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18 - Army Letters from an Officers Wife, 1871-1888 by Frances M. A. Roe · Army Letters from an Officers Wife, 1871-1888

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  Speaker 1: Section eighteen of Army Letters from an Officer's Wife eighteen
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  Speaker 1: seventy one eighteen eighty eight. This is the LibriVox recording.
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  Speaker 1: All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
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  Speaker 1: information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
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  Speaker 1: by Sue Anderson. Army Letters from an Officer's Wife eighteen
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  Speaker 1: seventy one eighteen eighty eight by Francis Rowe, Section eighteen
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  Speaker 1: Letters from eighteen eighty four eighteen eighty five. Fort Ellis, Montana, Territory,
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  Speaker 1: November eighteen eighty four. Only a few days more and
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  Speaker 1: then we will be off for the east. It is
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  Speaker 1: over seven years since we started from Krinn on that
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  Speaker 1: long march north, and I never dreamed at that time
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  Speaker 1: that I would remain right in this territory until a
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  Speaker 1: splendid railroad would be built to us from another direction
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  Speaker 1: to take us out of it. Nearly everything is packed.
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  Speaker 1: We expect to return here in the spring, But in
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  Speaker 1: the army one never knows what destiny may have waiting
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  Speaker 1: for them at the War Department. Besides, I would not
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  Speaker 1: be satisfied to go so far away and leave things
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  Speaker 1: scattered about. The two horses wagons and everything of the
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  Speaker 1: kind have been disposed of, not because we wanted to
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  Speaker 1: sell them, but because Faye was unwilling to leave the
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  Speaker 1: horses with irresponsible persons during a long winter, in this climate,
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  Speaker 1: when the most thoughtful care is absolutely necessary to keep
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  Speaker 1: animals from suffering. Lieutenant Gallagher of the Cavalry bought them,
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  Speaker 1: and we are passing through our second experience of seeing
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  Speaker 1: others drive around horses we have petted and taught to
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  Speaker 1: know us apart from all others. George almost broke my
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  Speaker 1: heart the other day. He was standing in front of
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  Speaker 1: Lieutenant Gallagher's quarters that are near ours, when I happened
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  Speaker 1: to go out on the walk, not knowing the horses
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  Speaker 1: were there. He gave a loud, joyous whinny and started
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  Speaker 1: to come to me, pulling Pete and the wagon with him.
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  Speaker 1: I ran back to the house, for I could not
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  Speaker 1: go to him. He had been my own horse, patted
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  Speaker 1: and fed lumps of sugar every day with my own hands,
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  Speaker 1: and I always drove him in single harness because his
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  Speaker 1: speed was so much greater than Pete's. My almost gownless
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  Speaker 1: condition has been a cause of great worry to me,
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  Speaker 1: But Poe has promised to fix up my wardrobe with
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  Speaker 1: a rush, and after the necessary time for that in Cincinnati,
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  Speaker 1: I will hurry on to Columbus Barracks for my promised
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  Speaker 1: visit to doctor and missus Gordon. Then on home. Fay
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  Speaker 1: will go to Cincinnati with me, and from there to
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  Speaker 1: the United States Naval Home of which his father is governor.
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  Speaker 1: At present, I will have to go there too. Before
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  Speaker 1: so very long. We attended a pretty cotillion in Bozeman
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  Speaker 1: last evening and remained overnight at the hotel. Hell Faye
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  Speaker 1: led and was assisted by mister Ladd of Bozeman. It
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  Speaker 1: was quite a large and elaborate affair, and there were
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  Speaker 1: present the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker. Nevertheless,
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  Speaker 1: everything was conducted with the greatest propriety. There are five
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  Speaker 1: or six very fine families in the small place, people
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  Speaker 1: of culture and refinement from the East, and their influence
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  Speaker 1: in the building up of the town has been wonderful.
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  Speaker 1: The first year we were at Fort Ells, one could
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  Speaker 1: see every now and then a number usually four numerals
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  Speaker 1: painted in bright red on the sidewalk. Everyone knew that
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  Speaker 1: to be the work of the Vigilanes, and was a
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  Speaker 1: message to some gambler or horse thief to get himself
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  Speaker 1: out of town or stand the shotgun or rope jury.
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  Speaker 1: The first time I saw those red figures, I knew
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  Speaker 1: what they were, for it seemed as if they had
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  Speaker 1: been made in blood, and over them I could not
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  Speaker 1: I went out in the road around them. We have
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  Speaker 1: seen none of those things during the past two years,
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  Speaker 1: and for the sake of those who have worked so
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  Speaker 1: hard for law and order, we hope the desperado element
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  Speaker 1: has passed. On end of letter Fort Shaw, Montana Territory,
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  Speaker 1: May eighteen eighty five. It is nice to be once
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  Speaker 1: more at this dear old post, particularly under such very
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  Speaker 1: pleasant circumstances. The winter East was enjoyable and refreshing from
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  Speaker 1: first to last. But citizens and army people have so
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  Speaker 1: little in common, and this one feels after being with
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  Speaker 1: him a while, no matter how near and dear the
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  Speaker 1: relationship may be. Why one half of them do not
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  Speaker 1: know the uniform and could not distinguish an officer of
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  Speaker 1: the army from a policeman. I love army life here
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  Speaker 1: in the West, and I love all the things that
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  Speaker 1: it brings to me, the grand mountains, the plains, and
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  Speaker 1: the fine hunting the buffalo are no longer seen. Every
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  Speaker 1: one has been killed off, and back of square Butte
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  Speaker 1: in a rolling valley, hundreds of skeletons are bleaching even now.
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  Speaker 1: The valley is about two miles from the post. We
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  Speaker 1: are with the commanding officer and his wife, and Hulda
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  Speaker 1: is here also. She was in Helena during the winter
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  Speaker 1: and came from there with us. I am so glad
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  Speaker 1: to have her. She is so competent and will be
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  Speaker 1: such a comfort a little later on, when there will
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  Speaker 1: be much entertaining for us to do. We stopped at
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  Speaker 1: Fort Ellis two days to see to the crating of
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  Speaker 1: the furniture and to get all things in readiness to
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  Speaker 1: be shipped here, this time by the cars instead of
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  Speaker 1: by wagon through mud and water. We were guests of
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  Speaker 1: Captain and Missus Spencer, and enjoyed the visit so much.
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  Speaker 1: Doctor and Missus Lawton gave an informal dinner for us,
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  Speaker 1: and that was charming too. But the grand event of
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  Speaker 1: the stopover was the Champagne supper that Captain Martin gave
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  Speaker 1: in our honor, that is, in honor of the new
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  Speaker 1: adjutant of the regiment. He is the very oldest bachelor
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  Speaker 1: and one of the oldest officers in the regiment, a
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  Speaker 1: very jolly irishman. The supper was old fashioned, with many
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  Speaker 1: good things to eat, and the champagne frepee was perfect.
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  Speaker 1: I do believe that the generous hearted man had prepared
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  Speaker 1: at least two bottles for each one of us. Every
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  Speaker 1: member of the small garrison was there, and each officer
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  Speaker 1: proposed something pleasant in life for Fey, and often I
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  Speaker 1: was included. There was not the least harm done to
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  Speaker 1: any one, however, and not a touch of headache. The
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  Speaker 1: next day, as usual, we are waiting for quarters to
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  Speaker 1: avoid turning someone out. But for a few days this
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  Speaker 1: does not matter much, as our household goods are not here,
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  Speaker 1: except the rugs and things we sent out from Philadelphia.
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  Speaker 1: Fay entered upon his new duties at guard mounting this morning,
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  Speaker 1: and I scarcely breathed until the whole thing was over
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  Speaker 1: and the guard was on its way to the guard house.
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  Speaker 1: It was so silly. I knew to be afraid that
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  Speaker 1: fate might make a mistake, for he has mounted the
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  Speaker 1: guard hundreds of times while post adjutant. But here it
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  Speaker 1: was different. I knew that from almost every window that
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  Speaker 1: looked out on the parade ground, eyes friendly and eyes
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  Speaker 1: envious were peering to see how the new regimental adjutant
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  Speaker 1: conducted himself. And I knew that there was one pair
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  Speaker 1: of eyes green from envy and piquet, and that the
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  Speaker 1: least faux paw by Faye would be sneered at and
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  Speaker 1: made much of by their owner. But Faye made no
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  Speaker 1: more stake. Of course, I knew all the time that
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  Speaker 1: it was quite impossible for him to do so, as
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  Speaker 1: he is one of the very best tacticians in the regiment. Still,
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  Speaker 1: it is the unexpected that so often happens. The band
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  Speaker 1: and the magnificent drum major, watching their new commander with
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  Speaker 1: critical eyes, were quite enough in themselves to disconcert any man.
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  Speaker 1: I never told you what happened to that band. Once
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  Speaker 1: upon a time. It was before we came to the regiment,
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  Speaker 1: and when headquarters were at Fort Dodge, Kansas, Colonel Mills.
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  Speaker 1: At that time a captain was in command. It had
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  Speaker 1: been customary to send down to the river every winter
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  Speaker 1: a detail of men from each company to cut ice
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  Speaker 1: for their use during the coming year. Colonel Mills ordered
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  Speaker 1: the detail down as usual, and also ordered the band down.
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  Speaker 1: It seems that Colonel Fitzjames, who had been colonel of
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  Speaker 1: the regiment for some time, had babied the band's men
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  Speaker 1: one and all until they had quite forgotten the fact
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  Speaker 1: of their being enlisted men. So over to Colonel Mills
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  Speaker 1: went the first sergeant with a protest against cutting ice,
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  Speaker 1: saying that they were musicians and could not be expected
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  Speaker 1: to do such work that it would chap their lips
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  Speaker 1: and ruin their delicate touch on the instruments. Colonel Mills
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  Speaker 1: listened patiently and then said, but you like ice during
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  Speaker 1: the summer, don't you. The sergeant said, yes, sir, but
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  Speaker 1: they could not do such hard work as the cutting
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  Speaker 1: of ice. Colonel Mills said, you are musicians, you say.
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  Speaker 1: The unsuspicious sergeant, thinking he had gained his point, smilingly,
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  Speaker 1: said yes, sir, but there must have been an awful
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  Speaker 1: weakness in his knees when Colonel Mills said, very well,
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  Speaker 1: since you are musicians and cannot cut ice, you will
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  Speaker 1: go to the river and play for the other men
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  Speaker 1: while they cut it for you. The weather was freez cold,
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  Speaker 1: and the plane of brass instruments in the open air
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  Speaker 1: over two feet of solid ice would have been painful
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  Speaker 1: and difficult, so it was soon decided that it would
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  Speaker 1: be better to cut ice after all, and in a
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  Speaker 1: body the band went down with the other men to
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  Speaker 1: the river without further complaint or protest. It is a
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  Speaker 1: splendid band, and has always been regarded as one of
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  Speaker 1: the very best in the army. But there are a
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  Speaker 1: few things that need changing, which Faye will attend to
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  Speaker 1: as quickly as possible, and at the same time bring
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  Speaker 1: criticism down upon his own head. The old agutant is
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  Speaker 1: still in the post, and eyes green are here and
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  Speaker 1: of letter Fort Shaw, Montana Territory, August eighteen eighty five.
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  Speaker 1: My ride this morning was grand. My new horse is
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  Speaker 1: beginning to see that I am really a friend and
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  Speaker 1: is much less nervous. It is still necessary, however, for Miller,
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  Speaker 1: our striker, to make blinders with his hands back of
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  Speaker 1: Rollo's eyes, so he will not see me jump to
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  Speaker 1: the saddle, otherwise I might not get there. I mount
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  Speaker 1: in the yard back of the house, where no one
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  Speaker 1: can see me. The gate is opened first, and that
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  Speaker 1: the horse always stands facing for the instant he feels
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  Speaker 1: my weight upon his back. There is a little flinch,
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  Speaker 1: then a dash down the yard, a jump over the assekia,
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  Speaker 1: then out through the gate to the plain beyond, where
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  Speaker 1: he quiets down and I fix my stirrup. There is
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  Speaker 1: not a bit of viciousness about this, as the horse
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  Speaker 1: is gentle and most affectionate at all times. But he
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  Speaker 1: has been terribly frightened by a saddle, and it is
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  Speaker 1: distressing to see him tremble and his very flesh quiver
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  Speaker 1: when one is put upon his back, no matter how gently.
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  Speaker 1: He had been ridden only three or four times when
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  Speaker 1: we wrought him, and probably by a broncho breaker who
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  Speaker 1: slung on his back a heavy Mexican saddle, cinched it
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  Speaker 1: tight without mercy, then mounted with a slam over of
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  Speaker 1: a leather trousered leg, let the almost crazy horse go
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  Speaker 1: like the wind, and if he slackened his speed, spurs
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  Speaker 1: or quirt perhaps both drove him on again. I know
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  Speaker 1: only too well how the so called breaking is done,
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  Speaker 1: for I have seen it many times, and the whole
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  Speaker 1: performance is cruel and disgraceful. There are wicked horses, of course,
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  Speaker 1: but there are more wicked men, and many a fine
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  Speaker 1: spirited animal is ruined, made an outlaw that no man
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  Speaker 1: can ride, just by the fiendish way in which they
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  Speaker 1: are first ridden. But the more crazy the poor beast
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  Speaker 1: is made, the more fun and glory for the breaker.
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  Speaker 1: Rollo is a light sorrel and a natural pacer. He
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  Speaker 1: cannot trot once, and for that reason I did not
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  Speaker 1: want him, But Face said that I had better try him,
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  Speaker 1: so he was sent up. The fact of his being
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  Speaker 1: an unbroken colt Face seemed to consider a matter of
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  Speaker 1: no consequence. But I soon found that it was of
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  Speaker 1: much consequence to me, inasmuch as I was obliged to
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  Speaker 1: acquire a more precise balance in the saddle because of
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  Speaker 1: his coltish ways, and at the same time make myself
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  Speaker 1: also the horse, perfectly acquainted with the delicate give and
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  Speaker 1: take of bit and bridle. For with a pacer, the
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  Speaker 1: slightest tightening or slackening at the wrong time will make
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  Speaker 1: him break. When Rollo goes his very fastest, which is
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  Speaker 1: about two fifty, I never use a stirrup, and never
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  Speaker 1: think of a thing but his mouth. There is so
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  Speaker 1: little motion to his body I could almost fancy that
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  Speaker 1: he had no legs at all. That we are being
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  Speaker 1: rushed through the air by some unseen force. It is fine.
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  Speaker 1: Faye has reorganized the band and the instrumentation is entirely new.
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  Speaker 1: It was sent to him by Sousa, director of the
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  Speaker 1: Marine Band, who has been most kind and interested. The
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  Speaker 1: new instruments are here, so are the two new sets
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  Speaker 1: of uniform, one for full dress, the other for concerts
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  Speaker 1: and general wear. Both have white trimmings to correspond with
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  Speaker 1: the regiment, which are so much nicer than the old
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  Speaker 1: red facings that made the band look as if it
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  Speaker 1: had been borrowed from the artillery. All this has been
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  Speaker 1: the source of much common along the officer's quarters and
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  Speaker 1: in the barracks across the parade ground, and has caused
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  Speaker 1: several skirmishes between Faye and the band. It was about
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  Speaker 1: talked out, however, when I came in for my share
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  Speaker 1: of criticism. The post Commander and Fay came over from
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  Speaker 1: the office one morning and said it was their wish
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  Speaker 1: that I should take entire charge of the music for
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  Speaker 1: service in church. That I could have an orchestra of
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  Speaker 1: soft toned instruments and enlisted men to sing, but that
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  Speaker 1: all was to be under my guidance. I must select
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  Speaker 1: the music, be present at all practicings, and give my
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  Speaker 1: advice in any way needed. At first I thought, it's
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  Speaker 1: simply a very unpleasant joke. But when it finally dawned
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  Speaker 1: upon me that those two men were really in earnest,
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: I was positive they must be crazy, and that I
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  Speaker 1: told them. The whole proposition seemed so preposterous, so ridiculous,
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  Speaker 1: so everything. I shall always believe that Bishop Brewer suggested
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: church music by the soldiers. Faye is adjutant and in
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  Speaker 1: command of the band, so I was really the proper
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  Speaker 1: person to take charge of the church musicians if anybody did.
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  Speaker 1: But the undertaking was simply appalling. But the commanding officer insisted,
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  Speaker 1: and Fey insisted, and both gave many reasons for doing so.
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  Speaker 1: The enemy was too strong, and I was forced to
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  Speaker 1: give in, the principal reason being, however, that I did
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  Speaker 1: not want someone else to take charge. In a short time,
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  Speaker 1: the little choir was organized and some of the very
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  Speaker 1: best musicians in the band were selected for the orchestra.
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  Speaker 1: We have two violins first and second one clarinet, violin, cello,
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  Speaker 1: obo and bassoon, the latter instrument giving the deep organ tones.
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  Speaker 1: There have been three services, and at one Sergeant Graves
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  Speaker 1: played an exquisite solo on the violin. There is a
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  Speaker 1: green hill, far away from the oratorio of Saint Paul.
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: At another Matigisek played Gounot's Ave Maria on the oboe,
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  Speaker 1: and last Sunday he gave us on the clarinet. Every
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  Speaker 1: valley shall be exalted. The choir upper consists of three
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  Speaker 1: sergeants and one corporal, and our tenor is his magnificence
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  Speaker 1: the drum. Major service is held in a long, large hall,
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  Speaker 1: at the rear end of which is a smaller room
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  Speaker 1: that can be made a part of the hall by
• 17:14
  Speaker 1: folding back large doors. We were just inside this small room,
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  Speaker 1: and the doors were opened wide. On a long bench
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  Speaker 1: sat the four singers to each side of a very
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  Speaker 1: unhappy woman, and back of the bench, in a half
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: circle were the six musicians. Those musicians depended entirely upon
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  Speaker 1: me to indicate to them when to play, and the
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  Speaker 1: vocalists when to sing. Therefore, certain signals had been arranged
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: so that there would be no mistake or confusion. There
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: I sat on a hot summer morning, almost surrounded by
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: expert musicians who were conscious of my every movement. And
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: then those men were soldiers accustomed to military precision and
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: the fear of making making a mistake and leading them
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: wrong was agonizing. At the further end of the hall,
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: the Reverend mister Clark was standing reading along in an easy,
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: self assured way that was positively irritating. And again there
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: was the congregation, each one on the alert, ready to criticize,
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: probably condemn the unheard of innovation. Every man, woman and
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: child was at church that morning, too many from curiosity,
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: I expect, and every time we sang one half of
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: them turned around and stared at us. During the reading
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: of the service, I could not change my position, turned
• 18:40
  Speaker 1: my head, or brush the flies that got upon my face.
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: Without those six hands back of me pouncing down for
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: their instruments. It was impossible to sing the chance as
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: the string instruments could not hold the tones, so anthems
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: were used instead, mostly the lards, and they were very beautiful.
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  Speaker 1: Not one mistake has ever been made by any one,
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: but Sergeant Moore has vexed me much. He is our
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: soprano and has a clear high tenor voice and often
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: sings solos in public. But for some unexplained reason, he
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: would not sing a note in church unless I sang
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  Speaker 1: with him, so I had to hum along for the
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: man's ear alone. Why he has been so frightened, I
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: do not know, unless it was the unusual condition of
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: things which have been quite enough to scare any one. Well,
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: I lived through the three services, and suppose I can
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: live through more. The men are not compelled to do
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: this church work, although not one would think of refusing.
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: There is much rehearsing to be done, and Sergeant Graves
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: has to transpose the hymns and write out the notes
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  Speaker 1: for each instrument, and this requires much work. To show
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: my appreciation of their obedience to my slightest request, a
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: large cake and dozens of eggs have been sent to
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  Speaker 1: them after each service. It is funny how nice things
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: to eat often make it easy for a man to
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: do things that otherwise would be impossible. And of Letter
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: and of Section eighteen