Show description

32 This was in the heart of Comanche country, and since the European American settlements were pushing further into territory the Indians regarded as their own, from time to time violence broke out. It was understood that the bands of Comanches and other tribes that visited the fort were at best fickle friends. Nevertheless, shortly after his arrival at the post, Dodge set aside his prudent caution and allowed himself to be hoodwinked. A party of Lipan Apaches camped near the post and gave every evidence of friendly feeling.

He was a good duty officer—a faithful subordinate who, without sacrificing the respect that was due him officially, worked energetically and with good judgment to comply with orders. 70 The adjutant—whether of a post, a regiment, a department, or the entire army— was the individual through whose office all official communications relating to the work of that military unit passed. Orders issued by the commanding officer—in the case of the Eighth Infantry in 1854, Lieutenant Colonel Seawell71—were promulgated through his adjutant.

Dodge thus developed a wary distrust of the “friendly” Indians he encountered. He knew that as potential enemies they deserved his respect, for they were expert horsemen, wily tacticians who avoided battle except on their own terms, and heartless victimizers of those who fell into their hands. Noble savages, à la Rousseau and Chateaubriand, they were assuredly not. Still, some of the Indians who served as guides and scouts at Fort Martin Scott were natural gentlemen—honest, faithful, and courageous.