“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.