Famous Cavalry Horses plus GIVEAWAY

by Kathleen L. Maher

Some years back I had the privilege of visiting the Smithsonian in Washington D. C. for the first time. I was in my early twenties and already smitten with the Civil War, so a tour of the collection at the National Museum of American History held a special thrill. A sight I will never forget is the preserved taxidermy of Union General Phil Sheridan's famous horse, Rienzi, (AKA Winchester) This horse made the famous forty mile ride, carrying Sheridan after the Battle of Cedar Creek down the Shenandoah Valley to rally the flagging Union troops. He served the general in over forty battles, and was even present at the signing of Lee's surrender at Appomattox. His fame was set to poetry and painting, and the famous cavalry horse was immortalized in a tribute to the enduring sacrifice and service of these military equines. 


Cavalry--from the French cheval for horse-- is just one example of service that horses provided for the military. Other uses include artillery and pack horses, mule trains, and draft animals--even in dire times serving as food. A town close to where I live named Horseheads honors the pack horses of the Revolutionary War who served under General Sullivan. But among war horses, the cavalry mount was the A-lister. Famous, glamorous, most visible, the public hailed the courage of these steeds and celebrated them by name. 

General Lee's Traveller is another example of a beloved cavalry horse. In Lee's own words from a letter he wrote to his daughter, he describes affectionately the horse that accompanied him through almost the entirety of the war:

If I were an artist like you I would draw a true picture of Traveller — representing his fine proportions, muscular figure, deep chest and short back, strong haunches, flat legs, small head, broad forehead, delicate ears, quick eye, small feet, and black mane and tail. Such a picture would inspire a poet, whose genius could then depict his worth and describe his endurance of toil, hunger, thirst, heat, and cold, and the dangers and sufferings through which he passed. He could dilate upon his sagacity and affection and his invariable response to every wish of his rider. He might even imagine his thoughts, through the long night marches and days of battle through which he has passed.
But I am no artist; I can only say he is a Confederate grey. I purchased him in the mountains of Virginia in the autumn of 1861, and he has been my patient follower ever since...

General Grant had his Cincinnati, the son of famous racehorse Lexington, and ridden by Abraham Lincoln. Stonewall Jackson rode a homely, runtish horse named Little Sorrell who was beloved all over the South. General Meade had a horse named Old Baldy, who took a bullet for him five times.General Nathan Bedford Forrest had 39 different horses shot from under him. 

No war horse was more famous than Comanche, survivor of the massacre at Little Bighorn. Seventh Cavalry farrier John Rivers, who looked after Comanche in retirement, described the gallant animal's ordeal to the Bismarck Tribune: 

He was found ... in a ravine where he had crawled, there to die and feed the Crows. He was raised up and tenderly cared for. His wounds were serious, but not necessarily fatal if properly looked after...He carries seven scars from as many bullet wounds. There are four back of the foreshoulder, one through a hoof, and one on either hind leg. On the Custer battlefield three of the balls were extracted from his body...

Comanche was one of only four horses to be given full military honors at his funeral.

Napoleon Bonaparte had a celebrated stallion named Marengo who carried him through many campaigns, including Waterloo, where the French general was defeated, and the horse was captured and kept by a British officer for the rest of the horse's life. 

But no telling would be complete without mentioning the mighty Bucephalus. The massive black stallion had been presented to King Phillip of Macedonia as a gift, but no one could manage him, according to legend. At thirteen years old, Prince Alexander observed something no one else had about the horse's seemingly wild behavior--the horse spooked at his own shadow. Alexander boasted he could tame him, and proved it, turning the stallion toward the sun so he would be vexed no more by the shifting dark patterns about him. From there, Bucephalus became inseparable to Alexander the Great, carrying him through one battle after another until the pair conquered the entire known world of their time.

Today I am giving away a copy of my brand new Civil War romance, The Abolitionist's Daughter, to one lucky commenter who answers this question:

Do you have a favorite book or movie that depicts a strong bond between hero/heroine and an animal? If so, what?

The Abolitionist’s Daughter by Kathleen L. Maher

1860-1864 Shenandoah Valley, and Elmira, NY
The crusading daughter of a Washington politician comes between twin brothers as the country plunges toward Civil War. Horsemen from Virginia, the twins would defend their livelihood from her meddling kind. When love ignites, friends become enemies. Can the very girl who divided bosom brothers unite them again?

I will be drawing a winner by random.org on Friday. Earn *Bonus entries* if you share this post on FB, Twitter, Pinterest, or other social media sites. Be sure to leave your email addy in comment and tell me how many entries/sites shared.

Good luck!

Kathleen L. Maher has had an infatuation with books and fictional heroes ever since her preschool crush, Peter Rabbit. She has a novella releasing with BARBOUR in the 2018 Victorian Christmas Brides collection, featuring her hometown of Elmira, New York. Her debut historical, Bachelor Buttons, blends her Irish heritage and love of the American Civil War. She won the 2012 ACFW Genesis contest for her Civil War story, releasing this summer under a new title The Abolitionist’s Daughter. Kathleen shares an old farmhouse in upstate New York with her husband, children, and a small zoo of rescued animals.

Follow Kathleen

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US Army in Oklahoma--A True Tale of Cowboys and Indians Part 3

Fort Gibson, 1870's Wikipedia, public domain

    

By Alanna Radle Rodriguez and Judge Rodriguez


Thank you for joining us this month in our discovery of the effects that the different branches of the U.S. military have had on the development of the state of Oklahoma. For the last two months, we have delved into the history of the US Army, up to the end of the War Between the States (WBtS).

This month, we cover the time period after the WBtS going to the land runs/ lotteries.

On the national level, the time period just after the WBtS is known as the reconstruction period. This period is a time of social change and military occupation, particularly in the south. In the Indian Territory, the tribes had split, one side for the United States, the other for the Confederate States.

In 1867, following numerous raids, the Department of the Interior, at the insistence of the newly formed states of Kansas and Nebraska, formed a series of treaties that created the Cheyenne-Arapaho and the Kiowa-Commanche reservations. This helped to frustrate the already closed-in feeling tribes. The plains tribes resisted the move to the reservations, and tensions increased. The army was tasked with being a peace keeping force in the territory. They protected not only the eastern tribes from the plains tribes, but also the white settlers that were moving through the area.

Tensions rose steadily, however, as not all tribes ascribed to the war-like ideals of the plains tribes. In 1874 war broke out in the conflict now known as the Red River War. In one of the first conflicts, Lieutenant Colonel Custer led a raid against Chief Black Kettle’s camp. Tragically, or rather ironically, Black Kettle was known as a “peace chief”.

The Red River War lasted through into 1875, ending in the “Sand Hill Fight” on April 6th 1875. In 1887, the Dawes Severalty Act ended the reservation system in the Indian Territory, and opened up the lands reserved for the tribes, thus leading to the Land Runs, which began in 1889.

There were 5 major land runs, and several smaller ones throughout the next 13 years. The 1st of the major land runs occurred on April 22nd 1889, where the “Unassigned Lands” were opened to settlement. This land run opened up what became Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan and Oklahoma counties. This is what is commonly referred to as the “Oklahoma Land Run”, however it was only the first in the series of them.

The 2nd major land run was in fact 3 smaller land runs occurring between September 22nd and 28th of 1891, and opened up the settlement of what eventually became Lincoln, Pottowatomie, and Seminole counties.

The 3rd was the Cheyenne-Arapaho reservation lands, occurring in April 19, 1892, and opened up the lands that would become Blaine, Custer, Dewey, Washita, and Roger Mills counties.

The 4th was the Cherokee Outlet on April 19th 1893--also mistakenly referred to as the Cherokee Strip Land Run--which opened the lands of the entire Cherokee Outlet. This area ranged from essentially lands east of current day Enid, all the way to current day Woodward, thus opening close to 1/8th of what would become the state of Oklahoma.

The 5th and final major land run on May 23rd of 1895, was the opening of the Kickapoo lands, which opened the remainder of current-day eastern Oklahoma and western Pottowatomie counties. After this land run, a critical change was made and, other than several considerably smaller land runs, was the end of the “Land Run Experiment”, and was considered to be an inefficient way to distribute the land.

While it is commonly held that after the Kickapoo land run, the land was distributed by lottery, and bids, there was actually one more minor land run, which allocated land in the current town of Arcadia, Oklahoma. That land run occurred on August 8th 1901.

During each of these land runs, and the settlement directly afterwards, the U.S. Army was tasked with keeping the peace, as well as preventing the “Sooners” from being able to claim jump the most choice lands, and to help keep down theft of the lands for the claimants. Unfortunately, corruption ran a bit rampant, and there are many stories of not only Sooners, but also of claimants being wiped out by claim jumpers.

It was during this time frame that the U.S. Cavalry, and by extension the Army, held ultimate authority of law in the land. There were several U.S. Marshals in the territory, such as Bass Reeves, and Frank Dalton. When the cards were on the table, however, each of these marshals had the authority to call in the cavalry, to put down any insurrections, etc. if it was deemed necessary. Each of the towns had their own marshal, as well as many (like Oklahoma City, Edmond, Guthrie, Stillwater, and Norman) had their own police force enforcing the edicts of the city ordinances.

Join us next month as we explore the history of the U.S. Army, and its effects on the history of this grand state, known as Oklahoma during its statehood, and afterward.

Born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, Alanna Radle Rodriguez is the great-great granddaughter of one of the first pioneers to settle in Indian Territory. Alanna loves the history of the state and relishes in volunteering at the 1889 Territorial Schoolhouse in Edmond. Her first published story, part of a collaborative novella titled Legacy Letters, came out September 2016. Alanna lives with her husband and parents in the Edmond area. She is currently working on a historical fiction series that takes place in pre-statehood Waterloo, Oklahoma. 
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Oklahoma History: The Red River War: When the Natives Get Restless

 

A Kiowa ledger drawing possibly depicting the Buffalo Wallow battle in 1874, a fight between Southern Plains Indians and the U.S. Army during the Red River War, Author Unknown, Public Domain

By Alanna Radle Rodriguez and Judge Rodriguez



Thank you for joining us this month in the continuing discovery of the rich and diverse history of the great state we call home: Oklahoma. During the research of the “Forts of Oklahoma Series” we identified that there were many socio-political influences that helped to shape the government and historical impact of the Indian Territory. For those of you whom have been following our articles for most of this year, you will have seen several references to the series of events covered in this month’s article. The Red River War was the culmination of decades’ worth of frustration and a breakdown of policy handling by the government of the United States.

Following the Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867, the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Comanche, and Kiowa were moved to reservations in the Indian Territory (today Oklahoma). Many of the tribesmen, certainly not all, but many of them complied with the restrictions placed on them by the federal government.

The tribes that were somewhat reluctantly constrained were the Kiowa and the Comanche. They were restrained due to the imprisonment of their chiefs Satanta and Addo-Etta (Big Tree in the native tongue), as well as the capture of 124 Comanche women and children in 1872.

Many of the indigenous tribesmen had found that they could use their reservations as a safe haven, while they committed numerous raids on white settlers to New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado, and Texas. They would commit the raid, and be back on the reservation before the authorities were alerted to anything being amiss.

According to the Medicine Lodge treaty, the tribes were promised rations, blankets, trade goods, protection of the vast buffalo herds in Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle (which the tribes believed had been set aside for them as reservation land), and most importantly protection against encroachment of white settlers on their lands, all for abiding by the terms of the treaty. Tensions increased as these promises went unfilled. Much of the meat they received was rotten, the blankets were disease ridden, and rather than helping the tribesmen prevent encroachment, the U.S. Army seemed to spend more time protecting the white settlers from the indigenous tribesmen.

With the emergence of young medicine man Isa-Tai, the tribesmen, believing they were able to become impervious to harm, became increasingly more bold in their raids. The tensions came to a head when the Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne led by Isa-Tai, and Quanah Parker attacked a camp of buffalo hunters at the site of Adobe Walls, Texas in 1874. This raid prompted the Indian Bureau to in effect declare war on all native tribesmen off their reservations. They labeled all indigenous tribesmen as either friendly (remaining on the reservation), and hostiles (all others).

General Philip Sheridan ordered 5 columns of troops to converge on the area of the Texas panhandle, mostly in the upper tributaries of the Red River. These troops were intended to deny the indigenous tribesmen of any safe haven, and to force them back to the reservations permanently. The troops included the 4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th Cavalry, and the 11th, and 5th Infantry.

As many as 20 engagements were fought over the course of the next year, with the most decisive victory being the battle of Palo Duro Canyon. Intriguingly enough, only 4 indigenous tribesmen were killed. However, over 450 lodges were burned, countless pounds of buffalo meat were destroyed, and more than 1400 horses were captured. Most of the horses that were captured were subsequently put down to deny the indigenous tribesmen from being able to regain the use of their mounts.

The Red River War continued throughout 1874 and into 1875, ending with Quanah Parker surrendering his forces to troops in Fort Sill. This signaled the end of the Southern Plains Tribes involvement in the “Indian Wars” of the 1870’s – 1880’s. We would like to thank you once again for joining us this month in bringing to light some of our beloved Oklahoma history. Please join us next month for an overview of the involvement of the U.S. Cavalry in the shaping of our fair home.

Fort Sill: An Enduring Legacy Pt 2

 

Fort Sill, Restored Building, Photo Courtesy of the OHS Photo Archives

 
By Alanna Radle Rodriguez and Judge Rodriguez

Thank you for joining us for our final fort in “The Forts of Oklahoma Series.” The exploration of the history of this great state has been, at the very least, eye-opening. When we started this series, it was, a matter of minor interest to the both of us, truth be told. With both of us coming from military families, doing these articles really opened our eyes to the greater significance of the military presence in our home state. In last month’s article, we wrote about Fort Sill, its earlier history and waning legacy up to Oklahoma Statehood in 1907.

To recap, Fort Sill was set up as a cavalry outpost on the edge of the Indian Territory to help keep the indigenous tribes from being too fractious. Initially, it didn’t work out very well and required the intervention of the US Army. Although in 1907, the role of the fort changed drastically when the last troop of cavalry moved out and left only the artillery.

In 1911, “The School of Fire for the Field” was founded for artillery soldiers and continues until this day. In 1917, the Henry Post Army Airfield, shortened to Post Field, was constructed for artillery observation and training. During the 1930’s, the WPA (Works Progress Administration), in conjunction with the Army, built more permanent buildings and training facilities. The oldest currently standing building is Building 4908 Aircraft Maintenance hanger built in 1932.

By the end of World War II, the Field Artillery School had permission to train its own fixed wing pilots as field artillery spotters. In 1942, Fort Sill held approximately 700 Japanese, interned by the Department of Justice, most of whom were non-citizens who had been arrested as spies or “fifth columnists,” despite the lack of charges against them. Three Hundred and Fifty of these inmates were transfers from Fort Missoula, Montana. In addition to the Japanese, Fort Sill also hosted German prisoners of war.

The Army Ground Forces Air Training School (later known as the Army Aviation School) was established at Post field on December 7th 1945. In October 1948, pilot training for helicopters began, and the first warrant officer class started in 1951. Post Field is the oldest continually-operating airfield in the US Army to date.

Fort Sill serves as a training base for not only artillery and aviation, but it also serves as one of only four basic training bases in use by the US Army. The harsh climate and rugged terrain allows for the hardening of the soldiers to serve overseas.

Fort Sill operates and maintains the Fort Sill National Cemetery, also referred to as the “Post Cemetery.” This graveyard has several notable facts tied to it, the biggest of which, is that it was never segregated. Buffalo soldiers are interred next to Apache and their families, who were buried next to white cavalry troopers. Three of the most notable names found among the graves are Satanta, Geronimo, and Quanah Parker.

Parts of Fort Sill are open to the public and well worth the time, mileage, and effort it will take to get to the Wichita Mountains, as we discovered on our honeymoon three years ago (Happy Anniversary, beloved!). This diversely rich historic fort has given us an enduring legacy of honor and history.

Please join us next month as we discuss the Red River War (and we’re not talking about football), in our continuing discussions about the rich military history of our home state, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma History: Fort Sill: An Enduring Legacy Pt 1

 

Fort Sill, Wikipedia Photo

 

By Alanna Radle Rodriguez and Judge Rodriguez


Thank you for coming in and joining us for our final fort in “The Forts of Oklahoma Series.” This fort tends to hit a little closer to home, as it is the only fort that is still an active military installation to this day.

The original military occupation of the site is listed as being in 1834, when the 1st US Dragoons established “Camp Comanche” to begin negotiations with local indigenous tribes. In 1852, Captain Marcy arrived to explore the Indian Territory and made the recommendation that the site be considered for a permanent fort. In 1858, Colonel Douglas Cooper also made the same recommendation.

The fort was initially staked out by Major General Philip Sheridan and Colonel George Custer on January 8th 1869. First named Camp Wichita, it was known among the indigenous tribesmen as “The soldier house at Medicine Bluffs.” The installation was later renamed by General Sheridan in honor of his friend Brigadier General Joshua Sill, who was killed during the battle of Stones River, Tennessee, in 1862. The site was staked out as support for the tribal pacification policies enacted by President U.S. Grant in response to increasing raids and massacres just after the War Between the States.

The Indian Territory was quite lawless, particularly after the War Between The States. The only law in the territory was enforced by the U.S. Army including soldiers from the other forts in the Oklahoma/Indian Territory. The policy of pacification was carried out by numerous Indian Agencies that were assigned to different forts throughout the territory, indeed throughout the entirety of the Great Plains.

Some of the more notable visitors to the location were Jefferson Davis, General Henry Leavenworth, Nathan Boone, Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, Ben Clark, and Jack Stilwell.

After several months in operation, President U.S. Grant approved agents from the Quaker Indian Agency to be assigned to the Kiowa and Comanche tribes on their reservations just outside of Fort Sill. The army was prevented from taking punitive actions against the indigenous tribesmen who used Fort Sill as a sanctuary. This resulted in the Warren Wagon Train Raid.

General William Tecumseh Sherman arrived from Fort Richardson shortly after the raid and ordered several of the Kiowa chiefs be brought in for questioning. They were delivered to him at the commanding officer’s quarters, known as “Grierson’s Porch”. During the questioning, he ordered the three chiefs arrested, and they attempted to assassinate him. In memory of the event, the Commanding Officer’s quarters were dubbed “The Sherman House.”

The chiefs: Satank, Satanta, and Addo-Etta (Big Tree) were arrested and ordered to be transported to Texas for trial. A mile from the fort, Satank grabbed the carbine of one of the troopers guarding him, and before he could fire it, was hit by several bullets from the other guards. Satank’s body was left leaning against a tree, and the column continued on its mission to deliver the other two chiefs to Fort Richardson, Texas. A marker commemorates the site where Satank fell. He was buried in “Chiefs Knoll” in the Fort Sill Post Cemetery.

Satanta and Addo-Etta were tried and convicted for instigating the raid and sentenced to death by hanging. Their sentences were commuted to life in prison by Texas Governor Edmund Davis. In October, 1873, they were paroled.

In 1874, the Comanche, Kiowa, and Southern Cheyenne engaged in the “Red River War,” which lasted almost a full year. The last chief to surrender was Quanah Parker. His surrender signaled an end to the indigenous tribesmen involvement in the warfare in the southern plains.

At one point during the 1880s, the fort was nearly deserted when a rumor had been spread that gold was found in the Wichita Mountains nearby, as both the enlisted men and the officers left to stake their claims.

During the 1880’s and 1890’s, one of the units that was stationed at the fort was Troop L of the 7th Cavalry. This troop, consisting entirely of indigenous tribesman, was considered to be one of the best in The West. Several of their members are credited with helping the tribes avert the bloody “Ghost Dance Uprising” in which many tribesmen were brutally killed by the Army.

In 1894, the fort received the Chiricahua Apache chiefs as prisoners of war. The most notable name among them was Geronimo. After having been at the fort for some time, the government allowed him to travel with Pawnee Bill’s Wild West show. Geronimo, with a contingent of Apache, was allowed to attend several annual World Expos and Indian Expos during the 1890’s. They were even able to ride in Theodore Roosevelt’s inaugural parade. Geronimo died of pneumonia, as a prisoner of war in 1909.




Being on the fringes of the Indian Territory, Fort Sill had started to lose significance during the later 1880’s throughout the 1890’s, even into the earlier part of the 20th century. In 1901, the last of the indigenous tribes’ lands to be opened to white settlement was located around Fort Sill. The town of Lawton quickly sprang up, becoming one of the larger cities in the new State of Oklahoma.

The first artillery battery arrived in 1902, and the last cavalry regiment departed in 1907, the year Oklahoma became a state. This marked the historic change in roles from being a little-known frontier cavalry fort to an enduring role as a major artillery fort in the US Army.

Join us next month as we share the more recent chronicles of historic Fort Sill: An Enduring Legacy Pt. 2

Oklahoma History: Old Fort Reno: Not Just Another Fort - Part 2

Fort Reno, Oklahoma

By Alanna Radle Rodriguez and Judge Rodriguez

In last month’s article, we discussed the history of Fort Reno, located just outside of current day El Reno, Oklahoma. We spoke of the influence of the cavalry soldiers who lived at the fort and how Fort Reno was one of the most influential forts in the state of Oklahoma history.

Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Reno

After the Spanish-American War in 1898, the fort was lightly garrisoned with the 9th, 25th (African American), and 30th Infantry until its closure as an active military post in 1908.

That same year, the Department of the Army reactivated the fort as a remount station, providing a location for the cavalry to train new horses and mules. Under new leadership, the post was refurbished and expanded, with room for the thousands of horses and mules being trained and groomed for use during both World Wars and the Korean War.

 

Cavalry Barracks 1934

This turned the fort into 1 of 3 locations in the U.S. specifically designated for this role. During the time that Fort Reno was serving its role as a remount station, they housed many notable visitors, which included Amelia Earhart and Will Rogers. The principal remount units were the 252nd and 253rd Quartermaster Remount Squadrons, as well as the “Fort Reno Cowboys”, who actually broke and trained the mounts for all branches of the military. During these years, the U.S. cavalry trained in not only cavalry tactics but also in the game of polo.

Cavalry Stables

In the role of remount station, Fort Reno provided one of the most well-known “riderless horses”. Black Jack was foaled on January 19, 1947 and was named after General “Black Jack” Pershing. He was the “riderless horse”—the equine attendant for the carriage at the state funerals for Presidents John Kennedy, Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson, and General Douglas Macarthur. After a distinguished twenty-nine-year military career, he passed away on February 6, 1976, and was cremated and interred at Fort Myer Virginia. He was the 2nd horse in history to have received those honors, the only other one being Comanche, the mount of Gen. George Custer, the only cavalry survivor of the Battle of Little Big Horn.

The troops and their horses from the remount station often traveled to other parts of the world during the conflicts in which they served.

  

Chapel built by POWs, May 28, 1944

During World War II, a portion of the fort’s lands had been set aside as an internment camp for over 1300 Germans and Italians. While they were housed at this camp, they were tasked with creating the chapel on the grounds of the remount station. At the cemetery, seventy prisoners of war are buried, who, according to the fort’s museum, came from different camps. The prisoners that died at this camp were moved to other camps to be buried. A number of Germans and Italians have made special trips to the fort to pay respects to their fallen family members.

The tranquil gravel road leading to the Fort Reno Cemetery

The main Fort Reno Cemetery, the final resting place for soldiers, family members (including infants), several Indian Scouts, Unkowns, even a Chinaman

The back part of the Cemetery, sectioned off for POWs. It shares the back wall, there is a staircase that goes over, and it has its own entrance

Many of the POW headstones have the flags of their nationality

In 1948, the Army Quartermaster Remount Station was officially closed, though they sent mounts out until 1952. In 1949, fort ownership was transferred from the Department of the Army to the Department of Agriculture, which in coordination with the Oklahoma Agriculture and Machine University (later renamed Oklahoma State University), established a livestock and forage research center.

This historic fort has been manned since 1949 by the USDA and OSU faculty. However on the grounds, Historic Fort Reno Inc., maintains a presence. They tend the grounds, have numerous cavalry competitions every year, and have a chapel. The chapel is available for weddings, which helps the corporation to provide funds for the site.

Inside the chapel, a beautiful piece of workmanship by WWII POWs

As of 2015, a museum exists on the grounds, and Suttlery (or shop that sells trinkets such as belt buckles, cords, pins and such necessities for reenacting) dedicated to the US Cavalry Association. Several times a year, Fort Reno hosts the “Ghost Tours,” which allows outsiders to hear many stories of the fort and its inhabitants from the people who maintain the grounds. While the fort is open to the public most days, the guided tours should be scheduled and are quite worth it.

If you are in the area of central Oklahoma, it is well worth the time and effort to make a trip to the site of Historic Fort Reno. This fort is a rich, vibrant slice of Oklahoma history. Join us next month, and we will outline the only active military fort left in Oklahoma: Fort Sill.

Born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, Alanna Radle Rodriguez is the great-great granddaughter of one of the first pioneers to settle in Indian Territory. Alanna loves the history of the state and relishes in volunteering at the 1889 Territorial Schoolhouse in Edmond. Her first published story, part of a collaborative novella titled Legacy Letters, came out September 2016. Alanna lives with her husband and parents in the Edmond area. She is currently working on a historical fiction series that takes place in pre-statehood Waterloo, Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma History: Old Fort Reno: Not Just Another Fort - Pt 1

By Alanna Radle Rodriguez and Judge Rodriguez


After the War Between the States, the Oklahoma and Indian Territories were a true frontier. The land was ruled by the rough and tumble politics of the gun. The tribes, most of which had supported the Confederacy during the War, were found to be quite fractious. In 1874, the Darlington Agency created what was intended to be a temporary encampment to protect their agents from the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, which were currently staging an uprising. This uprising led directly to the event known as the Red River War. After the conflict ended, the encampment had enough resources and staffing to be re-purposed as a permanent fort, which it was on July 15, 1875. It took its name from General Jesse Reno, whom had been killed during the battle of South Mountain, MD., also known as the Battle of Boonesboro Gap, during the War Between the States.

Commanding Officer's Quaters

The fort is located 3 miles west and 2 miles north of present-day El Reno, Oklahoma. The fort’s staff was originally tasked with keeping the tribes in line with the current policy of peace keeping. After a large number of the Northern Cheyenne died, a group that chiefs Dull Knife and Little Wolf led, fled the reservation and began a precarious trek back to their homeland. This is when two troops of cavalry were tasked with hunting them down and bringing them back to their reservation. There were several contests between the soldiers and Indians, which were the subject of Mari Sandoz’s classic book, Cheyenne Autumn.

Darlington Indian Agency Established 1869

In 1885, President Grover Cleveland ordered reinforcements, along with Generals Sheridan and Miles, in addition to Cheyenne leader Stone Calf to the fort. They found that the disarmament policy was not being enforced as aggressively as had been requested. General Sheridan sent the recommendation to President Cleveland that all leases be terminated, unauthorized persons be removed, and all civilian positions in the Indian Territory be replaced by military personnel.

During the early years of the fort, General Sheridan spent an extended amount of time in a log cabin now referred to as “Sheridan’s Headquarters” or “Sheridan’s Billet”.

During the 1880s, the 9 th Cavalry Buffalo soldiers and Indian Scouts from Fort Reno were tasked with locating and arresting the illegal Boomers in the area before the land runs. During this time, the troops from the fort were tasked with keeping peace along the 89th Meridian, also known as the “Indian Meridian”. This meridian was the division between the tribal lands and the unassigned lands.

 

Officer's Quarters, 1876 & 1936

 

Alongside the troops, there was a group of Indian Scouts. They were made up of the Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribesmen who were living in the area. The scouts would use their own horses, but they were allowed to draw from the commissary to feed their families, and were given a base pay. The enlistments of the scouts would last only three-six months. According to the records, the scouts would spend their free time making goods to be sold to settlers and troops. They also made sketches and drawings in ledgers, several of which are in museums and historical societies across the nation. These drawings would focus mostly on the uniforms, weapons, and horses used by the troops.

 

Guard House, 1887

 
 

Red Brick building on right, Commissary 1885 & 1886
Natural stone building on left, Magazine 1885

 
Troops of the Fifth Cavalry also monitored the opening and signaled the start of the historic Land Run of 1889, opening the Unassigned Lands for settlement, allowing for the creation of notable towns such as Oklahoma City, Edmond, Waterloo, Yukon, El Reno, and Moore. They, alongside the 3 rd Cavalry, also monitored the opening of the other land runs, which opened the Cheyenne-Arapaho Reservation in 1892 and the Cherokee Outlet in ’93. Prior to the land run in ’92, the “Indian Scouts” were each allocated lands across the reservation, mostly along streams and other waterways. The lands that had not been assigned to those families had been labeled excess and opened up for the land run.

 

Officer's Quarters 1891

  

Fort Reno Cemetery

In 1892, troops from the fort were dispatched to the Choctaw capital of Tuskahoma, in an effort to quell a political dispute between the Five Civilized Tribes. In 1898, virtually all of the fort’s cavalry, and infantry were force-marched away to serve in the Spanish-American war. After the war, the fort was lightly re-garrisoned with the 1st , 6th and 8th Cavalry until 1902. In 1908, the fort was closed as an active military garrison. However, if you think that the history of the fort ends with its role as an active garrison, you would be wrong. Come back next month, and we will finish weaving the tale of one of the most influential forts in the history of the grand state of Oklahoma.





 Born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, Alanna Radle Rodriguez is the great-great granddaughter of one of the first pioneers to settle in Indian Territory. Alanna loves the history of the state and relishes in volunteering at the 1889 Territorial Schoolhouse in Edmond. Her first published story, part of a collaborative novella titled Legacy Letters, came out September 2016. Alanna lives with her husband and parents in the Edmond area. She is currently working on a historical fiction series that takes place in pre-statehood Waterloo, Oklahoma.

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Oklahoma History: Fort Supply: The Grocer of the West

Fort Supply, Photo Courtesy of the OHS Photo Archives

By Alanna Radle Rodriguez and Judge Rodriguez


For this blog, I was able to get my history-loving-does-research-better-than-I husband to join me. I hope you enjoy this next installment of Oklahoma Forts.


In the Indian Territory, there were a series of forts that helped supply the numerous demands of not only the infantry, but the cavalry. In this series of articles we have named the “Forts of Oklahoma”, we have covered several so far. Now, here is the next. Fort Supply: Grocer of the West

In 1868, the Indian Territory looked much different from what the state of Oklahoma does now. The primary difference was the lack of the panhandle. A supply camp was established by the Department of the Army close to the northwest corner of the Indian Territory on November 18th 1868, to support General Sheridan’s war against the southern plains tribes. Original maps describe it simply as “Camp of Supply”. 

Opera House, Photo Courtesy of OHS Photo Archives

This camp was situated close to the opening of the Cherokee Strip, on the banks of a creek. The camp was located approximately fifteen miles northwest of current-day Woodward, Oklahoma. Approximately ten days after its formation, General Custer rode out of the camp with the 7th Cavalry, to suppress the Washita tribe led by Chief Black Kettle in the now famous—or rather infamous—Battle of the Washita. It was also called the Massacre of the Washita.

From 1868 through 1870, the primary function of Camp Supply was to protect the border from both the whites and the Cheyenne and Arapaho. It was also the home of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Agency, under the name of the Darlington Agency. The camp lay largely unmanned from about 1870 until roughly 1874, having only a skeleton crew to support the Darlington Agents.

During the Red River War, from 1874-75, the camp once again served as grocer for the Department of the Army. In December 1878, the camp changed from Camp Supply to Fort Supply, again signifying the change in status from being a temporary camp to a permanent fort.
 

Custer & Sheridan's home at Fort Supply (now a duplex), Western State Hospital, Photo Courtesy of OHS Photo Archives

This also helped to ensure that Fort Supply held a much more significant role in the area. The troops escorted settlers, cattle herds, expelled illegal boomers—people who tried to enter lands before it was time—out of the Cherokee Strip and provided security on trains in southern Kansas against bandits and marauding plains Indians.

The troops maintained security and trade going to the Cherokee Strip throughout the 80’s until 1893, when the Cherokee Strip was opened for settlement in one of the last Land Runs in which Oklahoma is famous for.
 

Fort Supply Building, Photo Courtesy of OHS Photo Archives

One of the last missions troops from Fort Supply performed was bringing an end to the violence of the Enid-Pond Creek Railroad War during the summer of 1894. Troops from both Fort Supply and Fort Reno, under Marshal Dix and his deputies, had been unable to quell the wrecking of trains, destruction of tracks, and demolition of trestles by residents from both communities.

The fort was officially closed in September 1894 and turned over to the Department of the Interior (DOI) in February, 1895. The DOI owned the location until statehood in 1907, when it was turned over to the State of Oklahoma.
 

Fort Supply Hospital Building, Photo Courtesy of OHS Photo Archives

In 1908, the first patients arrived at the new mental health facility housed in the remains of the old fort, creating the first official insane asylum in Oklahoma. The site remained an asylum until 1988, when the Oklahoma Historical Society bought it and named it the Fort Supply State Historical Site. Soon afterwards, a part of the historic grounds was purchased and used to create the William S. Key Correctional Center. 

The Historical Society maintains 5 structures, which include Ordnance Sergeant’s Quarters, Civilian Employee Quarters, Commanding Officer’s Quarters, Duplexed Officers Quarters, and a Guard House. They also maintain a stockade, Army supply wagon, Mountain Howitzer, Cheyenne tipi, as well as numerous exhibits of artifacts and photographs.

It is well worth the trip if you are anywhere near the location or plan to add it to your route.

Building with a vertical log wall, part of one of the original buildings built at Camp Supply in the fall of 1868, Photo Courtesy of OHS Photo Archives

Born and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, Alanna Radle Rodriguez is the great-great granddaughter of one of the first pioneers to settle in Indian Territory. Alanna loves the history of the state and relishes in volunteering at the 1889 Territorial Schoolhouse in Edmond. Her first published story, part of a collaborative novella titled Legacy Letters, came out September 2016. Alanna lives with her husband and parents in the Edmond area. She is currently working on a historical fiction series that takes place in pre-statehood Waterloo, Oklahoma.

Facebook.com/AlannaRadleRodriguez
Pinterest.com/alannaradlerodr/

Oklahoma History: Fort Arbuckle, A Lost Tribute

A drawing of Fort Arbuckle, courtesy of Legends of America

By Alanna Radle Rodriguez and Judge Rodriguez

For this blog, I was able to get my history-loving-does-research-better-than-me husband to join me. I hope you enjoy this next installment of Oklahoma Forts.

The 1840’s happened to be a time of westward expansion, wars, gold rushes, and Indian raids. The truth of the matter is, the eastern tribes were unhappy about the Indian Removal Act and the plains tribes were much more than unhappy.

During the 1840’s more and more wagon trains were headed west along the southern California road, going from Fort Smith to the gold mines of California and the silver mines of Nevada. Raiding the wagon trains proved quite lucrative for the plains tribes, and they were able to take many of the supplies they felt were being denied them. The quick slash and grab tactics were preferred by the Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne that proved the most deadly. In an effort to keep the tribes from raiding so much, a series of forts was created in the eastern part of the Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma.

Fort Arbuckle was founded by Captain Randolph Marcy in 1852. It was located inside the boundary of the Chickasaw Nation, on the bank of the Washita River, approximately 7 miles west-northwest of the present town of Davis, Oklahoma. The fort and the surrounding mountain range were named posthumously after a frontier general, Matthew Arbuckle, who was instrumental in numerous treaties, forts, and the suppression of uprisings from the 1820’s through the 1840’s.

Fort Arbuckle Marker, courtesy of OklahomaHistory.net

The fort was originally constructed in a rectangular shape, with the barracks on one end and the quartermaster and the commissary facilities at the opposite end. Eventually, there ended up being over thirty buildings located in the complex, including stables, a hospital, and officers quarters. All the buildings were constructed of rough-hewn logs with stone chimneys.

In 1858, Major William Emory of the 1st Dragoons was appointed as the commander of both Forts Washita and Arbuckle. Most of the buildings were in a general state of disrepair, ordnance stores were depleted, and surplus ammunition including gunpowder had to be buried to be protected from the weather. The reason being is that if gunpowder gets wet, it takes four to six days per pound to dry. However even once it dries, it never is the same. It just doesn’t have the same boom. Before the troops could make repairs, orders came to abandon the fort in order to start a new one approximately 90 miles to the west/northwest called Fort Cobb.

Once the War Between The States started, Major Emory ordered the troops manning the three forts under his command to evacuate and head to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The Chickasaws supported the Confederacy, like many of the tribes that were mostly disgruntled with the way they had been treated by the federal government. Given the rough terrain, the lack of supplies in the area, and the lack of strategic positioning, Fort Arbuckle did not play a significant role in the War Between The States. While there were Confederate troops stationed at the fort during the war, there is no record of any battles or even skirmishes in the area. After the war, the fort was once again garrisoned by federal troops of the 6th Infantry and the 10th Cavalry.

Fort Arbuckle was used as a supply depot by General Sheridan during the Comanche campaigns of 1868. It was kept manned until 1869, when it was strategically obsolete since Fort Sill had been constructed further west-northwest. It remained in use, in such condition as it was, until all the supplies had been consumed by troops traveling through from forts further east on their way to Fort Sill, roughly in 1870.
Once the site was permanently abandoned, the elements took their toll within several years and the last of the standing barracks and stables fell. After almost 150 years, the only remaining piece of the fort is a lone chimney in the countryside now on private property—a mute reminder of the historic site which has been largely forgotten. 

Fort Arbuckle Marker, courtesy fortwiki.com

A Cavalry Hero in the Family Plus Giveaway – by Christine Lindsay

Scrap of paper from my grandmother about Uncle Eddie

Leave a comment to enter the draw to win the trilogy Twilight of the British Raj in Ebook format. Share on social media, and each time your name will be entered the draw again. Winner picked following Sunday.

The Irish are a culture steeped in the oral tradition of handing history down from generation to generation. As a kid growing up I devoured the stories my mother shared with me over the kitchen table of the heroes in our family. One of those heroes was my grandfather’s brother, my great Uncle Eddie who served in the Queen’s Bays, a British Army regiment with a long and illustrious history. 

The regiment was first formed in 1685 by merging four of the horse troops that were raised to fight for King James the 2^nd, but as the years passed, and so did the crown heads of Britain change, this regiment was then called on to fight against the Jacobite rebellions. It was during the second Jacobite rebellion in the 1700’s that the regimental name was changed to Queen’s Bays, having the Queen as their Commander in Chief. They were sent to places all over the world to fight for Britain’s interests such as Germany, France during their revolutionary wars, Waterloo, Ireland during the fight for homerule, to name a few.

Jumping ahead a bit, we get to the history that inspires me, when The Queen’s Bays were sent to India during the Indian mutiny in 1857, a period during the British Raj (rule) of that exotic southern continent. Besides my great Uncle Eddie, I have other ancestors who served in India as soldiers, but all of the photos in this article are my great uncle's personal photos.

It was just after WW1 that my grandfather’s brother Edward joined this regiment, and he too spent some time in India, and he's somewhere in the photo above.

In my research I found this tidbit, “The Bays during 1939 in England played hard at sport, but also prepared hard for the war that seemed to many to be inevitable.”

Typical cavalry men, they knew how to play hard. Above is Uncle Eddie in India practicing his trade as a cavalry man with his steed and lance, doing calisthenics with his horse, and steeple jumping. 

It was in the years between the two world wars that the face of army cavalry changed around the world. Horses were exchanged for tanks, and in 1939, The Queens Bays became part of the newly formed Royal Armored Corps of the British Army.

Before sailing on from England on May 14, the Bays were inspected, first by King George VI, and then immediately afterward by their Colonel in Chief, Queen Elizabeth (the current Queen’s mother). This double-event is quite unique in the annals of the British Army. 

See a video of that event, by clicking HERE

Things were pretty tough for the Queen’s Bays in Europe. Being the first of their regiment to become mechanized, there were too many bugs to work out. Sadly, many of the regiment died or were captured by the enemy. My great uncle was one of those who spent time in a German POW camp in Italy. Family stories say that he did eat grass in order to stay as healthy as possible.

But Uncle Eddie was one of those who escaped from that POW camp and made his way to friendly lines.

My uncle in the middle, after escaping from the POW camp in Italy.

Many years later during the ‘70’s, my great Uncle was invited to London with the remaining men of that regiment to be inspected once more by their Queen, who by that time was known as The Queen Mother. He is the one marked with the yellow arrow below.

It was stories such as these of family soldiers who fed my imagination. 

Eventually my romantic brain couldn’t rest until I’d written not one but a trilogy about soldiers who served in the British Army in British Colonial India. That trilogy is the multi-award-winning Twilight of the British Raj, Book 1 Shadowed in Silk, Book 2 Captured by Moonlight, Book 3 Veiled at Midnight.