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 C o n t e n t s vii

Pedagogy for Teaching Cello Extensions   101

Shifting: General Principles   101
Pedagogy for Teaching Shifting   103
Vibrato: General Principles   105
Pedagogy for Teaching Vibrato   106
Double Bass Pivoting: General Guidelines   114
Pedagogy for Developing Intermediate Aural Skills
in the School Orchestra   115
Intermediate Instrument Tuning   117
Problem Solving: Intermediate Students’ Common
Playing Problems and Solutions   118
References  120
Additional Resources  120

Chapter 4 ADVANCED STRING CLASS INSTRUCTION   123

Goals and Objectives of Advanced Playing Skills   123
Pedagogy for Teaching Expressive Détaché Bowing   124
Pedagogy for Teaching Louré (Portato) Bowing   125
Pedagogy for Teaching Sul Tasto Bowing   127
Pedagogy for Teaching Ponticello Bowing   127
Pedagogy for Teaching Controlled Tremolo Bowing   128
Pedagogy for Teaching Collé Bowing   128
Pedagogy for Teaching Fast String Crossings   129
Pedagogy for Teaching Expressive Spiccato   130
Two-Octave Scales Through Four Sharps and Four Flats:
General Guidelines  131
Introducing Three-Octave Scales: General Guidelines   132
Pedagogy for Refining Shifting   149
Pedagogy for Refining Vibrato   151
Pedagogy for Developing Advanced Aural Skills
in the School Orchestra   153
Advanced Instrument Tuning   155
Problem Solving: Advanced Students’ Common Playing
Problems and Solutions   155
Reference  156
Additional Resources  156

Chapter 5 THE SCHOOL ORCHESTRA PROGRAM   159

A Brief History of Orchestra Programs
in the Schools   159
Values of Orchestra Programs in the School
Music Curriculum  161
Strategies for Defending the School
Orchestra Program  164
viii S T R A T E G I E S F O R T E A C H I N G S T R I N G S

Developing Community Support

for the Orchestra Program   167
The School Orchestra Curriculum   168
Enhancing the Orchestra Curriculum   171
References  175
Additional Resources  176

Chapter 6 PREPARING FOR YOUR ORCHESTRA REHEARSAL   179

Preparing Your Rehearsal Room and Equipment   179
Factors to Consider in the Preparation
of Your Rehearsal Strategies   180
Differences and Commonalties in Teaching Wind, Brass,
and String Instruments   188
Choosing Music for Your Groups   193
Score Preparation  194
Lesson Planning  197
Auditions/Tryouts  201
Nearing the Rehearsal   208
References  208
Additional References  209

Chapter 7 “CONDUCTING” YOUR REHEARSAL   211

Tuning  212
Warm-Ups  212
Review of Old and Introduction of New Materials   217
Sight-Reading and Improvisation   219
End of the Rehearsal   220
Troubleshooting During Rehearsals   220
Effective Teacher/Director Presentation   223
Other Considerations  226
Resources  234

Chapter 8 PRACTICAL APPROACHES TO TEACHING IMPROVISATION

IN THE SCHOOL ORCHESTRA   236
Rationale  236
Improvisation Teaching Strategies   237
A Creative Drone Approach   238
A Riff Approach  239
A Call-and-Response or Question-and-Answer Approach   240
A Chordal Approach  241
A Rhythmic Ostinato Approach   242
Martin Norgaard Six-Step Exercises for Improvisation   243
 C o n t e n t s ix

Riff Around  243
D Blues  244
A Four-Bar Approach: Play 2 Bars–Improv–Play 1 Bar   244
Summary  247
References  247
Additional Resources  248

Chapter 9 TECHNOLOGY IN THE STRING CLASS   250

First Steps  253
Additional Resources  253

Chapter 10 STRING STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION   255

Philosophy  255
Why Children Choose to Play Instruments   255
Preparation for Recruitment   257
Recruitment Procedures  261
Retention  268
References  272
Additional Resource  273

Chapter 11 METHOD BOOKS AND MUSIC FOR THE SCHOOL

ORCHESTRA PROGRAM  274
Guidelines for Choosing Music   275
String Method Books and Method Book Evaluation Criteria   278
Recommended Publishers  283
String and Full Orchestra Literature: Criteria
for Grade-Level Distinctions   284
References  301
Additional Resources  301

Appendix A CORRELATED STRING ORCHESTRA MUSIC

AND TEACHING STRATEGIES TO DEVELOP BOWING
AND LEFT-HAND PLAYING SKILLS   303

Appendix B THE ASTA NATIONAL STRING TEACHING STANDARDS   308

Appendix C THE SURVEY OF TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS (STE)   311

Appendix D ADDITIONAL PEDAGOGICAL RESOURCES   318

Index  323
 Companion Website
Video Content

CLIP CONTENT

1 Sizing the Violin

2 Sizing the Viola
3 Sizing the Cello
4 Sizing the Bass
5 Upper String Instrument Shoulder Rest
6 Upper String Instrument Position Step 1
7 Upper String Instrument Position Step 2
8 Upper String Instrument Position Step 3
9 Upper String Instrument Position Step 4
10 Cello Instrument Position Step 1
11 Cello Instrument Position Step 2
12 Cello Instrument Position Step 3
13 Bass Instrument Position Sitting Step 1
14 Bass Instrument Position Sitting Step 2
15 Bass Instrument Position Sitting Step 3
16 Bass Instrument Position Sitting Step 4
17 Bass Instrument Position Standing Step 1
18 Bass Instrument Position Standing Step 2
19 Bass Instrument Position Standing Step 3
20 Grow an Inch
21 Puppet Shoulders
22 Front Half of the Chair or Stool
23 Rock ‘n’ Roll
24 4 Steps
25 Zip & Step

*Clips are excerpted from the DVD series String Clinics to Go by Bob Gillespie and Bob Phillips.
The complete DVD series is available from Shar Music Products (sharmusic.com) and Pepper
Music (pepper.com). Order online or by printing and mailing the PDF order form that appears on
this DVD.

x
 C o m p a n i o n W e b s i t e V i d e o C o n t e n t xi

26 Two-Handed Lift
27 Feel the Platform
28 Nose/Bridge/Scroll
29 Statue of Liberty
30 The John Kendall Number Game
31 Shoulder and Neck T
32 Palms an’ Knees
33 Up and Light
34 Jack-in-the-Box
35 Three-Finger Check
36 Shuffle
37 Wite-Out Endpins
38 No Endpins First!
39 Upper String Left-Hand Shape
40 Finding Our Elbows
41 Bass Left Arm and Wrist Alignment
42 Tunneling
43 Pizzicato Tunneling
44 Ridin’ the Rails
45 Doublin’
46 Taps
47 Thumb Taps
48 Block Fingering
49 Square First Finger
50 Thumb Slides
51 Pull Aways
52 Strums
53 Geminiani Chord
54 Fingertip Fingering
55 Base-Hand Knuckle Checks
56 Knuckle Knocks
57 Sodas and Fruits!
58 Dr. Scholl’s Thumb House
59 K Shape
60 Bass Square Second Finger
61 Let’s Play Football!
62 Upper String Pizzicato
63 Lower String Pizzicato
64 Descending Scales
65 Descending Melodies
66 Simple Double Stopping
xii S T R A T E G I E S F O R T E A C H I N G S T R I N G S

67 Finger Bowing
68 Pencil Bowing
69 Straw Bowing
70 Spyglasses and Telescopes
71 Eyes Closed!
72 Tap, Tap, Tap
73 Bow Paths
74 Thumb Rolls
75 Leaning in the Wind
76 Shelving!
77 Shoulders, Arms, and Tubes!
78 Instrument Tubing
79 Lift, Settle, Pull
80 Buddy Bowing
81 Swingin’ Out
82 Straws in the F Holes: Upper Strings
83 Bow Hand Shapes on the Go
84 Traveling Down the Road
85 Swingin’ to the Floor
86 Frog to the Floor
87 Bridge Rocking
88 Pencil Crossings
89 Rest Crossings
90 Pinched Bows
91 Doorknob
92 Bow Pivots
93 Hook and Pull
94 Connect the Hooks
95 Trill Slurs
96 Hooking for Slurs
97 Sliding Pitches
98 Rolling Pitches
99 Four-Note Echoes
100 We Get to Play Out of Tune!
101 Goal Post Bowing
102 Lanes
103 Letting the Air Out
104 Rockin’ Bows
105 Circle Bowing
106 Bowing with Clips
107 Statue of Liberty
108 Balancing and Rubbing
109 Multiple Flexes
110 Two-Handed Pulls
111 Springy Fingers
112 Pencil Inside of the Bow Tip
 C o m p a n i o n W e b s i t e V i d e o C o n t e n t xiii

113 Miles per Hour

114 Pounds
115 Down Equals Up
116 Finger Teeter-Totters
117 Variable Speed Crossings
118 Variable Place Crossings
119 Bridge Rocking to the Click
120 Tall Fingers/Short Fingers
121 Lift/Set/Settle/Teeter-Totter
122 All the Way Up, All the Way Down
123 Finding the Pinching Fingers
124 Pinch, Pull, Release
125 Pinch and Glide
126 Pizzicato Martelés
127 Fingered Martelés
128 Balance Point Rub
129 To the Frog We Go
130 Balance Point Bounce
131 Bouncing All the Way
132 Heard But Not Seen
133 Multiple Bounces
134 Trampoline Bowing
135 Crunches
136 String Flying
137 Breathing While Playing
138 Cello: Backward Extensions
139 Cello: Forward Extensions
140 Add-a-Note
141 Tappin’
142 Anchor and Slide
143 Anchor and Tap
144 Transport Finger Shifting
145 Sliding Between Strings
146 How Many Harmonics Can You Find?
147 Shifting While Tunneling
148 Shifting Geminiani Chords
149 One-Finger Scales
150 One-Finger Melodies
151 Paper Shifts
152 Tap and Shift
153 Shuttle Shifts
154 Melodies in Multiple Positions
155 Shifting Tunnels
156 Shifting Finger Patterns
157 Up and Over
158 Blowing While Shifting
xiv S T R A T E G I E S F O R T E A C H I N G S T R I N G S

159 Harmonic Shifting

160 Ski Shifts
161 Upper String Elbowing
162 Thumb in the Cradle
163 Upper String Vibrato Motions
164 At the Bout: Hand Vibrato
165 At the Bout: Arm Vibrato
166 The Slide
167 On the String
168 The Pivot
169 Lend a Helping Hand
170 Pivot and Bow
171 Back Down the String
172 Tissue Vibrato
173 Air Vibrato
174 Neighbor Vibrato
175 Vibrato Harmonics
176 Movin’ Those Feet While Vibrating
177 Vibrating to the Click
178 Shakin’
179 Flex Together
180 Lower String Elbow Vibrato
181 Upper String Neck Brushing
182 Lower String Side-Saddle Vibrato
183 Scroll-to-the-Wall Vibrato
184 Long-to-Short-Note Vibrato
185 Arming Vibrato
186 Four-Note Echoes
187 Wavy Bows
188 Hooked Staccato vs. Louré
189 Scaling Styles
190 Fingerboard Lanes
191 Ponticello vs. Sul Tasto
192 Hand-Waving Tremolo
193 Loud fz and fp Tremolo
194 Alternating Arm to Hand Tremolo,
  Accented, and fp Tremolo
195 Frog Collé
196 Pizzicato Collé
197 Lower-Half Collé
198 Metronome Crossings
199 Foot Crossings
200 Slurred String Crossings
201 Trampoline Bounces
202 Add-a-Lift
203 Brush Strokes
 C o m p a n i o n W e b s i t e V i d e o C o n t e n t xv

204 Alternating On to Off

205 Bounces on the Board
206 Foot and Metronome Bounces
207 String Crossing Bounces
208 Scales Are a Bouncin’
209 Advanced Sliding Between Strings
210 Finding Harmonics
211 Slides in One Bow
212 Tremolo Shifts
213 Octave Shifting
214 Whistle Shifting
215 Upper String Shifting Push Aways
216 Cleaning Shifts
217 Transport Shifts Practice Routine
218 Counting the Oscillations—Counting
  the What?
219 Varying the Speed
220 Varying the Width
221 Fixin’ the Nanny Goat
222 Attack Stroke Vibrato
223 Parallel Motion Vibrato
224 Alternating Vibrato Types
225 Talking to Mastery
226 I Got Rhythm!
227 Recruitment Demo—Music Story—Large Group
228 Recruitment Demo—Music Story—Small Group
229 Recruitment Demo—Music Story—Teacher Alone
230 Students Demonstrating Instruments
231 Recruitment Questions and Conclusion
232 Recruitment Demo—Hands On—
  Teacher Alone
233 Recruitment Demo—Hands On—Large
  Trained Group
234 Recruitment Demo—Audience
  Participation—Large Group
235 Recruitment Demo—Audience
  Participation—Small Group
236 Recruitment Demo—Audience
  Participation—Teachers or Staff
Visit https://testbankfan.com
now to explore a rich
collection of testbank or
solution manual and enjoy
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 Companion Website
Additional Resources

NUMBER TITLE

1 Checklists for Planning a Recruiting Demonstration

2 Permission Slip
3 __Grade Orchestra’s Parent Information Update
4 School String Program Begins
5 Agenda Parent Information Night
6 Orchestra Parent Information Night
7 Registration Form
8 Orchestra Rental Night Reminder
9 Letter to a Retailer
10 Leit Motifs String Ranger
11 Music Story Script

Note: These additional resources are in PDF form.

xvi
 Preface

Our goal in this book is threefold: to provide teaching strategies that foster indi-
vidual skill development on all the bowed string instruments, to offer rehearsal
strategies that help instructors advance their large-group ensemble techniques,
and to offer advice on building comprehensive school orchestra programs.
In this fourth edition, we have expanded and updated the pedagogy and re-
source guides to keep the book current and as useful as possible for prospec-
tive, novice, and experienced string instructors alike. We are also pleased that
we are continuing to provide instructional video content on our companion
website (www.oup.com/us/hamann), designed to enhance and clearly dem-
onstrate the strategies presented in the text.

ORGANIZATION AND CONTENT

Organized into 11 chapters, this text is designed for use in undergraduate- and
graduate-level string methods, techniques, and pedagogy courses. It is based
on the current national content standards established by the Music Educators
National Conference (MENC/NAf ME), the American String Teachers Associa-
tion (ASTA), and the 2011 ASTA curriculum guide. These standards delineate
the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully teach string and orchestra
students, and they serve as benchmarks for string instructor training curricu-
lums and evaluation.
Following these standards, the text begins by introducing the string instru-
ment family along with an extensive section on instrument care and purchase
as well as instrument maintenance. Subsequent chapters—divided into three
levels of string competency corresponding to elementary, middle, and high
school skills—cover performance goals and objectives, strategies for teaching
technical and performance skills, and solutions to common playing problems
for each ability level. The text also covers rehearsal planning and preparation,
rehearsal techniques, practical approaches to teaching improvisation, technol-
ogy, student recruitment and retention, and choosing literature for the school

xvii
xviii S T R A T E G I E S F O R T E A C H I N G S T R I N G S

orchestra. The updated online video content goes beyond the text’s illustrations
and photographs to demonstrate playing techniques, fingering positions, and
teaching strategies in action. Throughout the text, we reference video examples
by clip number.

WHAT’S NEW IN THE FOURTH EDITION?

• An extensive section on guidelines and specifics for purchasing ­acoustic
and electric bowed string instruments including updated Internet
sources providing additional information.
• New Oxford University Press Companion Website (www.oup.com

/us/hamann) includes over 200 video teaching clips to accompany and
embellish text information as well as updated video links to additional
resources. Video resource links will be updated on a regular basis to keep
them as current as possible.
• New sections focusing on (1) working with students diagnosed with at-
tention deficit hyperactivity disorder and/or dyslexia, (2) working with
your community, (3) classroom management, (4) assessment and evalua-
tion, and (5) stretches for the bowed string player.
• A new chapter on technology.
• An expanded chapter on improvisation.
• Additional general guidelines for problem solving with solutions for
common playing issues experienced by beginning and intermediate
students.
• A variety of bonus ideas and teaching strategies for teaching bowings,
shifting, and vibrato at all levels of instruction.
• Updated information on the national standards with comprehensive ref-
erence information throughout the book.
• Expanded ideas with print and online resources.
• Updated recruitment and handbook information.
• Inclusion of the updated full and string orchestra works including works
for very easy, easy, medium easy, medium, medium advanced, and
advanced levels.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to thank a number of individuals who have made this book pos-
sible. We thank Herman Knoll, vice president of Hal Leonard Corporation, who
granted permission to use graphics from the Essential Elements for Strings series
in our book, as well as Michael Allen and Pamela Tellejohn Hayes, who helped
create those graphics.
We would also like to thank all of the reviewers who reviewed the first,
second, third, and fourth editions of this book.
 P r e f a c e xix

Special Thanks from Don

Books are shaped by and reflect the life experiences of their authors. In turn,
authors are shaped by and reflect those who have touched their lives. I would
like to thank those who have touched my life:
• My wonderful, loving, and supportive wife, Sheila, who just happens to
be a FANTASTIC manuscript editor!
I would especially like to thank Oxford University Press (OUP) for the contin-
ued support of Strategies for Teaching Strings, particularly, Richard Carlin, OUP
Executive Editor of Music and Art , Jacqueline Levine, OUP Editorial Assistant
of Music and Art, and Denise Phillip Grant, OUP Editor, and Thomas Murphy
and Patricia Berube of SPi Global.

Special Thanks from Bob

Thanks to Oxford for giving us the opportunity to write a fourth edition. This
allowed Don and me to reflect and build upon the strengths of the first three
editions. At Oxford, I’d like to thank Jan Beatty for championing this book,
Lauren Mine for providing editorial support, and Theresa Stockton for seeing
it through production.

My special thanks to:

• All of my many mentors: Wallace Graham, Marvin Mutchnik, Kelly Farris,
Stephen Clapp, Phyllis Young, Bob Culver, Barbara Eads, and to my won-
derful colleagues at The Ohio State University.
• My graduate teaching assistants and administrative assistants, who make
my professional life possible. Where would I be without you?!
•  My students, who have challenged me to grow, think, discover, and
explore.
• My family and wife, Jan. They have put up with a lot and still love and
forgive—you are the treasure of my life!
• Above all, the Lord, whose love sustains me and gives me hope for my life
and our great string profession.
 How To Use
This Book

We hope Strategies for Teaching Strings will assist you in preparing your students
to become successful string instrument teachers in the schools. The text can be
used in many different instrumental teacher education courses. Strategies may
be used either as a primary course text or as a supplemental resource. Chapters
are independent of one another. They may be presented sequentially or ordered
in any way you believe best fits the unique needs of your course. For example:
1. If you are teaching a String Techniques class (a class in which the basics
of learning to play all of the stringed instruments/string performance is
stressed) with this book as the primary text for this course, you may wish
to begin and focus primarily on Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 8 and then discuss
the other chapters as time and interest permit.
2. If you are teaching a String Methods class (a class that that focuses on
string pedagogy, establishment of a string program, and string teaching),
you most likely will want to have equal focus on all of the chapters. Again,
given the structure of your string methods course, you may wish to change
the order of chapter presentation while covering all chapter content before
the end of the term.
3. If you are teaching a String Pedagogy class (a class that focuses on string
teaching in either a classroom and/or private instruction situation), you
may wish to focus on Chapters 2, 3, 4, and, to some extent, Chapter 8. If
not used as the primary text for this course, this book certainly can be used
as an essential resource.
4. If you are teaching a Secondary Methods class (a class that focuses on the
design and development of musical programs at the secondary level), you
may wish to focus on Chapters 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, and, to some extent, Chapter
10. Strategies for Teaching Strings would be an excellent supplemental text
for this type of course.
5. If you are teaching an Instrumental Methods class (a class that that fo-
cuses on brass, woodwind, percussion, and string pedagogy, the establish-
ment of instrumental programs, and instrumental teaching), Strategies for

xx
Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
California Joe aspired to, or, considering some of his undeveloped
traits, was equal to; but I am anticipating.
As the four detachments already referred to were to move as
soon as it was dark, it was desirable that the scouts should be at
once organized and assigned. So, sending for California Joe, I
informed him of his promotion and what was expected of him and his
men. After this official portion of the interview had been completed, it
seemed proper to Joe’s mind that a more intimate acquaintance
between us should be cultivated, as we had never met before. His
first interrogatory, addressed to me in furtherance of this idea, was
frankly put as follows: “See hyar, Gineral, in order that we hev no
misonderstandin’, I’d jest like to ask ye a few questions.” Seeing that
I had somewhat of a character to deal with, I signified my perfect
willingness to be interviewed by him. “Are you an ambulance man ur
a hoss man?” Pretending not to discover his meaning, I requested
him to explain. “I mean do you b’leve in catchin’ Injuns in
ambulances or on hossback?” Still assuming ignorance, I replied,
“Well, Joe, I believe in catching Indians wherever we can find them,
whether they are found in ambulances or on horseback.” This did not
satisfy him. “That ain’t what I’m drivin’ at. S’pose you’re after Injuns
and really want to hev a tussle with ’em, would ye start after ’em on
hossback, or would ye climb into an ambulance and be haulded after
’em? That’s the pint I’m headin’ fur.” I answered that “I would prefer
the method on horseback provided I really desired to catch the
Indians; but if I wished them to catch me, I would adopt the
ambulance system of attack.” This reply seemed to give him
complete satisfaction. “You’ve hit the nail squar on the hed. I’ve bin
with ’em on the plains whar they started out after the Injuns on
wheels, jist as ef they war goin’ to a town funeral in the States, an’
they stood ’bout as many chances uv catchin’ Injuns az a six-mule
team wud uv catchin’ a pack of thievin’ Ki-o-tees, jist as much. Why
that sort uv work is only fun fur the Injuns; they don’t want anything
better. Ye ort to’ve seen how they peppered it to us, an’ we a doin’
nuthin’ a’ the time. Sum uv ’em wuz ’fraid the mules war goin’ to
stampede and run off with the train an’ all our forage and grub, but
that wuz impossible; fur besides the big loads uv corn an’ bacon an’
baggage the wagons hed in them, thar war from eight to a dozen
infantry men piled into them besides. Ye ort to hev heard the
quartermaster in charge uv the train tryin’ to drive the infantry men
out of the wagons and git them into the fight. I ’spect he wuz an
Irishman by his talk, fur he sed to them, ‘Git out uv thim wagons, git
out uv thim wagons; yez’ll hev me tried fur disobadience uv ordhers
fur marchin’ tin min in a wagon whin I’ve ordhers but fur ait!’”
How long I might have been detained listening to California Joe’s
recital of incidents of first campaigns, sandwiched here and there by
his peculiar but generally correct ideas of how to conduct an Indian
campaign properly, I do not know; time was limited, and I had to
remind him of the fact to induce him to shorten the conversation. It
was only deferred, however, as on every occasion thereafter
California Joe would take his place at the head of the column on the
march, and his nearest companion was made the receptacle of a
fresh instalment of Joe’s facts and opinions. His career as “chief
scout” was of the briefest nature. Everything being in readiness, the
four scouting columns, the men having removed their sabres to
prevent clanging and detection, quietly moved out of camp as soon
as it was sufficiently dark, and set out in different directions.
California Joe accompanied that detachment whose prospects
seemed best of encountering the Indians. The rest of the camp soon
afterward returned to their canvas shelter, indulging in all manner of
surmises and conjectures as to the likelihood of either or all of the
scouting parties meeting with success. As no tidings would probably
be received in camp until a late hour of the following day, taps, the
usual signal from the bugle for “lights out,” found the main camp in
almost complete darkness, with only here and there a stray
glimmering of light from the candle of some officer’s tent, who was
probably reckoning in his own mind how much he was losing or
perhaps gaining by not accompanying one of the scouting parties.
What were the chances of success to the four detachments which
had departed on this all night’s ride? Next to nothing. Still, even if no
Indians could be found, the expeditions would accomplish this much:
they would leave their fresh trails all over the country within a circuit
of twenty miles of our camp, trails which the practised eyes of the
Indians would be certain to fall upon in daylight, and inform them for
the first time that an effort was being made to disturb them if nothing
more.
Three of the scouting columns can be disposed of now by the
simple statement that they discovered no Indians, nor the remains of
any camps or lodging places indicating the recent presence of a war
party on any of the streams visited by them. The fourth detachment
was that one which California Joe had accompanied as scout. What
a feather it would be in his cap if, after the failure of the scouts
accompanying the other columns to discover Indians, the party
guided by him should pounce upon the savages, and by a handsome
fight settle a few of the old scores charged against them!
The night was passing away uninterrupted by any such event,
and but a few hours more intervened before daylight would make its
appearance. The troops had been marching constantly since leaving
camp; some were almost asleep in their saddles when the column
was halted, and word was passed along from man to man that the
advance guard had discovered signs indicating the existence of
Indians near at hand. Nothing more was necessary to dispel all
sensations of sleep, and to place every member of the command on
the alert. It was difficult to ascertain from the advance guard,
consisting of a non-commissioned officer and a few privates,
precisely what they had seen. It seemed that in the valley beyond,
into which the command was about to descend, and which could be
overlooked from the position the troops then held, something
unusual had been seen by the leading troopers just as they had
reached the crest. What this mysterious something was, or how
produced, no one could tell; it appeared simply for a moment, and
then only as a bright flash of light of varied colors; how far away it
was impossible to determine in the heavy darkness of the night. A
hasty consultation of the officers took place at the head of the
column, when it was decided that in the darkness which then reigned
it would be unwise to move to the attack of an enemy until something
more was known of the numbers and position of the foe. As the
moon would soon rise and dispel one of the obstacles to conducting
a careful attack, it was determined to hold the troops in readiness to
act upon a moment’s notice, and at the same time send a picked
party of men, under guidance of California Joe, to crawl as close to
the supposed position of the Indians as possible, and gather all the
information available. But where was California Joe all this time?
Why was he not at the front where his services would be most likely
to be in demand? Search was quietly made for him all along both
flanks of the column, but on careful inquiry it seemed that he had not
been seen for some hours, and then at a point many miles from that
at which the halt had been ordered. This was somewhat remarkable,
and admitted of no explanation—unless, perhaps, California Joe had
fallen asleep during the march and been carried away from the
column; but this theory gained no supporters. His absence at this
particular time, when his advice and services might prove so
invaluable, was regarded as most unfortunate. However, the party to
approach the Indian camp was being selected when a rifle shot
broke upon the stillness of the scene, sounding in the direction of the
mysterious appearance which had first attracted the attention of the
advanced troopers. Another moment, and the most powerful yells
and screams rose in the same direction, as if a terrible conflict was
taking place. Every carbine was advanced ready for action, each
trigger was carefully sought, no one as yet being able to divine the
cause of this sudden outcry, when in a moment who should come
charging wildly up to the column, now dimly visible by the first rays of
the moon, but California Joe, shouting and striking wildly to the right
and left as if beset by a whole tribe of warriors. Here, then, was the
solution of the mystery. Not then, but in a few hours, everything was
rendered clear. Among the other traits or peculiarities of his
character, California Joe numbered an uncontrollable fondness for
strong drink; it was his one great weakness—a weakness to which
he could only be kept from yielding by keeping all intoxicating drink
beyond his reach. It seemed, from an after development of the affair,
that the sudden elevation of California Joe, unsought and
unexpected as it was, to the position of chief scout, was rather too
much good fortune to be borne by him in a quiet or undemonstrative
manner. Such a profusion of greatness had not been thrust upon him
so often as to render him secure from being affected by his
preferment. At any rate he deemed the event deserving of
celebration—professional duties to the contrary notwithstanding—
and before proceeding on the night expedition had filled his canteen
with a bountiful supply of the worst brand of whiskey, such as is only
attainable on the frontier. He, perhaps, did not intend to indulge to
that extent which might disable him from properly performing his
duties; but in this, like many other good men whose appetites are
stronger than their resolutions, he failed in his reckoning. As the
liquor which he imbibed from time to time after leaving camp began
to produce the natural or unnatural effect, Joe’s independence
greatly increased until the only part of the expedition which he
recognized as at all important was California Joe. His mule, no
longer restrained by his hand, gradually carried him away from the
troops, until the latter were left far in the rear. This was the relative
position when the halt was ordered. California Joe, having indulged
in drink sufficiently for the time being, concluded that the next best
thing would be a smoke; nothing would be better to cheer him on his
lonely night ride. Filling his ever present brierwood with tobacco, he
next proceeded to strike a light, employing for this purpose a storm
or tempest match; it was the bright and flashing colors of this which
had so suddenly attracted the attention of the advance guard. No
sooner was his pipe lighted than the measure of his happiness was
complete, his imagination picturing him to himself, perhaps, as
leading in a grand Indian fight. His mule by this time had turned
toward the troops, and when California Joe set up his unearthly
howls, and began his imaginary charge into an Indian village, he was
carried at full speed straight to the column, where his good fortune
alone prevented him from receiving a volley before he was
recognized as not an Indian. His blood was up, and all efforts to
quiet or suppress him proved unavailing, until finally the officer in
command was forced to bind him hand and foot, and in this condition
secured him on the back of his faithful mule. In this sorry plight the
chief scout continued until the return of the troops to camp, when he
was transferred to the tender mercies of the guard as a prisoner for
misconduct. Thus ended California Joe’s career as chief scout.
Another was appointed in his stead, but we must not banish him
from our good opinion yet. As a scout, responsible only for himself,
he will reappear in these pages with a record which redounds to his
credit.
 Nothing was accomplished by the four scouting parties except,
perhaps, to inspire the troops with the idea that they were no longer
to be kept acting merely on the defensive, while the Indians, no
doubt, learned the same fact, and at the same time. The cavalry had
been lying idle, except when attacked by the Indians, for upward of a
mouth. It was reported that the war parties, which had been so
troublesome for some time, came from the direction of Medicine
Lodge creek, a stream running in the same general direction as Bluff
creek, and about two marches from the latter in a northeasterly
direction. It was on this stream—Medicine Lodge creek—that the
great peace council had been held with all the southern tribes with
whom we had been and were then at war, the Government being
represented at the council by Senators and other members of
Congress, officers high in rank in the army, and prominent gentlemen
selected from the walks of civil life. The next move, after the
unsuccessful attempt in which California Joe created the leading
sensation, was to transfer the troops across from Bluff creek to
Medicine Lodge creek, and to send scouting parties up and down the
latter in search of our enemies. This movement was made soon after
the return of the four scouting expeditions sent out from Bluff creek.
As our first day’s march was to be a short one, we did not break
camp on Bluff creek until a late hour in the morning. Soon everything
was in readiness for the march, and like a travelling village of
Bedouins, the troopers and their train of supplies stretched out into
column. First came the cavalry, moving in column of fours; next
came the immense wagon train, containing the tents, forage, rations,
and extra ammunition of the command, a very necessary but
unwieldy portion of a mounted military force. Last of all came the
rear guard, usually consisting of about one company. On this
occasion it was the company commanded by the officer whose
narrow escape from the Indians while in search of a party of his men
who had gone buffalo hunting, has been already described in this
chapter. The conduct of the Indians on this occasion proved that they
had been keeping an unseen but constant watch on everything
transpiring in or about camp. The column had scarcely straightened
itself out in commencing the march, and the rear guard had barely
crossed the limits of the deserted camp, when out from a ravine near
by dashed a war party of fully fifty well-mounted, well-armed
warriors. Their first onslaught was directed against the rear guard,
and a determined effort was made to drive them from the train, and
thus place the latter at their mercy, to be plundered of its contents.
After disposing of flankers, for the purpose of resisting any efforts
which might be made to attack the train from either flank, I rode back
to where the rear guard were engaged, to ascertain if they required
reinforcements. At the same time orders were given for the column
of troops and train to continue the march, as it was not intended that
so small a party as that attacking us should delay our march by any
vain effort on our part to ride them down, or overhaul them, when we
knew they could outstrip us if the contest was to be decided by a
race. Joining the rear guard, I had an opportunity to witness the
Indian mode of fighting in all its perfection. Surely no race of men,
not even the famous Cossacks, could display more wonderful skill in
feats of horsemanship than the Indian warrior on his native plains,
mounted on his well-trained war pony, voluntarily running the
gauntlet of his foes, drawing and receiving the fire of hundreds of
rifles, and in return sending back a perfect shower of arrows, or,
more likely still, well-directed shots from some souvenir of a peace
commission, in the shape of an improved breech-loader. The Indian
warrior is capable of assuming positions on his pony, the latter at full
speed, which no one but an Indian could maintain for a single
moment without being thrown to the ground. The pony, of course, is
perfectly trained, and seems possessed of the spirit of his rider. An
Indian’s wealth is most generally expressed by the number of his
ponies. No warrior or chief is of any importance or distinction who is
not the owner of a herd of ponies numbering from twenty to many
hundreds. He has for each special purpose a certain number of
ponies, those that are kept as pack animals being the most inferior in
quality and value; then the ordinary riding ponies used on the march
or about camp, or when visiting neighboring villages; next in
consideration is the “buffalo pony,” trained to the hunt, and only
employed when dashing into the midst of the huge buffalo herds,
when the object is either food from the flesh or clothing and shelter
for the lodges, to be made from the buffalo hide; last, or rather first,
considering its value and importance, is the “war pony,” the favorite
of the herd, fleet of foot, quick in intelligence, and full of courage. It
may be safely asserted that the first place in the heart of the warrior
is held by his faithful and obedient war pony.
Indians are extremely fond of bartering, and are not behindhand
in catching the points of a good bargain. They will sign treaties
relinquishing their lands, and agree to forsake the burial ground of
their forefathers; they will part, for due consideration, with their bow
and arrows, and their accompanying quiver, handsomely wrought in
dressed furs; their lodges even may be purchased at not an unfair
valuation, and it is not an unusual thing for a chief or warrior to offer
to exchange his wife or daughter for some article which may have
taken his fancy. This is no exaggeration; but no Indian of the plains
has ever been known to trade, sell, or barter away his favorite “war
pony.” To the warrior his battle horse is as the apple of his eye.
Neither love nor money can induce him to part with it. To see them in
battle, and to witness how the one almost becomes a part of the
other, one might well apply to the warrior the lines—

But this gallant

Had witchcraft in ’t; he grew into his seat,
And to such wondrous doing brought his horse,
As he had been encorps’d and demi-natur’d
With the brave beast; so far he passed my thought
That I, in forgery of shapes and tricks,
Come short of what he did.

The officer in command of the rear guard expressed the opinion

that he could resist successfully the attacks of the savages until a
little later, when it was seen that the latter were receiving accessions
to their strength and were becoming correspondingly bolder and
more difficult to repulse, when a second troop of cavalry was brought
from the column, as a support to the rear guard. These last were
ordered to fight on foot, their horses, in charge of every fourth
trooper, being led near the train. The men being able to fire so much
more accurately when on foot, compelled the Indians to observe
greater caution in their manner of attack. Once a warrior was seen to
dash out from the rest in the peculiar act of “circling,” which was
simply to dash along in front of the line of troopers, receiving their
fire and firing in return. Suddenly his pony, while at full speed, was
seen to fall to the ground, showing that the aim of at least one of the
soldiers had been effective. The warrior was thrown over and
beyond the pony’s head, and his capture by the cavalry seemed a
sure and easy matter to be accomplished. I saw him fall, and called
to the officer commanding the troop which had remained mounted to
gallop forward and secure the Indian. The troop advanced rapidly,
but the comrades of the fallen Indian had also witnessed his mishap,
and were rushing to his rescue. He was on his feet in a moment, and
the next moment another warrior, mounted on the fleetest of ponies,
was at his side, and with one leap the dismounted warrior placed
himself astride the pony of his companion; and thus doubly
burdened, the gallant little steed, with his no less gallant riders,
galloped lightly away, with about eighty cavalrymen, mounted on
strong domestic horses, in full cry after them. There is no doubt but
that by all the laws of chance the cavalry should have been able to
soon overhaul and capture the Indians in so unequal a race; but
whether from lack of zeal on the part of the officer commanding the
pursuit, or from the confusion created by the diversion attempted by
the remaining Indians, the pony, doubly weighted as he was,
distanced his pursuers and landed his burden in a place of safety.
Although chagrined at the failure of the pursuing party to accomplish
the capture of the Indians, I could not wholly suppress a feeling of
satisfaction, if not gladness, that for once the Indian had eluded the
white man. I need not add that any temporary tenderness of feeling
toward the two Indians was prompted by their individual daring and
the heroic display of comradeship in the successful attempt to render
assistance to a friend in need.
Without being able to delay our march, yet it required the
combined strength and resistance of two full troops of cavalry to
defend the train from the vigorous and dashing attacks of the
Indians. At last, finding that the command was not to be diverted
from its purpose, or hindered in completing its regular march, the
Indians withdrew, leaving us to proceed unmolested. These contests
with the Indians, while apparently yielding the troops no decided
advantage, were of the greatest value in view of future and more
extensive operations against the savages. Many of the men and
horses were far from being familiar with actual warfare, particularly of
this irregular character. Some of the troopers were quite
inexperienced as horsemen, and still more inexpert in the use of
their weapons, as their inaccuracy of fire when attempting to bring
down an Indian within easy range clearly proved. Their experience,
resulting from these daily contests with the red men, was to prove of
incalculable benefit, and fit them for the duties of the coming
campaign. Our march was completed to Medicine Lodge creek,
where a temporary camp was established, while scouting parties
were sent both up and down the stream as far as there was the least
probability of finding Indians. The party, consisting of three troops,
which scouted down the valley of Medicine Lodge creek, proceeded
down to the point where was located and then standing the famous
“medicine lodge,” an immense structure erected by the Indians, and
used by them as a council house, where once in each year the
various tribes of the southern plains were wont to assemble in
mysterious conclave to consult the Great Spirit as to the future, and
to offer up rude sacrifices and engage in imposing ceremonies, such
as were believed to be appeasing and satisfactory to the Indian
Deity. In the conduct of these strange and interesting incantations,
the presiding or directing personages are known among the Indians
as “medicine men.” They are the high priests of the red man’s
religion, and in their peculiar sphere are superior in influence and
authority to all others in the tribe, not excepting the head chief. No
important step is proposed or put in execution, whether relating to
war or peace, even the probable success of a contemplated hunt,
but is first submitted to the powers of divination confidently believed
to be possessed by the medicine man of the tribe. He, after a series
of enchantments, returns the answer supposed to be prompted by
the Great Spirit, as to whether the proposed step is well advised and
promises success or not. The decisions given by the medicine men
are supreme, and admit of no appeal. The medicine lodge just
referred to had been used as the place of assembly of the grand
council held between the warlike tribes and the representatives of
the Government, referred to in preceding pages. The medicine lodge
was found in a deserted but well-preserved condition. Here and
there, hanging overhead, were collected various kinds of herbs and
plants, vegetable offerings no doubt to the Great Spirit; while, in
strange contrast to these peaceful specimens of the fruits of the
earth, were trophies of the war path and the chase, the latter being
represented by the horns and dressed skins of animals killed in the
hunt, some of the skins being beautifully ornamented in the most
fantastic of styles peculiar to the Indian idea of art. Of the trophies
relating to war, the most prominent were human scalps, representing
all ages and sexes of the white race. These scalps, according to the
barbarous custom, were not composed of the entire covering of the
head, but of a small surface surrounding the crown, and usually from
three to four inches in diameter, constituting what is termed the scalp
lock. To preserve the scalp from decay, a small hoop of about double
the diameter of the scalp is prepared from a small withe, which
grows on the banks of some of the streams in the West. The scalp is
placed inside the hoop, and properly stretched by a network of
thread connecting the edges of the scalp with the circumference of
the hoop. After being properly cured, the dried fleshy portion of the
scalp is ornamented in bright colors, according to the taste of the
captor, sometimes the addition of beads of bright and varied colors
being made to heighten the effect. In other instances the hair is
dyed, either to a beautiful yellow or golden, or to crimson. Several of
these horrible evidences of past depredations upon the defenceless
inhabitants of the frontier, or overland emigrants, were brought back
by the troopers on their return from their scout. Old trails of small
parties of Indians were discovered, but none indicating the recent
presence of war parties in that valley were observable. The
command was then marched back to near its former camp on Bluff
creek, from whence, after a sojourn of three or four days, it marched
to a point on the north bank of the Arkansas river, about ten miles
below Fort Dodge, there to engage in earnest preparation and
reorganization for the winter campaign, which was soon to be
inaugurated, and in which the Seventh Cavalry was to bear so
prominent a part. We pitched our tents on the banks of the Arkansas
on the 21st of October, 1868, there to remain usefully employed until
the 12th of the following month, when we mounted our horses, bade
adieu to the luxuries of civilization, and turned our faces toward the
Wichita mountains in the endeavor to drive from their winter hiding
places the savages who had during the past summer waged such
ruthless and cruel war upon our exposed settlers on the border. How
far and in what way we were successful in this effort, will be learned
in the following chapter.
 XIV.
IN concluding to go into camp for a brief period on the banks of the
Arkansas, two important objects were in view: first, to devote the
time to refitting, reorganizing, and renovating generally that portion of
the command which was destined to continue active operations
during the inclement winter season; second, to defer our movement
against the hostile tribes until the last traces of the fall season had
disappeared, and winter in all its bitter force should be upon us. We
had crossed weapons with the Indians time and again during the
mild summer months, when the rich verdure of the valleys served as
bountiful and inexhaustible granaries in supplying forage to their
ponies, and the immense herds of buffalo and other varieties of
game roaming undisturbed over the Plains supplied all the food that
was necessary to subsist the war parties, and at the same time allow
their villages to move freely from point to point; and the experience
of both officers and men went to prove that in attempting to fight
Indians in the summer season we were yielding to them the
advantages of climate and supplies—we were meeting them on
ground of their own selection, and at a time when every natural
circumstance controlling the result of a campaign was wholly in their
favor; and as a just consequence the troops, in nearly all these
contests with the red men, had come off second best. During the
grass season nearly all Indian villages are migratory, seldom
remaining longer than a few weeks at most in any one locality,
depending entirely upon the supply of grass; when this becomes
exhausted the lodges are taken down, and the entire tribe or band
moves to some other point, chosen with reference to the supply of
grass, water, wood, and game. The distance to the new location is
usually but a few miles. During the fall, when the buffaloes are in the
best condition to furnish food, and the hides are suitable to be
dressed as robes, or to furnish covering for the lodges, the grand
annual hunts of the tribes take place, by which the supply of meat for
the winter is procured. This being done, the chiefs determine upon
the points at which the village shall be located; if the tribe is a large
one, the village is often subdivided, one portion or band remaining at
one point, other portions choosing localities within a circuit of thirty or
forty miles. Except during seasons of the most perfect peace, and
when it is the firm intention of the chiefs to remain on friendly terms
with the whites at least during the winter and early spring months,
the localities selected for their winter resorts are remote from the
military posts and frontier settlements, and the knowledge which
might lead to them carefully withheld from every white man. Even
during a moderate winter season, it is barely possible for the Indians
to obtain sufficient food for their ponies to keep the latter in anything
above a starving condition. Many of the ponies actually die from
want of forage, while the remaining ones become so weak and
attenuated that it requires several weeks of good grazing in the
spring to fit them for service—particularly such service as is required
from the war ponies. Guided by these facts, it was evident that if we
chose to avail ourselves of the assistance of so exacting and terrible
an ally as the frosts of winter—an ally who would be almost as
uninviting to friends as to foes—we might deprive our enemy of his
points of advantage, and force him to engage in a combat in which
we should do for him what he had hitherto done for us; compel him
to fight upon ground and under circumstances of our own selection.
To decide upon making a winter campaign against the Indians was
certainly in accordance with that maxim in the art of war which
directs one to do that which the enemy neither expects nor desires to
be done. At the same time it would dispel the old-fogy idea, which
was not without supporters in the army, and which was confidently
relied on by the Indians themselves, that the winter season was an
insurmountable barrier to the prosecution of a successful campaign.
But aside from the delay which was necessary to be submitted to
before the forces of winter should produce their natural but desired
effect upon our enemies, there was much to be done on our part
before we could be ready to coöperate in an offensive movement.
The Seventh Cavalry, which was to operate in one body during
the coming campaign, was a comparatively new regiment, dating its
existence as an organization from July, 1866. The officers and
companies had not served together before with much over half their
full force. A large number of fresh horses were required and
obtained; these had to be drilled. All the horses in the command
were to be newly shod, and an extra fore and hind shoe fitted to
each horse; these, with the necessary nails, were to be carried by
each trooper in the saddle pocket. It has been seen that the men
lacked accuracy in the use of their carbines. To correct this, two drills
in target practice were ordered each day. The companies were
marched separately to the ground where the targets had been
erected, and, under the supervision of the troop officers, were
practised daily in firing at targets placed one hundred, two hundred,
and three hundred yards distant. The men had been previously
informed that out of the eight hundred men composing the
command, a picked corps of sharpshooters would be selected,
numbering forty men, and made up of the forty best marksmen in the
regiment. As an incentive to induce every enlisted man, whether
non-commissioned officer or private, to strive for appointment in the
sharpshooters, it was given out from headquarters that the men so
chosen would be regarded, as they really would deserve to be, as
the elite of the command; not only regarded as such, but treated with
corresponding consideration. For example, they were to be marched
as a separate organization, independently of the column, a matter
which in itself is not so trifling as it may seem to those who have
never participated in a long and wearisome march. Then again no
guard or picket duty was to be required of the sharpshooters, which
alone was enough to encourage every trooper to excel as a
marksman. Besides these considerations, it was known that, should
we encounter the enemy, the sharpshooters would be most likely to
be assigned a post of honor, and would have superior opportunities
for acquiring distinction and rendering good service. The most
generous as well as earnest rivalry at once sprung up, not only
between the various companies, as to which should secure the
largest representation among the sharpshooters, but the rivalry
extended to individuals of the same company, each of whom
seemed desirous of the honor of being considered as “one of the
best shots.”
 To be able to determine the matter correctly, a record of every
shot fired by each man of the command, throughout a period of
upwards of one month, was carefully kept. It was surprising to
observe the marked and rapid improvement in the accuracy of aim
attained by the men generally during this period. Two drills at target
practice each day, and allowing each man an opportunity at every
drill to become familiar with the handling of his carbine, and in
judging of the distances of the different targets, worked a most
satisfactory improvement in the average accuracy of fire; so that at
the end of the period named, by taking the record of each trooper’s
target practice, I was enabled to select forty marksmen in whose
ability to bring down any warrior, whether mounted or not, who might
challenge us, as we had often been challenged before, I felt every
confidence. They were a superb body of men, and felt the greatest
pride in their distinction. A sufficient number of non-commissioned
officers, who had proven their skill as marksmen, were included in
the organization—among them, fortunately, a first sergeant, whose
expertness in the use of any firearm was well established throughout
the command. I remember having seen him, while riding at full
speed, bring down four buffaloes by four consecutive shots from his
revolver. When it is remembered that even experienced hunters are
usually compelled to fire half a dozen shots or more to secure a
single buffalo, this statement will appear the more remarkable. The
forty sharpshooters being supplied with their complement of
sergeant and corporals, and thus constituting an organization by
themselves, only lacked one important element, a suitable
commander—a leader who, aside from being a thorough soldier,
should possess traits of character which would not only enable him
to employ skilfully the superior abilities of those who were to
constitute his command, but at the same time feel that esprit de
corps which is so necessary to both officers and soldiers when
success is to be achieved. Fortunately, in my command were a
considerable number of young officers, nearly all of whom were full
of soldierly ambition, and eager to grasp any opportunity which
opened the way to honorable preferment. The difficulty was not in
finding an officer properly qualified in every way to command the
sharpshooters, but, among so many who I felt confident would
render a good account of themselves if assigned to that position, to
designate a leader par excellence. The choice fell upon Colonel
Cook, a young officer whose acquaintance the reader will remember
to have made in connection with the plucky fight he had with the
Indians near Fort Wallace the preceding summer. Colonel Cook, at
the breaking out of the rebellion, although then but a lad of sixteen
years, entered one of the New York cavalry regiments, commencing
at the foot of the ladder. He served in the cavalry arm of the service
throughout the war, participating in Sheridan’s closing battles near
Richmond, his services and gallantry resulting in his promotion to the
rank of lieutenant-colonel. While there were many of the young
officers who would have been pleased if they instead of another had
been chosen, there was no one in the command, perhaps, who did
not regard the selection as a most judicious one. Future events only
confirmed this judgment.
After everything in the way of reorganization and refitting which
might be considered as actually necessary had been ordered,
another step, bordering on the ornamental perhaps, although in itself
useful, was taken. This was what is termed in the cavalry “coloring
the horses,” which does not imply, as might be inferred from the
expression, that we actually changed the color of our horses, but
merely classified or arranged them throughout the different
squadrons and troops according to the color. Hitherto the horses had
been distributed to the various companies of the regiment
indiscriminately, regardless of color, so that in each company and
squadron horses were found of every color. For uniformity of
appearance it was decided to devote one afternoon to a general
exchange of horses. The troop commanders were assembled at
headquarters and allowed, in the order of their rank, to select the
color they preferred. This being done, every public horse in the
command was led out and placed in line: the grays collected at one
point, the bays—of which there was a great preponderance in
numbers—at another, the blacks at another, the sorrels by
themselves; then the chestnuts, the blacks, the browns; and last of
all came what were jocularly designated the “brindles,” being the
odds and ends so far as colors were concerned—roans and other
mixed colors—the junior troop commander of course becoming the
reluctant recipient of these last, valuable enough except as to color.
The exchanges having been completed, the men of each troop led
away to their respective picket or stable lines their newly-acquired
chargers. Arriving upon their company grounds, another assignment
in detail was made by the troop commanders. First, the non-
commissioned officers were permitted to select their horses in the
order of their rank; then the remaining horses were distributed
among the troopers generally, giving to the best soldiers the best
horses. It was surprising to witness what a great improvement in the
handsome appearance of the command was effected by this
measure. The change when first proposed had not been greeted
with much favor by many of the troopers who by long service and
association in times of danger had become warmly attached to their
horses; but the same reasons which had endeared the steed to the
soldier in the one instance, soon operate in the same manner to
render the new acquaintances fast friends.
Among the other measures adopted for carrying the war to our
enemy’s doors, and in a manner “fight the devil with fire,” was the
employment of Indian allies. These were to be procured from the
“reservation Indians,” tribes who, from engaging in long and
devastating wars with the whites and with other hostile bands, had
become so reduced in power as to be glad to avail themselves of the
protection and means of subsistence offered by the reservation plan.
These tribes were most generally the objects of hatred in the eyes of
their more powerful and independent neighbors of the Plains, and
the latter, when making their raids and bloody incursions upon the
white settlements of the frontiers, did not hesitate to visit their wrath
equally upon whites and reservation Indians. To these smaller tribes
it was a welcome opportunity to be permitted to ally themselves to
the forces of the Government, and endeavor to obtain that
satisfaction which acting alone they were powerless to secure. The
tribes against which we proposed to operate during the approaching
campaign had been particularly cruel and relentless in their wanton
attacks upon the Osages and Kaws, two tribes living peaceably and
contentedly on well-chosen reservations in southwestern Kansas
and the northern portion of the Indian Territory. No assistance in
fighting the hostile tribes was desired, but it was believed, and
correctly too, that in finding the enemy and in discovering the
location of his winter hiding-places, the experience and natural tact
and cunning of the Indians would be a powerful auxiliary if we could
enlist them in our cause. An officer was sent to the village of the
Osages to negotiate with the head chiefs, and was successful in his
mission, returning with a delegation consisting of the second chief in
rank of the Osage tribe, named “Little Beaver,” “Hard Rope,” the
counsellor or wise man of his people, and eleven warriors, with an
interpreter. In addition to the monthly rate of compensation which the
Government agreed to give them, they were also to be armed,
clothed, and mounted at Government expense.
Advices from General Sheridan’s headquarters, then at Fort
Hays, Kansas, were received early in November, informing us that
the time for resuming active operations was near at hand, and urging
the early completion of all preliminaries looking to that end. Fort
Dodge, on the Arkansas river, was the extreme post south in the
direction proposed to be taken by us, until the Red river should be
crossed and the northwestern posts of Texas could be reached,
which were further south than our movements would probably carry
us. To use Fort Dodge as our base of supplies, and keep open to
that point our long line of communications, would have been,
considering the character of the country and that of the enemy to be
encountered, an impracticable matter with our force. To remedy this
a temporary base was decided upon, to be established about one
hundred miles south of Fort Dodge, at some point yet to be
determined, from which we could obtain our supplies during the
winter. With this object in view an immense train, consisting of about
four hundred army wagons, was loaded with forage, rations, and
clothing, for the supply of the troops composing the expedition. A
guard composed of a few companies of infantry was detailed to
accompany the trains and to garrison the point which was to be
selected as the new base of supplies. Everything being in readiness,
the cavalry moved from its camp on the north bank of the Arkansas
on the morning of the 12th of November, and after fording the river
began its march toward the Indian Territory. That night we encamped
on Mulberry creek, where we were joined by the infantry and the
supply train. General Sully, commanding the district, here took active
command of the combined forces. Much anxiety existed in the minds
of some of the officers, remembering no doubt their late experience,
lest the Indians should attack us while on the march, when,
hampered as we should be in the protection of so large a train of
wagons, we might fare badly. The country over which we were to
march was favorable to us, as we were able to move our trains in
four parallel columns formed close together. This arrangement
shortened our flanks and rendered them less exposed to attack. The
following morning after reaching Mulberry creek the march was
resumed soon after daylight, the usual order being: the four hundred
wagons of the supply train and those belonging to the troops formed
in four equal columns; in advance of the wagons at a proper distance
rode the advance guard of cavalry; a corresponding cavalry force
formed the rear guard. The remainder of the cavalry was divided into
two equal parts, and these parts again divided into three equal
detachments; these six detachments were disposed of along the
flanks of the column, three on a side, maintaining a distance
between themselves and the train of from a quarter to half a mile,
while each of them had flanking parties thrown out opposite the train,
rendering it impossible for an enemy to appear in any direction
without timely notice being received. The infantry on beginning the
march in the morning were distributed throughout the train in such
manner that should the enemy attack, their services could be
rendered most effective. Unaccustomed, however, to field service,
particularly marching, the infantry apparently were only able to
march for a few hours in the early part of the day, when, becoming
weary, they would straggle from their companies and climb into the
covered wagons, from which there was no determined effort to rout
them. In the afternoon there would be little evidence perceptible to
the eye that infantry formed any portion of the expedition, save here
and there the butt of a musket or point of a bayonet peeping out from
under the canvas wagon-covers, or perhaps an officer of infantry
“treading alone his native heath,” or better still mounted on an Indian
pony, the result of some barter with the Indians when times were a
little more peaceable, and neither wars nor rumors of wars disturbed
the monotony of garrison life. Nothing occurred giving us any clue to
the whereabouts of Indians until we had been marching several days