428 



RECREA TION. 



can be trained in 6 weeks to 2 months. It re- 

 quires 6 months to break in a full train of all 

 green mules. Since 1885 over 500 mules have 

 been broken into the pack service, at Camp 

 Carlin, and sent to do service with the 

 various commands in Texas, Arizona and 

 Montana. The mules are bought at St. 

 Louis. None over 6 or under 4 years of age 

 are taken and none under 850 pounds in 

 weight. Animals found to be vicious are 

 not kept in the pack service but are turned 

 over to the tender mercies of the " mule 

 skinners " of the wagon trains. 



The pack service has always been used 

 to some extent in the army, but it was put 



of the past 25 years. On the march the po- 

 sition of the trains is alongside the Cavalry, 

 giving the troops the right of way. In a 

 fight the pack train, with all superfluous 

 baggage and horses, is usually placed in 

 the centre of the command. 



" The first big fight I went into with 

 Crook," said Col. Moore, " was at the 

 Rosebud. The battle was in the bad lands 

 and the country was so rough the men had 

 to do most of the fighting dismounted. Be- 

 fore the fight the General said to me: ' Now 

 Moore, when we get into this fight what do 

 you intend to do?' 'Keep in the middle 

 of it,' I said, ' so you can defend your sup- 



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THE DIAMOND HITCH. 



BUNCHING THE TRAIN. 



into its present efficient state by Col. 

 Moore, who in 1867, under orders of Gen. 

 Crook, organized the service as it is now 

 conducted and established a central depot 

 for training and drilling men and mules. 

 Col. Moore has been in all the important 

 Indian campaigns in the West. From 1867 

 until 1871 he was with Gen. Crook in Idaho, 

 California and Oregan, taking part in the 

 subjugation of the Piutes in these States. 

 From 1871 to 1875 ne was with Crook in 

 the Apache campaigns, and in 1875 and 

 1876 in the big campaign against the Sioux 

 nation in Wyoming, Montana and Dakota. 

 In 1877 Col. Moore and his pack train were 

 with Gen. Merritt and Col. Hart in the 

 memorable chase across Idaho, Wyoming 

 and Montana after the celebrated Chief Jo- 

 seph and his band of Nez Perces. In 1885 

 Moore had several pack trains in the 

 Apache campaign, with Gen. Miles, and his 

 men and mules were in the famous forced 

 marches in Arizona which ended with 

 Geronimo's capture. Col. Moore's last 

 field service was in the winter of 1890 and 

 1891 in the Pine Ridge campaign. Eight 

 hours after the outbreak, in response to a 

 telegram from Gen. Brooke, Col. Moore 

 had 2 trains ready for the field. 



Col. Moore and his pack trains have 

 shared with the troops almost every battle 

 with the Indians in the various campaigns 



plies while you are defending yourselves.' 

 ' That's all right,' said Crook, and we went 

 into the affair just that way and adopted 

 the same tactics always afterward." 



" Mules are not so easily stampeded as 

 horses," continued the Colonel. " Once in 

 Idaho, when we were moving supplies with- 

 out an escort, we were surprised at night by 

 a party of Indians who tried to run off the 

 train. We had 3 full pack trains and 

 2 night herders out with each. The In- 

 dians raised a big commotion and whooped 

 and yelled and fired into the herd, but the 

 mules, instead of running, huddled into a 

 bunch and crowded around the bell horses 

 until we drove the Indians away. Seven- 

 teen mules were shot during the scrim- 

 mage but not an animal was run off." 



Col. Moore is looked upon, in army cir- 

 cles, as an authority on army supply 

 transportation. He has letters from Gen. 

 Crook, Gen. Merritt and other Indian 

 fighters endorsing and approving his views 

 on the superiority of pack train over wagon 

 service in army operations in the West. 



He has had offers from the French gov- 

 ernment to superintend the organization 

 of a pack train service from the French 

 army in Algiers, and from the British 

 to organize a like service in the Soudan; 

 but prefers remaining in his present posi- 

 tion. 



