Our Letter Box

The following was copied (as he wrote it) from a handwritten letter that I believe was written to the Natoma Independent. Solon True was a Civil War Vet who served in the Mid West fighting Indians. One of the family compiled all his letters and put it into a book that was passed around to all relatives of Solon True. It goes into detail about all the fights he had and who was killed or wounded at the time. The letters during that time where written to my grandmother, Sarah Birge True. Here is the letter I found today while working on family history:

Our Letter Box

Friend A. B. Brown, I saw the article in the Natoma Independent about the first Soldiers coming to the Saline, it is badly off, it was Company H 7t Iowa Cavalry according to my record which I have. Part of the Company was at F. Riley, we had 15 men at Saline and 15 at men at P Ellsworth or what was known then as the Freemont Bridge Crossing the Smoky Hill river. We built a black house there and had to escort the stage from Saline to Fort Lanard, always once and sometimes twice a week.

Besides the other escort duty we had to do, it was Sargent Renolds and 10 men that went up where the Moffit Boys were killed. It was Company G 7^th Iowa Cavalory that was stationed at Topeka Kans that relieved the Boys of Company H 7^th Iowa Cavalry after the Indians stampeded and after 8 of our company was killed between clear creek and Kenero. Company H, 2^nd Colored Cavalry came up to Fort Ellsworth and camped with us at the winter.

In the winter company I 3^rd U.S. one year men were stationed with us and some of H, Kansas Cavalry was there. Kit Carson camped with with us a while.

There was no Fort Dodge till the summer of 1865 it was called the Simeron crossing.

Fort Hays was established when the Butterfield line went up the Smoky Hill river and that was in Aug 1863.

The 2^nd Nebraska Cavalry camped at Fort Hays in the Spring of 1865, the 13^th and 14^th Misoura Cavalry came up to Fort Ellsworth and the rest of the 2^nd Colored Cavalry came up to walnut creek and established Fort Fero 3 miles east of where Great Bend now is.

It was the First of January 1864 that our company H 7^th Iowa Cavalry built Fort Ellisworth, when Company G 7^th Iowa Cavalry came up from Topeka Kansas, where we were stationed.

Our company all moved to Fort Ellisworth and stayed there till October 1865. My Captin was fort commander where our company left Fort Karmew. I was with Company B 16^th Kansas Cavalry at Fort Larmey, Wyoming we were ordered back to Fort Leavenworth. We left Farmie the 30^th day of May 1864 from Fort Leavenworth. I came up to Topeka and took 4 recuits for  company G 7^th Cavalry I came on up to Fort Riley, got there the 27^th day of June 1864, stayed there until the 10^th day of July and came on up to Fort Ellisworth with a squad of men to reinfore Fort Ellisworth I hadent been there 2 weeks until the Indians came to tired to take my rcalp they diddent get it but I got an arrow stuck into me, I was the first one of my company to get wounded, it was Sargent Renolds and Elmer and Silas Freeman that brought the dispatch to us that Presendant Lincoln had been assassinated. Curter 7^th was sent out here until we left, they were in Oct 1865 doing, prevost duty for I saw them there. I dont want, some other troop to get the honor for what our troop did I want to say when my camp got to Salina the Indians were all around the west side of twon. I have a record of my service from the time we left Davenport, Iowa, until I was discharged the records at Washington D.C. shows that 7^th Iowa Cavalry did more hard riding and fighting and held mor teritorythan any other regiment of the Frontier from 1863 untill 1866, during the Indian trick that was stationed from the Indian Territory to the Dakotas,

Written by, Solon True.