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121-533: The area where Platte Bridge Station was located had been the site of various temporary Army encampments over a period of years before the establishment of the fort, or "station" itself. The fort was located on the south side of the North Platte, near the western edge of present-day Casper, at one several local points where the Emigrant Trail crossed from the south side to the north side of the river. In 1847, during

242-535: A brief but furious heyday between 1830 and 1848 as a trade route linking Santa Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles, California. The Trail left Santa Fe and split into two routes. The South or Main Branch headed northwest past Colorado's San Juan mountains to near Green River, Utah. The North Branch proceeded due north into Colorado's San Luis Valley and crossed west over Cochetepa Pass to follow the Gunnison and Colorado rivers to meet

363-722: A bulletin published in 1992 for visitors to the Gateway Arch National Park (then known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial): The term "galvanized" is most commonly associated with metal when it is coated with zinc to protect it from corrosion. In the process the surface color of the metal is altered, but underneath the coating the steel is unchanged. During the Civil War, in both Northern and Southern prison camps, soldiers sometimes decided to "galvanize," or change sides, to save themselves from

484-491: A detachment of 14 men of Company I, 3rd U.S. Volunteer Infantry led by Capt. Adam Smith Leib, escorted by 1st Lt. Henry C. Bretney and six (some accounts say 10) troopers of Company G, 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry , arrived from Sweetwater Station en route to Fort Laramie for supplies and a long-overdue payroll. They found the station on 50% guard duty and molding bullets. Leib advised the station commander, Major Martin Anderson of

605-517: A drunken trooper during a skirmish, was not on good terms with Anderson. On his arrival at Platte Bridge on July 16, the Kansan had replaced Bretney as post commander and ordered Company G to relocate to Sweetwater Station, escorting the same wagon train now returning from there. In addition, the 11th Kansas Cavalry was due to march to Fort Kearney on or about August 1 to muster out of service. After reveille , all four of Anderson's officers declined to lead

726-403: A hollow where they held out for four hours, using fire from Spencer rifles to repel assaults until a large group closed on foot and overwhelmed the defenders, killing all. The wagons were burned at approximately 3:00 p.m. Corporal James A. Shrader and four troopers, sent as scouts by Custard to investigate the sound of the howitzer firing, were cut off and pursued by a hundred Cheyenne led by

847-503: A raid along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad by two brigades of Union cavalry under the command of Brig. Gen. Benjamin Grierson . The Union cavalry force had already captured a substantial number of Brig. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest 's dismounted cavalry encamped at Verona on Christmas Day. Burke's Battalion and the 17th Arkansas were sent with a battery of artillery aboard the first train to block

968-639: A regiment of the Confederate States Army . They surrendered to Union forces in December 1864 and were held by the United States as deserters, but were saved from prosecution by being enlisted in the 5th and 6th U.S. Volunteers. An additional 800 former Confederates served in volunteer regiments raised by the states, forming ten companies. Four of those companies saw combat in the Western Theater against

1089-472: A result of disease. The history of these trails and the settlers who traveled them have since become deeply embedded in the culture and folklore of the United States as some of the most significant influences to shape the content and character of the nation. The remains of many trail ruts can still be observed in various locations throughout the American West. Travelers may loosely follow various routes of

1210-466: A small party of Indians showed themselves to the troops, the remainder of the Indians remaining concealed. By the afternoon of July 25, however, when a large raiding party had driven off a number of horses and forced the pursuing cavalry troopers to expend much ammunition, the station had permanent structures and a mountain howitzer of the 11th Ohio Cavalry covered the approaches to the bridge. Late that night

1331-704: A three-year regiment. Assigned to the District of Eastern Virginia, Department of Virginia and North Carolina , it moved to Norfolk, Virginia , where on orders of General Grant it was relegated to provost duty there, Portsmouth, Virginia , and Elizabeth City, North Carolina . In August 1864, Grant ordered it to the Department of the Northwest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin . The 1st U.S.V.I. traveled by ship to New York City, and by train to Chicago, where it received further orders splitting

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1452-550: A unique part of this migration. Their move to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake was a response to their violent expulsion from Missouri and Illinois. As it was also motivated by a desire to maintain a religious and cultural identity it was necessary to find an isolated area where they could permanently settle and practice their religion in peace. The Southern Emigrant Trail was a major land route for immigration into California from

1573-641: A vital role in the expansion of the U.S. into the lands it had acquired. The road route is commemorated today by the National Park Service as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. A highway route that roughly follows the trail's path through the entire length of Kansas, the southeast corner of Colorado and northern New Mexico has been designated as the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byw. The Old Spanish Trail witnessed

1694-645: Is now the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The Mormon Trail followed part of the Oregon Trail and then branched off at the fur trading post called Fort Bridger , founded by famed mountain man Jim Bridger . Heading south and following river valleys southwestward to the valley of the Great Salt Lake, Brigham Young led the first Mormons into present-day Utah during 1847. The Mormon Trail is 1,300 miles long and extends from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah. The Mormon Trail

1815-688: The 11th Kansas Cavalry , that he had earlier passed a small train of five empty mule-drawn wagons returning from Sweetwater to Laramie, 14 teamsters escorted by 11 enlisted men of the 11th Kansas. Knowing that the train was due to come in the next morning, the officers at the post discussed sending out a relief force to drive off the Cheyenne and Lakota warriors, so that the wagon train could come safely in. Leib and Bretney suggested an immediate march but Anderson decided to wait for daylight. Bretney, who had succeeded to command of Company G on February 13 when its captain, Levi M. Rinehart, had been accidentally killed by

1936-509: The 3rd US Infantry host a historical reenactment at the site. Emigrant Trail In the history of the American frontier , pioneers built overland trails throughout the 19th century, especially between 1840 and 1847 as an alternative to sea and railroad transport. These immigrants began to settle much of North America west of the Great Plains as part of the mass overland migrations of

2057-577: The American Civil War . Most settlers traveled in large parties or "trains" of up to several hundred wagons led by a wagon master . In 1859 the government published a guidebook called The Prairie Traveler , in order to help emigrants prepare for the journey. When it was constructed it became a popular form of transportation between the territories. These trains were more comfortable than the long walks and wagon rides. Disadvantages included robberies from outlaws like Jesse James . The Santa Fe Trail

2178-756: The Battle of Gettysburg , numbering approximately 450 in all. The regiment remained in garrison at Camp Schenck in Baltimore, seeking to raise more troops, assigned to the Cavalry Reserve of the Eighth Corps until officially organized on January 9, 1864. Sent by steamship to New Orleans and Madisonville, Louisiana , the 3rd Maryland Cavalry took part in the Red River Campaign , in the Atchafalaya Expedition in

2299-465: The Battle of Resaca , appears to have delegated part of the task to a newly appointed lieutenant colonel, Michael Burke. In October and November 1864 O'Neill and Burke enlisted more than 250 soldiers of a number of Union regiments. Efforts were made at first to recruit Irish immigrants in compliance with Seddon's original instructions, but when few complied, native-born Union soldiers were enlisted. The recruits were required to take an oath of allegiance to

2420-608: The California Gold Rush enticed over 250,000 gold-seekers and farmers to travel overland the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840s and 1850s. Today, over 1,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen in the vast undeveloped lands between Casper, Wyoming, and the West Coast. The Mormon Trail was created by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , called "Mormons," who settled in what

2541-744: The Donation Land Claim Act and significant events like the California Gold Rush further encouraged settlers to travel overland to the west. Two major wagon-based transportation networks, one typically starting in Missouri and the other in the Mexican province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México , served the majority of settlers during the era of westward expansion. Three of the Missouri-based routes—the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails—were collectively known as

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2662-750: The El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro the Southern Emigrant Trail route in 1849 ran westward from the El Camino Real to San Diego Crossing . After 1855, it ran from Mesilla, New Mexico , westward to Tucson, Arizona , then followed the Gila River to ferries on the Colorado River near what became Fort Yuma . It crossed the Colorado Desert to Vallecito , then up to Warner's Ranch . From Warner's

2783-570: The Emigrant Trails . Historians have estimated at least 500,000 emigrants used these three trails between 1843 and 1869, and despite growing competition from transcontinental railroads , some use even continued into the early 20th century. The major southern routes were the Santa Fe , Southern Emigrant , and Old Spanish Trails , as well as its wagon road successor the Mormon Road , a southern spur of

2904-599: The Missouri River , pioneers following any of the three trails typically left from one of three "jumping off" points on the Missouri's steamboat serviced river ports : Independence, Missouri , Saint Joseph, Missouri , or Council Bluffs , Iowa. (Once known as Kanesville, Iowa until 1852; after river dredging in the early 1850s, the latter town at the Missouri-Platte confluence became the most common departure point since it

3025-745: The Oregon Country . The main route of the Oregon Trail stopped at the Hudson's Bay Company Fort Hall , a major resupply route along the trail near present-day Pocatello and where the California Trail split off to the south. Then the Oregon Trail crossed the Snake River Plain of present-day southern Idaho and the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon before reaching the Willamette Valley . It

3146-549: The Pacific Telegraph Company line from Laramie to South Pass , Territory of Idaho (now Wyoming ). Company I was involved in numerous skirmishes, including combat at the Battle of the Platte Bridge Station , and suffered higher casualties than any other company of the 3rd U.S.V.I. The regiment mustered out November 29, 1865, having served with distinction, including a low desertion rate. The 4th U.S.V.I.

3267-480: The Southern Route , of the California Trail, remained a minor migration route and in the early 1850s a mail route. After some alterations of the route between Cajon Pass and the border of California and in southern Utah, in 1855, it became a significant seasonal trade route between California and Utah, until 1869, when the transcontinental railroad ended Utah's winter isolation. Up to 50,000 people, or one-tenth of

3388-683: The Spanish Empire . From Santa Fe, American traders followed the old El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro southward to Chihuahua by way of El Paso del Norte . The Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe , in Mexican New Mexico Territory to Los Angeles , in Mexican Alta California , developed in 1829–1830 to support the trade of New Mexican wool products for California horses and mules and carried parties of fur traders and emigrants from New Mexico to Southern California . Following

3509-689: The Union prison camp at Alton, Illinois , where the claims of the "galvanized Yankees" that they desired restoration to their original units were investigated. Major General Dodge recommended on March 5, 1865, that all the former Union soldiers as well as a number of Confederate troops be enlisted in the U.S. Volunteers for service in the West. The recommendation for clemency was resisted by the Judge Advocate General's Office in Washington, D.C., which advocated that

3630-631: The 1st U.S.V.I. mustered out at Fort Leavenworth on May 22, 1866, after 25 months of active service, the longest service of any of the "galvanized Yankees." Authorized in October 1864 at the Rock Island prisoner camp in Illinois as a one-year regiment, the 2nd U.S.V.I. was not organized until February 1865. It was ordered to the Department of the Missouri and sent by rail to Fort Leavenworth , Kansas , where it

3751-591: The Army than the Navy. The matter was then referred to President Lincoln , who gave verbal authorization on January 2, 1864, and formal authorization on March 5 to raise the 1st United States Volunteer Infantry for three years' service without restrictions as to use. On September 1, Lincoln approved 1,750 more Confederate recruits in order to bolster his election chances in Pennsylvania, enough to form two more regiments, to be sent to

Fort Caspar - Misplaced Pages Continue

3872-552: The Battle of Red Buttes, although that location was ten miles further to the west. Army fatalities in both actions numbered 27 men of the 11th Kansas Cavalry and Lt. Collins, with at least ten seriously wounded. Historian Robert Utley placed combined Indian casualties in all the July forays around Platte Bridge Station as 60 killed and 130 wounded. The Army officially renamed the post Fort Caspar to honor Collins, using his given name to differentiate

3993-461: The California Trail used in the winter that also made use of the western half of the Old Spanish Trail. Regardless of the trail used, the journey was often slow and arduous, fraught with risks from dysentry , infectious diseases , dehydration , malnutrition , cholera , highwaymen , Indian attacks, injury, and harsh weather, with as many as one in ten travelers dying along the way, usually as

4114-592: The Confederacy agreed to treat black prisoners the same as white prisoners. Gen. Gilman Marston , commandant of the huge prisoner of war camp at Point Lookout, Maryland , recommended that Confederate prisoners be enlisted in the U.S. Navy , which Secretary of War Edwin Stanton approved December 21. General Benjamin Butler 's jurisdiction included Point Lookout, and he advised Stanton that more prisoners could be recruited for

4235-434: The Confederacy, and were not issued arms or ammunition until the night before their first engagement. Held under strict camp guard, they were sent to Mobile, Alabama while the 10th Tennessee itself advanced to the Battle of Franklin . Organized as Burke's Battalion, 10th Tennessee , they were made part of an ad hoc defense force assembled by Lt. Col. William W. Wier and sent by train towards Tupelo, Mississippi , to repel

4356-606: The Confederate 10th Tennessee, escorted the Sawyers expedition to build a road to Montana and garrisoned Fort Reno for nearly a year. Companies A through G reassembled at Fort Kearny in August 1866 and mustered out on October 11. Companies H, I, and K garrisoned Fort Lyon until October 1866, when Gen. William T. Sherman closed the post for deplorable living conditions. They marched to Fort Leavenworth, where they mustered out on November 13,

4477-951: The Confederate Army, two served on the western frontier, and one became an independent company of U.S. Volunteers, serving in Minnesota. The term "galvanized" has also been applied to former Union soldiers enlisting in the Confederate Army, including the use of "galvanized Yankees" to designate them. At least 1,600 former Union prisoners of war enlisted in Confederate service in late 1864 and early 1865, most of them recent German or Irish immigrants who had been drafted into Union regiments. The practice of recruiting from prisoners of war began in 1862 at Camp Douglas at Chicago , Illinois , with attempts to enlist Confederate prisoners who expressed reluctance to exchange following their capture at Fort Donelson . Some 228 prisoners of mostly Irish extraction were enlisted by Col. James A. Mulligan before

4598-803: The Confederate government that any use of paroled troops in Indian warfare was a violation of the Dix–Hill prisoner of war cartel . In January 1863, following issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, the United States began to actively recruit black soldiers. The following May, the Confederate Congress passed a joint resolution suspending exchange of black Union soldiers and their white officers, and ordering that they instead be put on trial and punished. On July 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln ordered suspension of exchanges of Confederate prisoners until

4719-525: The Oregon Country between Great Britain and the United States, mostly along the 49th parallel. The Territory of Oregon was established shortly afterward, in 1848, and over 12,000 American settlers made the journey there during the decade. Families usually began their journey at Independence, Missouri, near the Missouri River with the best time to travel is from April to September. The journey to cross

4840-461: The Oregon Trail along the way in 40 years. American settlers began following the trail in 1841, with the first recorded settler wagon traingroup being the 1843 "Great Migration" of about 900 settlers, led in part by Marcus Whitman . The Provisional Government of Oregon was established by such settlers in 1843, generally limited to the Willamette Valley. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 divided

4961-456: The Plain are two regiments of infantry, all from the rebel army. They have cheerfully re-enlisted into the federal service. They are known in the army as "white-washed rebs," or as they call themselves, "galvanized Yankees." Concise histories of all units of U.S. Volunteer Infantry are at Frederick H. Dyer 's Compendium , p. 1717 The 1st U.S.V.I. was recruited at Point Lookout prison camp between January 21 and April 22, 1864, as

Fort Caspar - Misplaced Pages Continue

5082-451: The Santa Fe Trail or on the San Antonio-El Paso Road developed in 1849, across West Texas to El Paso where it followed the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro north to link up to the Cooke's Wagon Road/Southern Emigrant Trail at the cutoff through the San Diego Crossing . In 1856, as part of an improvement of the route as a military road, a cutoff was built to Cooke's Spring from Mesilla , (part of Mexico until 1853). From Cooke's Spring

5203-412: The Southern Branch near Green River. From central Utah the trail trended southwest to an area now shared by Utah, Nevada and Arizona. It crossed southern Nevada and passed through the Mojave Desert to San Gabriel Mission and Los Angeles. The Oregon Trail, the longest of the overland routes used in the westward expansion of the United States, was first traced by settlers and fur traders for traveling to

5324-399: The Utah Territory, and finally the State of Utah. The Mormon settlers shared similar experiences with others traveling west: the drudgery of walking hundreds of miles, suffocating dust, violent thunderstorms, mud, temperature extremes, bad water, poor forage, sickness, attacks from indians, and death. They recorded their experiences in journals, diaries, and letters. The Mormons, however, were

5445-429: The War Department banned further recruitment March 15. The ban continued until 1863, except for a few enlistments of foreign-born Confederates into largely ethnic regiments. Three factors led to a resurrection of the concept: an outbreak of the American Indian Wars by tribes in Minnesota and on the Great Plains ; the disinclination of paroled but not exchanged Federal troops to be used to fight them; and protests of

5566-477: The battalion returned to St. Louis to muster out November 27. The four companies continuing on to Wisconsin in August 1864 were ordered to the District of Minnesota. Their muster out in July 1865 was canceled and in October, they were ordered to build and garrison Fort Fletcher , Kansas, and man two outposts at Monument Station and Ponds Creek Station , also in Kansas, to protect the new Butterfield Overland Despatch stagecoach route. Companies A, F, G, and I of

5687-409: The bridge on foot as a support force for Collins, forming a skirmish line when they observed several hundred Cheyenne emerge from the sand hills and gulleys between themselves and Collins. The Indians had concealed large bands of warriors near the bridge and over the crest of the hills, possibly as many as a thousand Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho. Collins wheeled his detachment into two lines and charged

5808-431: The brother of Roman Nose, Left Hand, who was killed in the running fight. Eventually Shrader and two men made their way on foot into the station. Two Shoshone scouts were paid to take a message requesting reinforcements to the next telegraph station east, but the attacking force broke up before relief arrived. The battle became known as the Battle of Platte Bridge Station. The battle of the wagon train also became known as

5929-874: The cavalry along the telegraph line west of Fort Laramie. 35 of the 275 men ordered to Utah deserted before their arrival October 9. The companies in Utah were relieved by regulars in April 1866 and marched to Fort Bridger . The other seven companies frequently changed stations, posted at some point to Camp Wardwell, Julesburg, and Fort Sedgwick, Colorado; Post Alkali , Fort Cottonwood , Mud Springs , Plum Creek , and Columbus, Nebraska ; Fort Wallace , Kansas; and Fort Laramie, Fort Halleck, Fort Caspar , and Sweetwater Station, Territory of Idaho. In October 1866 all companies except Company B at Fort Wallace were relieved by regulars and assembled at Fort Kearny, where they mustered out between October 10 and 15. Company B marched across Kansas to Fort Leavenworth and mustered out on November 3. The 1st Regiment Cavalry, Connecticut Volunteers

6050-512: The companies were also sent west to combine with the 1st Independent Battalion into the new 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. They left Camp Dennison August 1 for Fort Leavenworth, reporting for duty August 13. While awaiting supplies, the battalion joined in pursuit of Quantrill's Raiders following the Lawrence Massacre . After marching 150 miles, they were recalled and marched to Fort Laramie between September 2 and October 10. En route, four of Company E's recruits plotted to involve all Confederates in

6171-549: The company in a mutiny when it reached Julesburg, but were disarmed and arrested before the attempt could be made. In July and August 1864, Capt. Henry E. Palmer was assigned to deliver a detachment of 60 recruits, all former members of Morgan's cavalry force, from Camp Chase to Fort Kearny, where they became Company K of the 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. In August and September 1865 "galvanized" Companies E and K accompanied Connor's Powder River Expedition . Both companies returned to Fort Laramie, where they continued guard duties along

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6292-516: The company transferred to the U.S. Volunteers and were designated the 1st Independent Company, U.S.V. . The 1st Independent Company remained on duty in the District of Minnesota until mustered out on November 16, 1865. The service of the 3rd Regiment Cavalry, Maryland Volunteers began on August 8, 1864, with the raising of three companies at Baltimore. In September and October, Companies D, E, F , and G were recruited from Confederate prisoners at Fort Delaware, most of whom had been captured at

6413-439: The day in order to find a good campsite ahead of the crowd. Others spoke of the need to wear masks for protection against the dust kicked up by the heavy traffic. The main route of the California Trail branched from the Oregon Trail west of Fort Hall, as immigrants went on forward going southwestward into present-day Nevada , then down along the Humboldt River to the Sierra Nevada . The California Trail came into heavy use after

6534-409: The eastern United States that followed the Santa Fe Trail to New Mexico during the California Gold Rush . Unlike the more northern routes, pioneer wagons could travel this route year-round, as the mountain passes were not blocked by snows. But, the trail had the disadvantage of high summer heat and lack of water in the desert regions of New Mexico Territory and the Colorado Desert of California. It

6655-419: The emigrant trails on modern highways through the use of byway signs across the western states. Pioneers across what became the Western United States in the 19th century had the choice of several routes. Some of the earliest were those of the Mexicans in the southwest. American trade with Northern Mexico created the Santa Fe Trail between St. Louis and Santa Fe following an 18th-century route pioneered by

6776-440: The emigrants who attempted the crossing continent, died during the trip, most from infectious disease such as cholera , spread by poor sanitation: with thousands traveling along or near the same watercourses each summer, downstream travelers were susceptible to ingesting upstream wastewater including bodily waste. Hostile confrontations with Native Americans , although often feared by the settlers, were comparatively rare, prior to

6897-431: The end of the war. At least four Confederate units were recruited, including three units of Regulars in the Provisional Army of the Confederate States . In October 1864, John G. O'Neill, colonel of the 10th Tennessee Regiment (Irish Volunteers) , was authorized to recruit Union prisoners at Andersonville and Millen, Georgia , to replenish the depleted ranks of the regiment. O'Neill, recovering from wounds received at

7018-413: The entire Oregon Trail in a covered wagon took from four to six months, following a winding trail 2,000 miles (3,200 km) through prairies, deserts, and across mountains to the Pacific Northwest . The journey was a severe test of strength and endurance so travelers often joined wagon trains traveling about 12–15 miles (19–24 km) per day. Settlers often had to cross flooded rivers. Indians attacked

7139-449: The establishment of Fort Dodge in the summer of 1865. Their duties involved scouting, wagon train escort and operating against Indians. Members of the regiment were present as guards at the signing of the Little Arkansas Treaty . The regiment mustered out at Fort Leavenworth November 7, 1865. The 3rd U.S.V.I. was authorized at the Rock Island prisoner camp in October 1864 as a one-year regiment but not organized until February 1865. It

7260-445: The ferry. The ferry was moved to a different spot on the North Platte in North Casper in 1849. It was eventually replaced with a rope-and-pulley system that could make the crossing in five minutes. In following years, trader John Baptiste Richard established a trading post several miles downriver of the crossing. The U.S. Army established its first presence in the area in 1855, erecting Fort Clay near Richard's trading post. In 1859, when

7381-444: The first Mormon wagon train to present-day Utah , Brigham Young commissioned a ferry at the site for later emigrants. The ferry consisted of cottonwood dugout canoes and planking for a deck, with two oars and a rudder. On June 19, Young named nine men to remain to operate the ferry while the remainder of the party continued the journey westward. A group of Mormons returned to the site each summer between 1847 and 1852 to operate

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7502-405: The first group to emerge, only to find himself heavily outnumbered. He then ordered a retreat to the bridge through the Cheyenne to his rear as yet another force, this of Lakota, attempted to rush the bridge. The skirmish line at the bridge held the Lakota at bay with volley fire until 20 of the 26 troopers, all wounded to some extent, fought their way through. Five were killed, including Collins, who

7623-425: The first week of June 1864, and in August was dismounted to participate in the siege of Fort Morgan . Disease seriously depleted the ranks of the regiment, and in December 1864, the 3rd Maryland Cavalry consolidated into a six-company battalion. Company D became part of Company E, and Company G part of Company F, participating in the campaign to capture Mobile, Alabama in March and April 1865. The 3rd Maryland Cavalry

7744-431: The frontier at the time when the 1st U.S.V.I. arrived. Dee Brown cites documentation from March and April 1865 indicating that the term was first used to characterize captured Federals who turned Confederate. The general use of "galvanized Yankees" originated in a story in the Springfield Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts) on May 25, 1865, by Samuel Bowles , who wrote: Among the present limited number of troops on

7865-435: The frontier intact and at full strength, 976 officers and men. Between May 14 and May 31, they marched to Fort Kearny, Nebraska, where it dispersed to replace the various companies of the 3rd U.S.V.I. guarding the telegraph line and the Oregon Trail . In August Gen. Patrick E. Connor ordered regimental headquarters and three companies to garrison Camp Douglas, Utah; and two companies west from Fort Rankin, Colorado, to replace

7986-401: The frontier to fight American Indians . The final two regiments of U.S. Volunteers were recruited in the spring of 1865 to replace the 2nd and 3rd U.S.V.I., which had been enlisted as one-year regiments. Due to doubts about their ultimate loyalty, galvanized Yankees in federal service were generally assigned to garrison forts far from the Civil War battlefields or in action against Indians in

8107-401: The full widths of Nebraska and Wyoming , and crossed the continental divide south of the Wind River Range through South Pass in southwestern Wyoming. The most common vehicle for Oregon and California-bound pioneers was a covered wagon pulled by a team of oxen or mules (which were greatly preferred for their endurance and strength over horses ) in the dry semi-arid terrain common to

8228-467: The goldfields. With the passes of the Sierras and the Rocky Mountains blocked in winter, another winter route, the Mormon Road between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles was developed by a Mormon expedition from their new settlements at and around Salt Lake City, and by some Mormon Battalion soldiers returning to Utah in 1847–1848. The first significant use of the route was by parties of Forty-Niners late in 1849, and by some Mormon trains, to avoid crossing

8349-403: The high plains in the heat of summer. This heat could cause the wagons to catch on fire. People would form groups of wagons known as wagon trains. In later years, following the advice of Brigham Young, many Mormon emigrants made the crossing to Utah with handcarts . For all pioneers, the scarcity of potable water and fuel for fires was a common brutal challenge on the trip, which was exacerbated by

8470-425: The horrors of prison life. Like the metal, these galvanized soldiers in many cases were still "Good old Rebels," or "Billy Yanks," underneath their adopted uniforms. The expression "galvanized Yankees" sprang up as a term of deprecation among Confederate prisoners for those who chose to enlist. At the same time, the use of "white-washed Rebels" as a reference came into being among Federal state regiments stationed on

8591-449: The last of the "galvanized Yankees". The 6th U.S.V.I. was recruited from prisoner camps at Camp Chase , Ohio (two companies); Camp Morton , Indiana (two companies); and Camp Douglas, Illinois (six companies), as a three-year regiment, and assembled on April 2, 1865, at Camp Fry near Chicago for outfitting and drill. It traveled by rail to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, on May 10–11, 1865, the only regiment of "galvanized Yankees" to arrive on

8712-526: The mid-19th century. Settlers emigrating from the eastern United States did so with various motives, among them religious persecution and economic incentives, to move from their homes to destinations further west via routes such as the Oregon , California , and Mormon Trails . After the end of the Mexican–American War in 1849, vast new American conquests again encouraged mass immigration. Legislation like

8833-524: The new telegraph line, the Army began increasing its presence in the region in 1861 by sending a detachment to guard Guinard's bridge. Many of these troops, who created a series of "stations" along the Oregon trail, were from various state units raised during the Civil War. In 1862 the Army used the buildings at Platte Bridge station while building and occupying Ft. Caspar. Guinard, a naturalized U.S. citizen, born in Quebec around 1820 or 1821 had hired his nephew of

8954-624: The northwestern corner of Comancheria, the territory of the Comanche, who demanded compensation for granting passage to the trail, and represented another market for American traders. Comanche raiding farther south in Mexico isolated New Mexico, making it more dependent on the American trade, and provided the Comanche with a steady supply of horses for sale. By the 1840s, trail traffic along the Arkansas Valley

9075-452: The post from an existing fort in Colorado named after Collins' father . The fort was abandoned two years later in August 1867, with the garrison moved to Fort Fetterman at Douglas, Wyoming . Fort Caspar was partially reconstructed in 1936 using sketches made by Lieutenant Collins in 1863. The fort itself underwent a lot of changes during its occupation, and the current recreation reflects

9196-448: The post in 1863-1865. The City of Casper now operates a museum at the site, which features reconstructed log buildings, including a wooden stockade . The site also includes a replica of the Mormon ferry that was operated there between 1847 and 1849, as well as a model of part of the bridge that later replaced the ferry. In early December members of a living history group portraying a company of

9317-436: The post's defenses to Leib, who had the garrison throw up an embrasure and dig rifle pits to protect the howitzer at the south end of the bridge. During the morning the attacking force destroyed a thousand feet of telegraph wire on the line to Fort Laramie before Anderson thought to request reinforcements, then drove off the detail sent to repair it, killing another trooper. The wagon train, commanded by Sergeant Amos J. Custard,

9438-481: The previous November as part of the Colorado War , a party of several thousand Cheyenne and Sioux approached Platte Bridge Station from the north intending to attack the soldiers camped there and destroy the 1,000-foot-long (300 m) bridge. They had previously scouted the area and selected it because the soldiers there were not in the small trading post stockade of 14-foot pine logs but camped in tents. Initially only

9559-418: The regiment reached Sioux City, Iowa, in Department of the Northwest, on May 28. Many were arrested and held in confinement before returning to the ranks. Two companies were stationed at Fort Rice, then at Fort Sully ; one at Fort Berthold; and three at Fort Randall until June 1866, when the six companies were recalled to Leavenworth, mustering out as they arrived between June 18 and July 2. The 5th U.S.V.I.

9680-494: The regiment. Four companies continued to Milwaukee, while six companies (B, C, D, E, H, and K) were sent to St. Louis, Missouri , arriving there August 22. They moved by the steamboat Effie Deans and by forced march to Fort Rice , Dakota Territory , arriving there October 17 for garrison duty. Conditions were hard over the winter, and fully 11% of the command died of illness, primarily scurvy . Between May 10 and August 31, 1865, Company K garrisoned Fort Berthold and Company B

9801-479: The relief force and some placed themselves on the sick list to avoid the duty. 20-year-old 2nd Lt. Caspar W. Collins of Company G 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry, en route back to his company farther west from a remount detail at Fort Laramie, had arrived the afternoon before with the mail ambulance and was ordered by Anderson to lead the relief. Bretney had no authority to countermand the order but advised Collins to refuse it. Instead Collins borrowed Bretney's pistols and

9922-417: The rest throughout the regiment. In the spring of 1864 Gen. Grant directed that all units containing former Confederates would be employed on the western frontier. All of the former Confederates in the 1st Connecticut Cavalry were placed into Company G and on April 26, 1864, sent to Fort Snelling , Minnesota, also serving at Forts Ridgely and Ripley . On April 6, 1865, the remaining 40 former Confederates of

10043-629: The road ran to the Yuma Crossing into California and on to Los Angeles . This route became the Southern Emigrant Trail . From Los Angeles the goldfields could be reached by land over the two routes north, the old El Camino Viejo or by what became the Stockton – Los Angeles Road . During the Gold Rush era it was these routes by which many herds of sheep and cattle were driven to California and

10164-654: The road split to run either northwest to Los Angeles or west southwest to San Diego . From either of these towns, the traveler could continue north by land to the goldfields on the coast, via the El Camino Real , or over the Tejon Pass into the San Joaquin Valley by what would become the Stockton – Los Angeles Road or El Camino Viejo . Alternatively, they could take ships to San Francisco from San Diego or San Pedro . Galvanized Yankees Galvanized Yankees

10285-687: The road west, the Mormon Pioneer Trail. The trail started in Nauvoo, Illinois, traveled across Iowa, connected with the Great Platte River Road at the Missouri River, and ended near the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Generally following pre-existing routes, the trail carried tens of thousands of Mormons to a new home and refuge in the Great Basin. From their labors arose the State of Deseret , later to become

10406-476: The same name - Louis P. Guinard, also born in Quebec in 1840 - to come and help build this bridge. Louis P. came and worked for his uncle about three years, becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1863. He worked on the actual building of the bridge as well as keeping his uncle's financial records. Louis Guinard the uncle, fell from the bridge on June 6, 1865 and drowned, leaving the property to his nephew Louis P. Guinard, who took possession on July 15 of 1865. The will

10527-657: The short amount of time needed to reach the Pacific Coast . Rumors about how the sun always shone there and wheat grew as tall as a man attracted American settlers. The journey to the west was pleasant, but there were dangers and challenges along the route. There were diseases: cholera, measles, smallpox, and dysentery. Children were crushed under the covered wagon wheels, people drowned in rivers, were lost, starved, killed by Native Americans (very few settlers), froze to death, trampled by buffalo, or shot by accident. With these accidents, many settlers died. About 20,000 to 30,000 died on

10648-610: The site was part of the Nebraska Territory , Louis Guinard built a competing bridge at the trading post, called the Platte Bridge Station, at the site of the old Mormon Ferry crossing. From 1860 to 1861, the Pony Express operated a station at the site. By the middle 1860s, the increasing presence of emigrants and other white settlers in the region began to cause friction with the Lakota and Cheyenne . In response, and partly to protect

10769-553: The snow bound Sierra Nevada Mountains by linking up with the Old Spanish Trail in southern Utah and closely following it, with alterations to the route of the mule trails only to allow wagons to traverse it for the first time. Soon afterward it was the route Mormon settlers followed to southwestern Utah, a mission in Las Vegas and a settlement in San Bernardino, California . This wagon route, also called by some of its early travelers

10890-514: The south was the Mormon Trail from Nauvoo , Illinois to Salt Lake City , Utah Territory . During the twenty-five years 1841–1866, 250,000 to 650,000 people "pulled up stakes," and headed west along these trails. About one-third immigrated to Oregon, one-third to California and one-third to Utah, Colorado, and Montana. Although it is often stated that the Northern trails began in certain cities on

11011-568: The stage and telegraph lines until mustering out on July 14, 1866. see Ahl's Heavy Artillery Company Confederate recruitment of Union prisoners of war was authorized by Confederate Secretary of War James A. Seddon on September 30, 1864, after inquires from Gen. Braxton Bragg to recruit foreign-born prisoners. Seddon had as early as March 1863 granted discretionary permission to commanders including Gen. John Pemberton to recruit prisoners, but few if any, were actually enlisted. A concerted recruiting effort began on October 12 and continued to

11132-504: The station. At 7:00 a.m. a larger force forded the river east of the station and rode just out of rifle range, taunting the garrison. Collins and a small detachment of 25 men of the 11th Kansas crossed the Platte Bridge at a walk, then formed into a column of fours and rode west along the north bank at a trot to drive off any hostile Indians. Behind him, the contingent of the 3rd U.S.V.I. and its 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry escort crossed

11253-484: The time to get it probated or secured in a bank. He later filed claim to be compensated for Indian depredations but Major Bullock told him the will was lost or destroyed. Unable to produce the will, the case dragged on in the courts for more than 25 years before it was finally abandoned and Guinard was never compensated for his losses. In July 1865, accompanied by survivors of the Sand Creek Massacre which occurred

11374-494: The tracks at Egypt Station, a mile west of Aberdeen, Mississippi . On the evening of December 27, 1864, six members of Burke's Battalion deserted and made their way into the Union lines, where they reported the presence of the former prisoners and the likelihood that they would not resist any Union attack. The next morning Grierson's 1st Brigade advanced and came under fire from Confederate skirmishers, including Burke's Battalion, which

11495-467: The trading post known as Fort Union at the mouth of the Yellowstone , obliged to travel by steamboat through hostile territory. Four companies were present at Fort Rice, along with two companies of the 4th U.S.V.I., when a large force of Lakota and Cheyenne led by Sitting Bull attacked for three hours on July 28, 1865, making away with the entire horse herd and killing two soldiers. In October 1865,

11616-732: The trails pioneered by fur traders, the Oregon Trail from Independence , Missouri to the Oregon Territory developed crossing the central Great Plains , Rocky Mountains and northern Great Basin . People followed this trail to take advantage of the fertile land the government gave out. Branching off from that route, some pioneers traveled southwestward on the California Trail from Fort Hall , Oregon Territory to Sutters Fort , in Mexican Alta California. Also branching off to

11737-518: The wagon trains; however, of the 10,000 deaths that occurred from 1835 to 1855, only 4 percent resulted from Indian attacks. Cholera, smallpox, and firearms accidents were the chief causes of death on the trail. Food, water, and wood were always scarce, and the settlers often encountered contaminated water holes. During summer, the trail was crowded with wagon trains, army units, missionaries, hunting parties, traders, and even sightseeing tours. Some settlers complained that they sometimes had to start early in

11858-482: The west. However, desertion rates among the units of galvanized Yankees were little different from those of state volunteer units in Federal service. Galvanized troops of the U.S. Volunteers on the frontier served as far west as Camp Douglas , Utah; as far south as Fort Union , New Mexico; and as far north as Fort Benton, Montana . The National Park Service describes the origin of the expression "galvanized Yankee" in

11979-413: The wide ranging temperature changes common to the mountain highlands and high plains where a daylight reading in the eighties or nineties can drop precipitously to a frigid seeming nighttime temperature in the low 40s. In many treeless areas, buffalo chips were the most common source of fuel. During the Mexican–American War , the wagon to California road known as Cooke's Wagon Road , or Sonora Road ,

12100-427: Was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Independence, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880. Santa Fe was near the end of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro which carried trade from Mexico City. The route skirted the northern edge and crossed

12221-632: Was a term from the American Civil War denoting former Confederate prisoners of war who swore allegiance to the United States and joined the Union Army . Approximately 5,600 former Confederate soldiers enlisted in the United States Volunteers , organized into six regiments of infantry between January 1864 and November 1866. Of those, more than 250 had begun their service as Union soldiers, were captured in battle, then enlisted in prison to join

12342-455: Was apparently over-recruited in numbers. The battery moved to Fortress Monroe to train, where some members were induced to join the newly created 188th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Company C of the 4th Regiment Infantry, Delaware Volunteers is claimed to have been recruited in 1862 or 1863 from prisoners at Fort Delaware, but claims have not been substantiated through checks of muster rolls. The 11th Regiment Cavalry, Ohio Volunteers

12463-587: Was assigned to duty in the District of Upper Arkansas along the Santa Fe Trail from the Little Arkansas River to Fort Dodge , Kansas, and along the Cimarron Crossing to Fort Lyon , Colorado. From Fort Leavenworth the unit marched to Fort Riley , and stationed companies there and at Salem , Fort Ellsworth , Fort Larned , Fort Zarah and Fort Scott , Kansas . Companies F and G were involved in

12584-403: Was attacked approximately five miles to the west, within sight of the station, at around 11:00 a.m. According to the Indians the battle lasted about half an hour with one person escaping, a teamster, 22 troopers killed along with 8 Indian warriors. Many Indian warriors were wounded. The Indians, as was their custom, took no prisoners. However Army accounts state that the wagons were forced into

12705-657: Was built across Nuevo Mexico , Sonora and Alta California from Santa Fe, New Mexico to San Diego . It crossed what was then the northernmost part of Mexico. During the California Gold Rush the routes to California used were increased by the Siskiyou Trail from Oregon. In the south, the forty-niners used the Cooke Wagon Road, until some found a short cut, the Tucson Cutoff . This route, not closed to travel in winter, permitted travelers coming to New Mexico Territory on

12826-541: Was close in proximity to the River Platte—along which the eastern trails ascend to South Pass above Fort Laramie. ) The trails from these cities (and several others) converged in the mostly empty flatlands of central Nebraska near present-day Kearney , in the vicinity of Fort Kearney . From their confluence there the combined trails followed in succession the Platte , North Platte , and Sweetwater rivers westward across

12947-443: Was discovered in 1866 and Louis P Guinard stated that he was advised by Major Bullock, sutler at Ft. Laramie, that the will left him as sole owner of the property and that he should remain and hold possession of it. The U.S. troops occupied Guinard's buildings for three years during the Civil War. Louis P. Guinard stated that one of the officers promised him $ 1000 for use of the said buildings but he never received any payment. The bridge

13068-983: Was enlisted at the Alton and Camp Douglas prisoner camps in Illinois in March and April 1865 as a three-year regiment, then ordered to Fort Leavenworth on April 28, 1865, at the urging of Maj. Gen. Grenville Dodge , commanding general of the Department of the Missouri. From there it moved to Fort Riley between May 18 and May 28 to relieve units of the 2nd U.S.V.I. in guarding the Santa Fe Trail. In August three companies were sent to Fort Halleck , Idaho Territory (now Wyoming); two companies to Camp Wardwell , Colorado; two companies to Fort Lyon, and Company B to Denver for quartermaster duty. Companies saw periodic duty at Fort McPherson, Nebraska ; Fort Collins , Colorado; and Fort John Buford , Wyoming. Companies C and D, consisting mostly of former Union soldiers who had been captured after enlisting in

13189-402: Was ensconced in a stockade east of the rail line. After suffering a number of casualties, the 2nd New Jersey Cavalry responded with a charge in which it took severe casualties, including 22 dead, and lost 80 horses but captured more than 500 prisoners, among whom were Burke and 254 former Union soldiers from Burke's Battalion of the 10th Tennessee. Grierson's prisoners were shipped by steamer to

13310-471: Was given a mount from the regimental band. Among those leading the Indian warriors were Red Cloud and the famed warrior Roman Nose . George Bent , the half Cheyenne son of William Bent who survived the Sand Creek Massacre, participated in the battle as a Cheyenne warrior, and later wrote about it in his letters. At dawn numerous Indians were observed by sentinels on the surrounding hills observing

13431-444: Was later destroyed by Indians when the troops left in 1865, and with hundreds of Indians appearing on the opposite bank of the river, Guinard felt he had no choice but to leave for the protection of himself and his family. They had gone no more than 4 or 5 miles before he could tell from the smoke columns that the Indians were burning everything. Guinard had left his will in the safekeeping of Major Bullock at Ft. Laramie, having no way at

13552-552: Was ordered to the Department of the Missouri, arriving at Fort Kearny , Nebraska, April 9, 1865, where it was assigned to duty in the Districts of Nebraska and Colorado. Companies A and B were stationed at Fort Kearney; C and D at Cottonwood, Colorado ; E and F at Fort Rankin ; and G and H at Julesburg, Colorado , protecting overland mail routes from Indian attacks. Companies I and K were sent to Fort Laramie , and on May 15, 1865, were parceled out in small detachments along 300 miles of

13673-409: Was organized as a three-year regiment at Point Lookout on October 31, 1864, although only six companies could be induced to enlist. The quality of recruit was not as high as that of the earlier 1st U.S.V.I. The regiment waited at Portsmouth, Virginia, in hopes that more troops could be raised, but calls for men from the west led to its transfer to the frontier at the end of April 1865. 10% deserted before

13794-687: Was originally raised as four companies of the 7th Ohio Cavalry in October 1861. It was sent west for duty on the Indian frontier in February 1862 to resolve a political dispute after its commander refused to consolidate with the 6th Ohio Cavalry. Permanently detached and given the designation 1st Independent Battalion Ohio Cavalry , it arrived at Fort Laramie on May 30, 1862. Four additional companies were recruited between June 26 and July 31, 1863, including approximately 40 Confederate prisoners from Camp Chase who became members of Company E . Originally called to service to repel John Hunt Morgan's raid through Ohio,

13915-740: Was originally raised in November 1861 as the 1st Battalion Connecticut Cavalry , and campaigned in West Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley, and the Second Battle of Bull Run . In September 1863, authorized to expand to a regiment, the 1st Connecticut Cavalry while on Provost Guard at Camp Chesebrough in Baltimore, recruited 82 replacements from among Confederate prisoners kept at Fort Delaware , placing most in Company G (organized October 5, 1863) and spreading

14036-555: Was so heavy that bison herds could not reach important seasonal grazing land, contributing to their collapse which in turn hastened the decline of Comanche power in the region. The trail was used as the 1846 U.S. invasion route of New Mexico during the Mexican–American War. After the U.S. acquisition of the Southwest ending the Mexican–American War, the trail helped open the region to U.S. economic development and settlement, playing

14157-540: Was the only practical way for settlers in wagons without tools, livestock, or supplies to cross the mountains and usually thought critical to the settlement of the American West. Some of the first to travel the Oregon Trail were Christian missionaries, members of the Methodist Episcopal Church who established the Methodist Mission in 1834. Even though they didn't make many converts, they were impressed by

14278-567: Was the only unit of "galvanized Yankees" in Federal service to actively campaign against Confederate forces. At the end of hostilities it was assigned to the Department of Mississippi and garrisoned Natchez, Mississippi , through the summer of 1865. The battalion mustered out at Vicksburg on September 7, 1865. Battery M , 3rd Regiment Heavy Artillery, Pennsylvania Volunteers was raised in Philadelphia, then recruited prisoners at Fort Delaware in July and August 1863 to fill out its ranks. It

14399-547: Was used anyway as a route of travel and commerce between the eastern United States and California. In addition, ranchers drove many herds of cattle and sheep along this route to new markets. The San Antonio–San Diego Mail Line , operating in 1857–1858, largely followed this route, as did the Butterfield Overland Mail from 1858–1861. Tied in with the Santa Fe Trail and the San Antonio–El Paso Road , by

14520-571: Was used for more than 20 years after the Mormons used it and has been reserved for sightseeing. The initial movement of the Mormons from Nauvoo, Illinois to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake occurred in two segments: one in 1846 and one in 1847. The first segment, across Iowa to the Missouri River, covered around 265 miles. The second segment, from the Missouri River to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, covered about 1,032 miles. From 1846 to 1869, more than 4,600 Mormons died traveling along an integral part of

14641-549: Was wounded in the hip and shot in the forehead with an arrow while trying to aid a wounded soldier. The battle lasted only a few minutes, with Bent claiming that the Lakota and Cheyenne suffered only a few casualties. Bretney in a rage returned to the stockade and accused the Kansas officers of cowardice when Anderson refused to allow a larger force and the howitzer to attempt another relief. Anderson placed Bretney under arrest and turned over

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