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Posted on 02/02/2005 2:03:08 AM PST by SAMWolf
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 are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.
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| Our Mission: The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans. In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support. The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer. If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions. We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.
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In the 1840s, westward expansion proceeded at a rapid pace. Promises of wide-open spaces and inexpensive land with rich soil enticed many people in the East to pack up their possessions and head West. As the population of Americans on the West Coast increased, so too did the nation's desire to actually own the land that these Americans were settling. The phrase "Manifest Destiny" was coined to describe the philosophy shared by many that the United States had a divine right to become a transcontinental nation. To that end, the 1840s became a decade of rapid territorial acquisition and expansion.  Dragoon soldiers from Fort Scott participated in many activities that contributed to westward expansion. They provided armed escorts for parties on the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, surveyed unmapped country, and maintained contact with Plains Indians. Each summer, from 1843-45, several companies of dragoons, including Company A, 1st U.S. Dragoons, from Fort Scott, participated in military expeditions along the overland trails. The purpose of these expeditions was to protect travel and trade along the trails and to keep the Plains Indians at peace. The first of these expeditions took place along the Santa Fe Trail - a trade route between Missouri and Santa Fe - then part of Mexico. The United States Dragoons, organized in 1833, had been charged with protecting the traders along the trail from Indian attacks.  In 1843, trouble erupted along the Santa Fe Trail, not from Indian attacks but from Texans. Ill will existed between Texas and Mexico even before the Texan Revolution of 1836. Prejudice and hatred on both sides, border squabbles and violence continued into the 1840s. In 1843, Texas "freebooters" began attacking Mexican caravans along the trail. One group of Texans murdered Antonio Chavez, a Mexican trader, on American soil. The army apprehended and punished the killers but traders were fearful of further attacks and asked the War Department to furnish a military escort that year from Missouri to Santa Fe. Captain Philip St. George Cooke led five companies of dragoons along the Santa Fe Trail to protect the trade. In route, the dragoons encountered Jacob Snively, who held a commission from Texas to raid Mexican caravans on Mexican soil. Two days prior to their meeting with Cooke, Snively's men had attacked Mexican soldiers, killing several of them and taking their weapons.  Upon their initial encounter, Snively's men and the dragoons were across the Arkansas River from each other. The land north of the river clearly belonged to the United States, but south of the river, U.S. territory only extended west to the 100th meridian. Snively claimed that he was forty miles west of the boundary, but Cooke contended that Snively was on American soil. Therefore, he ordered Fort Scott's dragoons under Captain Terrett, to cross the river and disarm the freebooters. The dragoons left the freebooters only ten guns for defense on their way back to Texas. A rumor persists that the Texans had hidden their own guns and surrendered the previously confiscated Mexican weapons to the dragoons.  The 1843 expedition earned Captain Cooke the undying hatred of the Texans but was successful because it discouraged any further attacks along the Santa Fe Trail that year.
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The year 1843 also saw the first significant migration over the Oregon Trail. To protect the emigrant traffic, the dragoons again went out on expeditions in 1844 and 1845. To strengthen security in the area and to end the fighting between the Pawnee and the Sioux, five companies of dragoons (including Company A from Fort Scott) traveled to Pawnee country in August of 1844. The next year, 1845, the dragoons met with the Sioux and other tribes during what is known as the South Pass expedition.
The Sioux met with the dragoons near Fort Laramie in 1845. They were equally awed by the firepower of the howitzers. They thought that the dragoons were "a new and superior kind of white people." They agreed to leave the emigrant traffic alone, if the emigrants behaved themselves.
Colonel Stephen Kearney commanded the South Pass expedition. He led the soldiers along the Oregon Trail to Fort Laramie and then to South Pass, which they reached in June of 1845. This was the first time that an active U.S. military force traveled west of the Continental Divide.
An unstated purpose of the expedition was to place a military force near Oregon in the event of war. The United States and Great Britain both laid claim to all of the Oregon Territory and were unwilling to relinquish. 54º 40" was the line of latitude that marked the northern boundary of Oregon Territory.
The threat of war with Great Britain must have loomed large in Colonel Kearny's mind as he awaited further instruction at South Pass. He waited one day and with no word of war, he and his troops began their return journey.
Compromise had staved off conflict. The problem was solved by extending the existing boundary between the U.S. and Canada-the 49th parallel-to the Pacific Coast, which divided the Oregon Territory in two.
While patrolling the Oregon Trail, the soldiers encountered several wagon trains heading west. This was of some concern to the dragoons because the teams and herds of the wagon trains consumed the grasses as effectively as a prairie fire, leaving little for the dragoons' horses.
One dragoon officer praised the Oregon emigrants as a "straight forward, simple and well-meaning people." He reflected that the trip to Oregon would take a great deal of courage and perseverance. For the most part, the relationship between the emigrants and the dragoons was mutually beneficial. The emigrants enjoyed the dragoons' protection, while the dragoons enjoyed the attention that the emigrant girls lavished on them.
The dragoons accomplished a number of things on their expedition. They gained valuable experience which would be useful during the Mexican War. They attained knowledge of the terrain and established friendly relations with many Indian tribes. They also made the trail safer for overland travel, which encouraged further westward expansion and contributed to the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny.
www.civilwarhome.com
The main difference between mounted infantry and dragoons was armament. Mounted infantry carried rifles (Enfields, Springfields and the like). Dragoons carried either musketoons or carbines. I would categorize Forrest's command as being mounted infantry. The mounted infantry would have a hard firing and reloading mounted, since they were using muzzle-loading weapons. Carbines, like the sharps, were breech-loaders, so they could be fired and reloaded mounted. That would make a major difference. |
This one's for you. Thanks for the suggestion ijcr. ;-)
Good morning, Snippy and everyone at the Freeper Foxhole.
Off to work bump for the Foxhole
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Good morning, it's pouring rain here this morning...means Rocky gets spared the 'dreaded' bath again today.
G'morning, PE!
February 2, 2005
When I receive a compliment, it gives me a warm, inner glow. At times I have felt guilty for enjoying a commendation. After all, isn't that a form of pride? But I have concluded that it is not wrong to feel good when we receive a sincere compliment because of something we have done.
By finding pleasure in being commended, we allow others to exercise their gift of encouragement. Their words can lift our spirits.
We also show that pride hasn't gained the upper hand in our lives when we praise others. A proud person is so preoccupied with himself that he doesn't notice what others do and has no desire to compliment them.
Paul freely commended his friends in Colosse because he knew it would encourage them. And we should do likewise.
Give people a pat on the back when they deserve it. Compliment the child who does something well. Commend the single mother who regularly brings her children to church. Encourage the man who keeps helping others even though he receives little appreciation from them. Keep trying to please God and the people around you.
No need to feel guilty about feeling good when someone compliments you. -Herb Vander Lugt
Praise loudly, blame softly.
Howdy, I guess you didn't get burned as a newbie yesterday. Good deal. ;-)
Those threads are old, but they come to life every once in a while. When that happened, I laughed so hard tears rolled. It's a wonder I'm still here...but then again I have lifetime posting rights. I never got that lunch with Jim Robinson or the trip to Disney World. LOL
Morning Aeronaut.
Morning E.G.C.
Rain didn't show up yesterday. :-)
Morning alfa6.
Morning GailA.
Freeper Net Command?? :-)
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