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ON THE TRAIL OF DESERTERS
A Phenomenal Capture
By
Captain Robert Goldthwaite Carter
U. S. ARMY
WASHINGTON, D. C. GIBSON BROS., PRINTERS, 1920
On The Trail of Deserters.
The year of 1871 had been so full of incidents and far reaching resultsfor the Fourth Cavalry and its new Colonel, Ranald S. Mackenzie, that itis somewhat difficult to go back into the dim vistas of that period andselect the one incident, or absorbing event which would be either ofgreatest magnitude or afford the most thrilling interest—
This capture of ten deserters, however, under circumstances of more thanordinary importance, since it is believed to be the record capture evermade in the Military Department of Texas, or, perhaps for that matter,of any Military Department in the United States—came about as closelyin touch with the writer's life as almost any other experience he everhad while serving as an officer of that regiment—including, as it did,terrible exposure, and unavoidable hardships and privations—
Like all of the other Cavalry regiments in our Army, which were thendoing about three fourths of all the active, effective work—the workthat disables or kills—in the subjugation of the savage tribes in theUnited States, driving them into Indian reservations, and rendering itpossible for the frontier border to be settled, and civilization to beadvanced to a point where it could feel safe from raids and bloodyincursions, the Fourth U. S. Cavalry, notwithstanding its high moraleand almost perfect state of discipline—had its share of desertions—
Was Mackenzie a "Martinet"
Mackenzie was not a West Point "martinet", as that term is generallyunderstood in our Army—but, from four wounds he had received, three inthe Civil War, and one that year in the campaign against Quan-ah Parker,the Una-ha-da Comanche Chief—and almost criminal neglect of his ownhealth, in his intensity of nature and purpose in prosecuting thesearduous Indian campaigns—he had become more or less irritable,irascible, exacting—sometimes erratic, and frequently explosive—
This much may be said, however, it is certain that notwithstandinghis physical condition, and his mental temperament resulting therefrom,he never sought to inflict an injury or punishment upon anybodyunnecessarily—never became a petty or malicious persecutor, houndinga man into his grave—and when it became evident to him as well as toothers that he had done any of his officers or men an act of injustice,nobody could have been more open, free and frank in his disavowal ofthat act, or quicker to apologize and render all the reparation possiblein his power— This applied to any and all down to the last SecondLieutenant and private soldier in the regiment—
One man never knows another so well, even intimately—as when he isthrown closely in contact with or lives and sleeps and eats with him—The writer had done all with Mackenzie during a greater part of thisperiod of 1871—having been his Post Adjutant twice—during Gen.Sherman's inspection in May, at the time of the massacre of Salt CreekP