Feral Jundi

“These are perilous times, Mr. Holladay, all over our country; my anxiety is great. We have no soldiers to spare, but I will do all in my power… You will be reimbursed for all loses and damages; like all patriotic men, you must trust to the honor of our government.” -President Lincoln in reply to Ben Holladay’s urgent plee for help, in regards to keeping the routes west open and running, despite indian attacks (Chapter 13, Stagecoaches by John A Sells).

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   Who here has an American Express card, or has an account with Wells Fargo?  Have you ever wondered about the history of these two institutions?  Well guess what, these institutions, along with the Pinkertons, have some interesting history.  They were operationally speaking, equal to today’s companies like Armor Group, Blackwater, Triple Canopy, Dyncorp and any number of other PMC’s or PSC’s that are conducting convoy or PSD operations for clients in today’s wars. These companies were among the many companies performing convoy and PSD operations during the Indian wars of 1864-1866.  And it wasn’t just these years, it was during all of the years during the expansion out west.

   The point is, it took armed contractors with the guts to say ‘I will transport you or your goods to where they are needed’, no matter how dangerous.

   And especially during the Civil War. Troops were short during that time, and armed contractors were especially important during these times. Things were very dangerous, and Indian attacks, bad weather, terrain, and bandits were all contributors to that danger.  Sound familiar?

   I have posted several stories below, but the first one is the most important.  I would like for the reader to go through this story, and replace Smoky Hill Route with Route Tampa in Iraq.  Or replace the Butterfield Overland company with Armor Group (AG transported many folks on the dangerous roads in Iraq). The Indians would be the insurgency.  The reporter writing the story, of course would be an embed traveling with Armor Group on Route Tampa.  You get the idea.

   Finally, what I want the reader to come away with on this, is that the expansion into the west was of vital national interest.  Gold and natural resources were necessary to fund the Civil War and for the growth of the US.  It was in our best interest to keep pumping folks out west, and that is clearly evident with Lincoln’s reply to Ben Holladay in the quote up top. Contractors are what made that happen, and the importance of contractors and private industry in regards to supplying the war effort or expanding control throughout the west, is the history that no one talks about.

   It is history that was always there, and it is very interesting to apply today’s definition of what we do, to what we did back in the day.

   By now, you are starting to see the theme here.  From Privateers winning  the sea war during the Revolutionary War, to the Marines at the shores of Tripoli using mercenaries, to the Pinkertons protecting Lincoln, to contractors being essential to the expansion into the West, we are an important part of US history.  And I will continue to point that out in future posts. –Matt

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One of Butterfield’s stagecoaches.

A Journey to Denver via the Butterfield Overland Dispatch

New York Times

December 26, 1865

Smoky Hill Springs, Kansas, Saturday, November 25, 1865 –

 In my last epistle, I gave an account of the murder of several persons along the Smoky Hill route, and depredations of various kinds by a band of Indians, supposed to be Cheyennes, under the lead of one of their chiefs rejoicing in the soubriquet of “Fast Bear.” We, that is the Butterfield Overland Dispatch coach, containing General Brewster and several passengers, left Chalk Bluff Station with an escort of cavalry on the 23rd, arriving without adventure at Monument Station the same evening. At Monument there is a military post, so we considered our case a safe one.

A large wagon train with an escort of Infantry was also at this point en route for Pond Creek, a military post some twenty-five miles west of our present position.

We left Monument yesterday morning to continue our journey to Denver, accompanied by an ambulance, in which was Surgeon N.L. Whipple, who had been to Chalk Bluff to care for the soldiers wounded at that place in repelling an attack made by Indians a few days since.

Colonel Tamblyn seemed to think that there was so little danger that we felt very safe with an escort of eight men, three in the ambulance with the doctor, and five mounted men riding in advance of the coach.

We saw no sign of the presence of Indians during the morning, and had nearly reached the station when the ambulance driver took a short cut which did not pass the station, but joined the main road a mile beyond it.

When within fifteen hundred yards of the station, Mr. Davis, of Harper’s Weekly, discovered that a squad of Indians were charging down on us. He at once gave the alarm and opened on the redskins with his Ballard rifle, which performance was immediately initiated by General Brewster, Mr. Hasbrock and Your Own, Mr. Perrin doing duty his revolver from the outside of the coach.

As were all armed with Ballard guns, we drove the party off quite as fast as they came, two of them bearing tokens of our regard in the shape of curiously shaped cones of lead.

The driver of our coach was not wanting in pluck but quickly drove his team to the station.

We left the coach at once, and discovered that another party of Indians had rushed in among the horses and mules that were grazing near, stampeding them.

One of the stock-tenders had started at the first alarm to gather the mules that were grazing near the station; one of the Indians discovered him, and gave chase, just we got out of the coach. Mr. Davis discovered him and started with his rifle to help the stock-tender. The Indian drove an arrow at the herder, fortunately missing him, when a bullet from Mr. Davis’ rifle, ended the little performance and the Indian at the same moment.

The stock-tender was saved, but the stock gone, and with it five horses belonging to the cavalry stationed at this point. The garrison consisted of ten men of the Thirteenth Missouri Cavalry. Five of the men were away on a buffalo hunt, so saved their steeds.

We were congratulating ourselves on our escape, when we thought of the Doctor and his ambulance, and saw at the same moment some fifteen or twenty Indians in hot pursuit of the vehicle, which was being rushed along at a tremendous speed by the frightened mules.

The chase was exciting; entirely out of our power to render any assistance. We dispatched our four cavalry men to help the fugitives if possible. The cavalry men had gained a little crest a half a mile distant, when we saw the men from the ambulance running toward them; then we knew that they were safe. The Doctor tells the story, thus: “I had just left you when I thought that it might be a little imprudent, but kept on. We were so near the station and there was no signs of the Indians. But this state of affairs was changed by a number of the red niggers coming yelling after us, frightening the mules so that we could not turn them back toward the station. As soon as the scoundrels got near enough they opened on the ambulance with their revolvers, we saving our few shots until they were right on us, when we fired on them.

This had the desired effect, but only for a short time, when after us they came again. Seeing that it was impossible to escape if we did not take this moment, we now left the ambulance and ran toward the four men that we saw leave the station to help us. The Indians at once gave chase, and for a short time made our run very interesting. But when we got tired running, we turned on them; fired a few shots at the gentlemen, and they would stop, so would we, but only take breath and start again. We caught the four men, mounted behind them, and came to the station. That’s the case as near as I remember it,” said the Doctor, “for I was in a slightly mixed state after we left the ambulance.” While this chase was going on we were watching the Indians. The moment of the first attack seemed a signal for Indians to start from every hillside, and from every point of the compass, at the same time. That we were surrounded there was no doubt. So our next thought was how to defend ourselves from attack.

The soldiers garrisoning the station had dug into the side of the hill and built a sort of bomb-proof, with a covered way dug around it for a rifle-pit. This was to be our fortress, and a good one too. Upon the arrival of the Doctor and his squad we found that we numbered twenty-one persons, variously armed.

If there had been any horses we could have mounted them and made an attack on the Indians, and certainly should have done so, when we saw the ambulance driven toward us with a cargo of red-skins busily engaged in “going through” its contents. But what could men on foot do with mounted Indians? Certainly not catch them. Then when we moved toward them to get within rifle-shot they left.

The ambulance was taken into a ravine a little more than a mile from us and set on fire. At the same time some of the red devils set fire to the prairie and nearly succeeded in their effort at burning us out.

A sort of council of war was held and the decision arrived at, that we could whip the Indians if we kept together. Our anxiety was for the five men who were out hunting, and a careful watch was kept for them, to move toward them, if we saw them approaching, so that the Indians could not fight them unaided.

The men on the watch soon discovered a small body of mounted men moving toward us, who we were sure was the returning buffalo hunters. But while they were far in the distance the Indians discovered them too, and gave chase at once. The small squad that we thought to be our men went scampering off over the hills in the direction of the next station west (Eaton Springs.)

It was now determined to stay by our mud fort until the next day, when the government train with its infantry escort would arrive, and make it safe to continue with our escort.

Our hole in the hillside was a place of comfort. The roof, composed of boughs of trees and earth, was supported by posts of sufficient strength to make us sure that the Indians might ride over the top of our fortification without a danger of their coming through. Night coming on, we organized a guard – seven on a tour, the tour being of four hours’ length.

The first relief consisted of our party, with a soldier addition. We did not discover the usual plan of walking a beat to be the safest at this place, for Indians will crawl up, and are not particularly careful in the use of their arrows; so we took each one his post in such a position as would command the best view of a certain space in his immediate vicinity.

An hour after dark, a whirring noise was heard over our heads; all kept quiet; soon another, and we knew that some prowling scoundrel was driving arrows over our position, to discover the whereabouts of our guard. The game did not succeed in discovering our location to Mr. Indian, so they left us to the quiet possession of our “dobe.” Just before daylight the whole garrison was roused, and we made ready for an attack, which did not come. Indians have two favorite moments for attack. Just as day breaks the white man sleeps the soundest, and this the Indian knows. At midday the white man feels a confidence in the broad day, and is less likely to be on this guard. The Indian takes advantage of this for his sudden attack.

So far as our experience goes no fear is to be apprehended from Indians, unless they can surprise their foe, and this, too, when they outnumber him ten to one. The red-skins are more like wolves than anything else that I can liken them to; cowardly in the extreme when they find that their enemy, no matter how interior in number, is ready for an attack and willing to fight. They are more wantonly cruel than it would seem possible for a human being to be.

Our sentinel has just given us the information that “a considerable body of something has just come into sight.” Whether they are Indians or our expected train we cannot tell.

The result of the information is that we are to be on the anxious seat until the party is near enough to discover whether we have a fight on hand or a friend to welcome. The party has arrived, proving to be Captain Musgrove of the First United States Volunteers, with an escort, and Mr. Baker, the Division Agent of the Butterfield Overland Dispatch Company. Mr. Baker was within sight of Captain Musgrove’s camp yesterday afternoon, driving toward it in a light wagon with a man named Brigham, when they were attacked by twenty or thirty Indians. Mr. Brigham took the lines and Baker, with his Ballard rifle, kept the Indians off, and reached the camp in safety.

Soon after this the red-skins came in greater force and endeavored to drive off the stock from the camp, but a few shots from the infantry drove them away. The Indians were seen hovering about the camp beyond rifle range during the entire afternoon. While we were listening to the different Indian stories of the party just arrived, another body of mounted men were seen coming from the direction of Denver.

This caused another sensation, but soon after their blue coats were visible, and showed them to be friends. Indians do not ride like white men, and are readily known in the distance by the frontiersman whose eye becomes wonderfully strong by the constant watch that he keeps.

Soon Captain McMichael, who is stationed at Pond Creek with his command, Company A, thirteenth Missouri, came riding into our camp with an escort of twenty men, and the five men that had been buffalo hunting. The buffalo hunters said that they were within sight of our camp when a number of Indians came charging toward them from the bluff near, and seeing other Indians coming from the direction of the station, they concluded that the Indians had possession of it, so start3ed at once for the next camp, “Eaton Station,” at which place they arrived just as the Indians were driving off the stock.

The Indians that had pursued them they had kept at a distance by an occasional shot. When the boys left camp they had taken no ammunition except that in their revolvers and rifles, so it was necessary to be as economical as possible.

A short consultation was now held and a decision arrived at that Captain McMichael should return to Pond Creek with his men, acting as escort to our coach.

Pond Creek Station, 460 miles from Atchison, November 27th.

We left Smoky Hills Station the afternoon the 25, reaching Eaton Springs that evening without adventure. The place found deserted, so occupied the little huts built by the men who had been stationed there as garrison. The night passed without adventures; we continued our journey at the early dawn, reaching Henshaw Springs, a very beautifully situated station, in time to devour our customary meal of Buffalo met, cooked on a fire made of “chips.” The mules needed rest, so a long halt was made. We reached this place just at evening, where we met two coaches from Denver that had been stopped until it should be considered safer to travel. Some Indians have been seen along the route above, but in any great force. An escort will go with us for some distance, when it is anticipated that it will be safe to dispense with the late necessity.

The late raid of the Indians will prove to the government how useless it is to make treaties, and supply arms and material to parties that take every opportunity to murder and rob citizens.  Some of the most horrible barbarities have lately been committed, that I shall describe in a future letter. General Brewster is making every effort to restock the line, and preparations are being made for a military protection of the route, which when perfected, will render the route safer than any other. The Indians on this foray have been led by white men on every occasion; but they are careful to keep out of the range of our rifles. In the attack on our coach, General Brewster shot twice at a white man, who ran off with much greater haste than the Indians that he led, cowardly as they were.

The weather, fortunately, has been excellent, which has been a source of much congratulation to us.

Story here.

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Smoky Hill Trail – Heading for Gold

When gold was found in Cherry Creek (now in Denver, Colorado) in 1859, thousands of people wanted to make their way to the Rocky Mountains to find their fortunes. At this time, there was no “official path” all the way across Kansas and the westernmost post was in Salina (about 175 miles southwest of Leavenworth, one of the jumping off points of the Oregon Trail.) Prior to this time, those headed westward on the Santa Fe or Oregon Trails, turned north or south, specifically to avoid the high peaks of the Rocky Mountains. But, when the news of Colorado Gold reached Kansas City, pioneers were determined to find a faster way to get there.

The Smoky Hill Trail, which followed an ancient Indian trail along the Smoky Hill River, was soon blazed and became the fastest path to the gold fields. The name of the trail was given for the Smoky Hill River which was surrounded by isolated buttes near Abilene, Kansas.  As these landmarks often appeared to be surrounded by hazy smoke, both the river and the trail took the name.

Though the trail was by far harder and more dangerous than the other prairie trails from the Missouri River to the Rockies, pioneers ignored the possibility of Indian attacks and the scarcity of water in their efforts to reach the Rocky Mountains.

Travelers along the path outfitted in Leavenworth, Kansas City, Abilene, or Salina, before following the Smoky Hill River to its headwaters in west central Colorado, near Old Cheyenne Wells. Here, the Trail divided into the North Smoky and South Smoky which took two different paths, both ending in Denver. Another path, also branched out called the “Middle Smoky Hill,” which would later become known as “Starvation Trail,” when the Blue brothers got caught in this desolate area and the only surviving member was forced to resort to cannibalism.

Thousands of would-be prospectors, as well as homesteaders and soldiers traveled the trail between 1859 and 1865, many in covered wagons and some on foot, pushing carts and wheelbarrows.  Though a good many survived the trip, often nearly starved, others died at the hands of hostile Indians, of thirst and starvation, and of the chilling cold once that neared the mountains.

In 1858, W.H. Russell of the famous transportation firm of Majors, Russell and Waddell, conceived the idea of a line of daily coaches between the Missouri River and Denver. However, his partners thought the idea fool-hardy and refused to go in with him. Russell persevered however, and the first stage on the newly formed  Leavenworth and Pikes Peak Express reached Denver on May 17, 1859. But, as his partners suspected, the project proved to be premature and at the end of the ninety days, they took over and transferred his equipment to their regular stage line on the Platte River.

Another stage would later be developed on the Smoky Hill Trail in 1865, when David A. Butterfield determined that it could be profitable. The smooth-talking businessman soon obtained capital for the “Butterfield Overland Dispatch” and the first train left Atchison on June 4, 1865, arriving in Denver on September 23rd.

Along the 592 mile long route, relay stations were built about every twelve miles, for passenger’s rest, food, and changing of horses. Soldiers were also posted along the pathway at Fort Downer, Fort Harker, Fort Monument, Fort Wallace and other stops to protect the stations and the travelers from Indian attacks. However, the soldiers could not keep up with the furious Indians who felt their land was being invaded.

Just a year later, Butterfield sold out in March, 1866 to his rival, Ben Holladay, who in turn, sold it to Wells-Fargo the same year. During this time, the Kansas Pacific Railroad was also pushing towards Denver and by 1870, the stage line was no longer needed.

During the trail’s heydays, it saw a number of colorful characters along its path, including Generals Custer, Sheridan, and Forsythe, Wild Bill Hickok, Wyatt Earp, John Wesley Hardin, Billy and Ben Thompson, Buffalo Bill Cody, and more. Unfortunately, it also saw many deaths along its dusty path, including the Jordon and German family massacres, the Indian raids that led to the battle of Beecher Island and Summit Springs; as well as the escape of Cheyenne leader Dull Knife and his people Fort Reno, Oklahoma, that left numerous dead along the Smoky Hill River.

Today, the old trail continues to have markers placed along the route, and the Pond Creek Stage Station can still be seen in Wallace, Kansas. Several of the old forts that once protected the trail can also still be seen including Fort Hays, Fort Harker, and Fort Larned. Three museums are dedicated to the trail in Kansas, the Smoky Hills Museum in Salina, the Butterfield Trail Museum in Russell Springs, and the Fort Wallace Museum in Wallace. In Colorado; three “Mile Houses” remain in Parker, north of Parker, and in Denver.

Story here.

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Robbery and Reward (From the Wells Fargo History Museum)

“Throw down the box!” demanded armed men who halted stagecoaches on the lonely roads of California. Wells Fargo’s gold often tempted those who wished to make unauthorized withdrawals.On February 23, 1875, the stage coming from the Julian mines was robbed, and the San Diego Wells Fargo agent took immediate action. He notified the sheriff, posted a reward, and reported the robbery and his actions to the central office.From 1870 to 1884, Wells Fargo experienced a wave of 347 attacks on its stage shipments. After a robbery, agents quickly organized pursuit, printed descriptive reward posters and saw the case to trial. As a result, 206 robbers gained prison terms instead of riches.Wells Fargo’s Special Agents James B. Hume and John N. Thacker guided these efforts and took on difficult cases. Their meticulous records and inspired analysis of clues dampened the robbers’ daring.Wells Fargo armed messengers guarded large shipments of treasure. Their cut-off shotguns were “W.F. & Co.’s peculiar pattern of defensive weapon which highwaymen have learned to regard with respect.” Messenger Madison Larkin, guarding silver bars at Arizona’s Tip Top Mine in 1877, was typical. “They are the kind of men you can depend on if you get in a fix,” declared Hume. “They will pull you through or stay by you to the last.”

Story here.

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A few of the contracting companies that transported back then….

American Express (1850-present) – When three competing express and stage companies merged in 1850, American Express was formed. Because the organization expanded into new markets, it still exists today.

Barlow & Sanderson Company (1862?-1881?) – Starting out in Missouri during the Civil War, the company moved westward, concentrating on Colorado during its booming mining days.

Butterfield Overland Dispatch (1865-1870) – Initially developed by David A. Butterfield in 1865 on the Smoky Hill Trail, the line ran from Atchison, Kansas to Denver, Colorado.

Butterfield Overland Stage Company (1858-1861) – The brainchild of John W. Butterfield (no relation to David A. Butterfield), the stage company was owned by American Express and held the largest mail contact ever granted by the U.S. Government.

Central Overland California and Pike’s Peak Express (C.O.C. & P.P.) (1860-1861) – A mail, freighting and passenger carrier between St. Joseph, Missouri and Denver, Colorado, it was also the parent company of the Pony Express.

Cheyenne & Black Hills Stage Line (1876-1886) – More familiarly called the “Deadwood Stage,” the route operated between Cheyenne, Wyoming to Deadwood, South Dakota.

Leavenworth & Pike’s Peak Express Company (1859) – Developed by W.H. Russell of the famous transportation firm of Majors, Russell and Waddell, Russell wanted to serve the many prospectors flooding the Colorado Gold Rush. The line; however soon failed due to lack of financing and frequent Indian attacks.

Holladay Overland Mail and Express Company (1866) –  Ben Holladay bought out the Overland Mail and Express Company in 1866, but just months later, he sold it again to Wells Fargo.

Wells, Fargo and Company (1850-present) – The organization began when prosperous New York businessmen, Henry Wells and William Fargo saw great opportunity in the west after gold was discovered. The pair, who had helped to found American Express in 1850, officially created Wells Fargo & Co. on March 18, 1852 with two primary objectives – transportation and banking. The firm survived through diversification and continues to exist today.