcher and Lt. Davis left us at Sidney where we were met by Major Belcher, Lts. [William E.] Almy, [John G.] Baxter and Andrews. The last named travelled on our train to Cheyenne, Wyo. At Cheyenne, General Crook recd. a telegram from Lt.-Genl. Sheridan, announcing that he, (Sheridan.) had been presented with a fine son—“weight ten pounds”. To this General Crook replied with warmest congratulations to Sheridan and warmest regards to mother and son and the hope that the boy might become as fine a soldier as his father. A number of the officers at Fort Russell1 met us at the train—Genl. [Albert Gallatin] Brackett, Lts. Reynolds and Simpson, [Augustus C.] Paul, Capt. [Emmett] Crawford, Lt. [Allen] Jordan, Mr. Tom Moore and others. Major Lord, A.Q.M., got on our train to ride out as far as the incoming train, at Hazen[?]. He was talking with Genl. Crook about Arizona; the name of Tom Ewing was mentioned and while 1. Fort D. A. Russell was established in 1867 to protect workers constructing the Union Pacific, and became an important supply base with a depot in Cheyenne. In 1930, the post was renamed Fort Francis E. Warren. It later was transferred to the Department of the Air Force, and now is Warren Air Force Base. Frazer, Forts of the West, 184–85. Into the Uintahs 45 talking about him, the Colorado (Denver.) train drew up alongside us at Colorado Junction and one of the first persons to enter our car was Tom Ewing. By this time we were becoming acquainted with the people about us. In our own car was Mr. Sherman, a mining expert, who...