Fort Hays

Colonel Carpenter, 10th Cavalry, and his command leave immediately to relieve them.

This was a fragment of the whole dispatch going over the wires from Fort Hays to Fort Leavenworth in Washington.

We had taken enough of it to know that a terrible disaster had befallen the gallant Forsyth of Sheridan's staff and his plucky band of scouts, who were all civilians and Kansans.

The headquarters of General Sheridan, who was at the date of this narrative in command of the Department of the Missouri, were temporarily established at Fort Harker.

Colonel Carpenter, 10th Cavalry, and his command leave immediately to relieve them.

This was a fragment of the whole dispatch going over the wires from Fort Hays to Fort Leavenworth in Washington.

We had taken enough of it to know that a terrible disaster had befallen the gallant Forsyth of Sheridan's staff and his plucky band of scouts, who were all civilians and Kansans.

The headquarters of General Sheridan, who was at the date of this narrative in command of the Department of the Missouri, were temporarily established at Fort Harker.

American Big Game Hunting, Section 2, A Buffalo Story by George S. Anderson.

On the last day of September 1871, I joined my regiment, then in camp near Fort Hays, Kansas.

At that time, the different troops of the regiment had not been assigned to their winter quarters.

My own was on its way north from Texas, where it had been stationed since the close of the war.

I was extremely anxious to learn what its destination was, for I had never killed any of the large game of the country.

In fact, had never fired a rifle except at a target.

Should my troop be ordered to Fort Riley or Fort Harker, east of Fort Hays, or to Fort Dodge, south of Hays, I feared that my chance of meeting with large game would be doubtful.

To my great delight, however, I found my assignment was to Fort Lyon, situated on the northern bank of the Arkansas River in eastern Colorado.

A barking dog was the first intimation of his position, but this was speedily followed by several Indians pursuing him, being directed by the sounds of his horse's feet.

By hard riding and good dodging, however, he eluded these, and meeting with no further mishap than being thrown over his horse's head by reason of the animal suddenly stepping into a gopher hole, he reached Fort Hays shortly after daylight and delivered the dispatches he carried before General Sheridan had arisen from bed.

After delivering the messages, Bill went over to Hays City, where he was well acquainted, and after taking some refreshments, lay down and slept for two hours.

Thinking then that General Sheridan might want to ask him some questions regarding the condition of the affairs at Larned, he returned to the fort and reported to him.

He was somewhat astonished to find that General Sheridan was as anxious to send a messenger to Fort Dodge ninety-five miles distance as Captain Parker had been to communicate with his superior officer at Fort Hays.

And more surprised was he to find that of the numerous couriers and scouts at the fort, not one could be induced to carry the general's dispatch, though the sum of five hundred dollars was offered for the service.

Seeing the quandary in which General Sheridan was placed, Bill addressed that official and said, Well, General, I'll go over to the hotel and take a little more rest, and if by four o'clock you have not secured someone to carry your dispatches, I will undertake to do it.

At the appointed time, Bill was ready, and receiving the dispatches at the hands of General Sheridan, he mounted his horse and rode away to Fort Dodge.

Mr. Willie Maf Cody Buffalo Bill Whose renown has since become worldwide Was one of the men thus selected He received his sobriquet from his marked success in killing buffaloes to supply fresh meat to the construction parties on the Kansas Pacific Railroad.

He had lived from boyhood on the plains and passed every experience: herder, hunter, pony express rider, stage driver, wagon master in the quartermaster's department, and scout of the army, and was first brought to my notice by distinguishing himself in bringing me an important dispatch from Fort Larned to Fort Hays, a distance of sixty-five miles through a section infested with Indians.

The dispatch informed me that the Indians near Larned were preparing to decamp, and this intelligence required that certain orders should be carried to Fort Dodge, ninety-five miles south of Hayes.

This too being a particularly dangerous route, several carriers having been killed on it, it was impossible to get one of the various Petes, Jacks, or Jims hanging around Hayes City to take my communication.

I gratefully accepted his offer, and after a short rest, he mounted a fresh horse and hastened on this journey, halting but once to rest on the way, and then only for an hour, the stop being made at Coon Creek, where he got another mount from a troop of cavalry.

At Dodge, he took some sleep and then continued on to his own post, Fort Larned, with more dispatches.

After resting at Larned, he was again in the saddle with tidings for me at Fort Hays.

General Hazen sending him this time with word that the villages had fled to the south of the Arkansas.

He received his sobriquet from his marked success in killing buffaloes to supply fresh meat to the construction parties on the Kansas Pacific Railroad.

He had lived from boyhood on the plains and passed every experience, herder, hunter, pony express rider, stage driver, wagon master in the quartermaster's department, and scout of the army, and was first brought to my notice by distinguishing himself and bringing me an important dispatch from Fort Larned to Fort Hayes, a distance of sixty-five miles through a section infested with Indians.

The dispatch informed me that the Indians near Larned were preparing to decamp, and this intelligence required that certain orders should be carried to Fort Dodge, ninety-five miles south of Hayes.

This too being a particularly dangerous route, several carriers having been killed on it, it was impossible to get one of the various Petes, Jacks, or Jims hanging around Hayes City to take my communication.

I gratefully accepted his offer, and after a short rest he mounted a fresh horse and hastened on this journey, halting but once to rest on the way, and then only for an hour, the stop being made at Coon Creek, where he got another mount from a troop of cavalry.

At Dodge he took some sleep, and then continued on to his own post, Fort Larned, with more dispatches.

After resting at Larned, he was again in the saddle with tidings for me at Fort Hayes, General Hazen sending him this time with word that the villages had fled to the south of the Arkansas.

Thus, in all, Cody rode about three hundred fifty miles in less than sixty hours, and such an exhibition of endurance and courage at that time of the year and in such weather was more than enough to convince me that his services would be extremely valuable in the campaign, so I retained him at Fort Hayes till the battalion of the Fifth Cavalry arrived, and then made him chief of scouts." Read through the fascinating book, Campaigning with Crook, Major General George Crook, USA, and Stories of Army Life, due to the graphic and soldiery pen of Captain Charles King of the United States Army, published in 1890.

The family made rapid headway as they moved northwestward across Kansas.

They were in Ellis City, Kansas, a few miles west of Fort Hayes, by early September.

John planned to push another dozen miles north and follow the Kansas Pacific Railroad westward into Colorado.

However, several local citizens advised John to take the old stagecoach route along the Smoky Hill River a few miles to the south because of the lack of water along the railroad.

He received his sobriquet from his marked success in killing buffaloes to supply fresh meat to the construction parties on the Kansas Pacific Railroad.

He had lived from boyhood on the plains and passed every experience, herder, hunter, pony express rider, stage driver, wagon master in the quartermaster's department, and scout of the army, and was first brought to my notice by distinguishing himself in bringing me an important dispatch from Fort Larned to Fort Hayes, a distance of sixty-five miles through a section infested with Indians.

The dispatch informed me that the Indians near Larned were preparing to decamp, and this intelligence required that certain orders should be carried to Fort Dodge, ninety-five miles south of Hayes.

This too being a particularly dangerous route, several carriers having been killed on it, it was impossible to get one of the various Petes, Jacks, or Jims hanging around Hayes City to take my communication.

I gratefully accepted his offer, and after a short rest he mounted a fresh horse and hastened on this journey, halting but once to rest on the way, and then only for an hour, the stop being made at Coon Creek, where he got another mount from a troop of cavalry.

At Dodge he took some sleep, and then continued on to his own post, Fort Larned, with more dispatches.

After resting at Larned, he was again in the saddle with tidings for me at Fort Hayes, General Hazen sending him this time with word that the villages had fled to the south of the Arkansas.

Thus, in all, Cody rode about three hundred fifty miles in less than sixty hours, and such an exhibition of endurance and courage at that time of the year and in such weather was more than enough to convince me that his services would be extremely valuable in the campaign, so I retained him at Fort Hayes till the battalion of the Fifth Cavalry arrived, and then made him chief of scouts." Read through the fascinating book, Campaigning with Crook, Major General George Crook, USA, and Stories of Army Life, due to the graphic and soldiery pen of Captain Charles King of the United States Army, published in 1890.

American Big Game Hunting, section two, A Buffalo Story by George S. Anderson.

On the last day of September 1871, I joined my regiment, then in camp near Fort Hays, Kansas.

At that time, the different troops of the regiment had not been assigned to their winter quarters.

My own was on its way north from Texas, where it had been stationed since the close of the war.

I was extremely anxious to learn what its destination was, for I had never killed any of the large game of the country.

In fact, had never fired a rifle except at a target.

Should my troop be ordered to Fort Riley or Fort Harker, east of Fort Hays, or to Fort Dodge, south of Hays, I feared that my chance of meeting with large game would be doubtful.

To my great delight, however, I found my assignment was to Fort Lyon, situated on the northern bank of the Arkansas River in eastern Colorado.