Table Of ContentM ✯ W h
ilitary estern istory F
M
rom 1869 to 1874 Private Edward L.
F
C Matthews wrote a series of exceptionally detailed
C r o n t i e r and engaging letters to his family back home in
h Maryland describing his life in the Arizona and
r
New Mexico Territories. Eddie Matthews’s
Douglas C. McChristian, a retired research i
s C t letters, published here for the first time in their
historian for the National Park Service, is the t
ava l r y r o o p e r entirety, provide an unparalleled chronicle of
i
author of several books on the history of the a one soldier’s experiences in garrison and in the
F
“ n field in the post–Civil War Southwest.
American West, most recently Fort Laramie: rontier Cavalry Trooper, a newfound trea-
Personal accounts like Matthews’s letters
✯
Military Bastion of the High Plains.
were rarely written by enlisted men, many of
sure, is the best day-to-day account of an enlisted The Le tt e rs
whom were illiterate. The few who left any sort of
man in the American frontier army. In the hands F record kept only simple field diaries, recording
the day-by-day marches of troops on campaign
r
of editor Douglas C. McChristian, it becomes an with little color or perspective. Because
of Private Eddie Matthews
o
Matthews was better educated than most enlisted
instant Western classic.” n 1869–1874 men, he was detailed for various periods as either
t company or adjutant’s clerk and served for a time
as a company quartermaster sergeant. These
—R. Eli Paul, author of i
e positions frequently kept him in garrison where
Blue Water Creek and the First Sioux War, 1854–1856 r he had the time and means to write home with
some regularity.
C Eddie’s letters record a vivid chronicle of
day-to-day life in the frontier regulars. In this
a
respect, too, Eddie Matthews was exceptional.
v
His was not a later reminiscence clouded by time
a
and dimming memory. Included are operational
l details in his company, candid observations of
r people and places, intimate views of frontier
y society, and personal opinions that probably
would have been forgotten or moderated had he
t recorded his experiences later in life. More subtle
are his valuable references to the state of transpor-
r
tation and communication in the Southwest
university of NEW MEXICO press
o
during the early 1870s. The keen-eyed reader will
unmpress.com 800-249-7737
o note, for example, how he marks the progress of
p the Kansas Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka, &
isbn 978-0-8263-5226-2
e Santa Fe Railroads into the territories of Colorado
ËxHSKIMGy352262zv*:+:!:+:!
r and New Mexico, thus heralding the doom of
front jacket photograph: Courtesy of the Trustees major wagon roads like the Santa Fe Trail.
Edited by
of the Boston Public Library, Print Department. D C M C Matthews probably did not realize until later
jacket design: Catherine Leonardo ouglas C hristian years that he was not only a witness to the nation’s
.
rapid westward expansion but was himself a tiny
cog in the machinery that made it possible.
Frontier Cavalry Trooper
F
r o n t i e r
C t
ava l ry r o op e r
The Letters
of Private Eddie Matthews
✯ ✯
1869–1874
Edited by
D C M C
ouglas C hristian
.
University of New Mexico Press
Albuquerque
© 2013 by the University of New Mexico Press
All rights reserved. Published 2013
Printed in the United States of America
18 17 16 15 14 13 1 2 3 4 5 6
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Matthews, Eddie (William Edward) 1851–1932.
Frontier cavalry trooper : the letters of Private Eddie Matthews, 1869–1874 / edited by Douglas C.
McChristian.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8263-5226-2 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8263-5228-6 (electronic)
1. Matthews, Eddie (William Edward) 1851–1932—Correspondence 2. Fort Union (N.M.)—
History—19th century. 3. Indians of North America—Wars—1815–1875—Biography. 4. United
States. Army. Cavalry Regiment, 8th—Biography. 5. Soldiers—United States—Correspondence.
6. United States. Army.—Military life. 7. Frontier and pioneer life—New Mexico. 8. New
Mexico—History, Military—19th century. I. McChristian, Douglas C. II. Title.
F804.F67M37 2013
978.9’56—dc23
2012037665
design and composition: Catherine Leonardo
Composed in 10.5/14 Adobe Garamond Pro
Display type is Ashwood Condensed WF, Arcana GMM Std Manuscript, Helvetica Neue LT Std
For Jerome A. Greene
in appreciation for his friendship, guidance,
and encouragement through the years.
ConTenTs
✯
Illustrations viii
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction xi
chapter one “ Away from Home and Friends”
september–december 1869 1
chapter two “ His Throat Was Cut from Ear to Ear”
january–april 1870 35
chapter three “ Wind, Wind, and Sand All the Time”
may–december 1870 72
chapter four “We Only Shot to Scare Them”
january–december 1871 125
chapter five “Have Had All the Indian Fighting I Wish”
january–december 1872 147
chapter six “ Soldiers Are Not Given to Shedding Tears”
january–june 1873 193
chapter seven “I Shall Never Soldier Again”
july–december 1873 242
chapter eight “Every Day Is One Less for Me to Serve”
january–march 1874 298
chapter nine “When Eddie Comes Marching Home”
april–august 1874 337
Epilogue 393
Abbreviations Used in This Volume 400
Bibliography 401
Index 409
vii
IllusTraTIons
✯
figure 1: William E. Matthews 184
figure 2: Recruits drilling at Carlisle Barracks 184
figure 3: Triple-tier army bunk 185
figure 4: Fort Whipple, Arizona Territory 185
figure 5: Fort Union, New Mexico Territory 185
figure 6: Plan of Fort Union, 1877 186
figure 7: Company Quarters, Fort Union 187
figure 8: Sutler’s Store, Fort Union 187
figure 9: Las Vegas, New Mexico Territory, 1867 188
figure 10: Interior of Barracks Squad Room, ca. 1873 188
figure 11: Cavalrymen in the field, New Mexico Territory, 1867 188
figure 12: Eighth Cavalryman in the regulation full dress uniform 189
figure 13: District of New Mexico Headquarters Building, Santa Fe 189
figure 14: Gordon Granger as a Major General 189
figure 15: Plat of Fort Bascom, New Mexico Territory 190
figure 16: Colonel John I. Gregg, Eighth Cavalry 190
figure 17: First Lieutenant Edmund Luff 191
figure 18: Captain William McCleave, Eighth Cavalry 191
figure 19: Cavalry trooper wearing the full dress uniform
introduced in 1872 192
figure 20: Hospital at Fort Union, New Mexico Territory 192
Maps
map 1: Arizona Territory, 1870 34
map 2: Southwestern Frontier, 1865–1875 71
map 3: Fort Union Military Reservation 241
viii
aCknowledgmenTs
✯
A
uthors customarily give a nod of appreciation to their spouses at the
end of their acknowledgments, but in this instance I want to express my heartfelt
thanks to my wife, Frances, who contributed so much to this project. It was she,
in fact, who discovered the old issue of American History in which John Koster
first published a portion of the Matthews letters. She recognized that the article
would be of interest to me for another project in which I was already involved
and brought it to my attention. Neither of us could have imagined at that time
that her discovery would eventually lead to this volume. As work progressed a
few years later, Frances devoted many hours to scanning and formatting the
original typescript and proof-reading my manuscript to ensure the two agreed.
Additionally, her abilities as a native Spanish speaker proved extremely useful in
translating place names and terms found throughout the letters.
I am especially indebted to Dr. Robert L. Spude, a former National Park
Service colleague and my boss during the last few years of my career. Bob both
encouraged me to pursue this project and enthusiastically assisted by locating
Matthews family descendants, researching ownership and copyright issues,
ix
