WE REACH FORT EARNED 



that a few miles out in any direction we would 

 find them numerous again. 



To my comrades and me the country about 

 Fort Earned was familiar ground. As already 

 stated, our company — K of the old First Cavalry, 

 afterward changed to Fourth Cavalry — had built 

 and occupied the original military post, called 

 "Camp Alert," in the adjoining bend of the 

 creek, below Fort Earned, in the fall of '59, when 

 the Kiowas were on the war-path. During that 

 winter we had been stationed there, escorting the 

 Santa Fe mails and giving what protection we 

 could to travel on the roads to New Mexico and 

 the Pike's Peak gold region. By the following 

 spring (i860), the War Department had ordered a 

 permanent post established at or near "Camp 

 Alert," to be called Fort Earned. This post was 

 built by the two companies of Second Infantry 

 that were sent to relieve us, while we, joining 

 Major Sedgwick's command from Fort Riley, went 

 on the Kiowa expedition. 



My two years of hard service along the Arkansas 

 gave me an interest in everything that had hap- 

 pened in this part of the country, and I kept my 

 soldier visitors plied with questions about persons 

 and events until the approach of sunset warned 

 them to return to the post to prepare for dress 

 parade. 



Tom and Jack remained at the garrison till after 

 dress parade and then joined me in time for the 

 supper which I had prepared. 



IIS 



