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Old 02-19-2009, 02:37 PM
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[Bradley, Reginald A., C Troop, 4th Cavalry, interview by Rickey, Don, Jr., at Grass Valley, Calif., 1968, typescript in Arizona Historical Society, Tucson.]

In November 1889 Reginald A. Bradley was an out-of-work cowboy drifting along the rail-road tracks from Deming, New Mexico, westward. Along his way, he ran across a heliograph station where a Sergeant Griffin, a signalman, told him about Army life in the Southwest, an adventure that consisted of “chasing Apaches.” He decided to join the Army and continued his journey along the railroad." “After only a few days of training, I began regular duty in the troop.” Bradley found himself working in the barracks orderly room checking the payrolls for Major Noyes. He had the advantage of an English education. The office was a tiny cubicle, about 10 x 10 feet, and housed the first sergeant's bunk and the troop library. Bradley became the troop clerk working for 1st Sgt. Kerr, a Tennessean who was well liked and “had everything to do with running the troop—officers didn't do much like that."There was little to do in the way of entertainment. Bradley stayed at the post most of the time. Some of his friends would go on pass to Willcox, “the closest real town.” Bradley recalled that the “soldiers spent their money there and were quite welcome. Bowie Station was nothing, just a way station; a depot.” He said, however, that there were “a bunch of prostitutes camped outside the post.” Bradley would go into Dos Cabezas, the nearest settlement to Bowie. He called it an old Mexican town” were “there were all kinds of things going on...prostitutes and everything like that.The commanding officer didn't trouble himself about it.”

One of the favorite pastimes in the Army has always been gambling. It was no different during Bradley’s enlistments. He elaborated: There's always gambling after pay day. I don't remember any professional [civilian]gamblers allowed at Fort Bowie. I think the commanding officer kept them out, but [the soldiers] used to gamble among themselves. There were men in the fort, who I think were professional gamblers; who would actually enlist just for the opportunity to gamble. They'd put the money in a bank; then they'd serve their time or desert. There were enlisted men who used to gamble until all the money got in to the hand of one or two—then they'd quit. I think those one or two were, in this sense, professional gamblers. Gambling was done openly, in the quarters on the bunks—no attempt was made to stop it."All Bradley could relate about his living quarters was that the quarters had “a row of bunks on each side, with a big pot-bellied stove that kept the quarters warm.” They were adobe buildings with a “thin plaster outside that keeps the rain from digging in and destroying the wall.” He speculated that the adobe buildings would “last hundreds of years.” Some adobe foundations at Fort Huachuca, where they were constantly cared for, have lasted over 100 years. But at Fort Bowie,which would be abandoned in October 1894, they deteriorated rapidly.When the garrison was alerted to take to the field, it could pack its supplies on mules and be ready for the trail in three hours. There was no need to issue ammunition for each soldier “kept his own belt of ammunition with him all the time in the barracks.” Rounds for his sidearm, he kept in his pockets. In what he termed a “hard chase after Apaches,” Bradley said the troop would “ride to the scene of trouble as fast as possible—with arms, supplies on pack animals, and two canteens each of precious water.” The water was a precious commodity in Arizona. The cavalryman exclaimed,“I should say water was scarce away from the post! I donut believe we took a drink or stopped between Fort Bowie and Rucker Canyon that night [on patrol]—40 miles. You know, all this talk about 100-mile rides. I read about ‘em, but I don't believe half of ‘em. They might of took the 100 mile ride all right but they took ‘em in two days. Soldiering was a hard, dry business in southern Arizona 78 years ago." He was able to save some of his clothing allowance by not drawing blankets or new uniforms-forms. He would buy blankets at a dollar each from potential deserters or men about to be dis-charged. This was a savings of three or four dollars over the cost of having one issued and deducted from his clothing account. And he bought a full dress tunic second hand, “wore it for five years and then sold it.” The dress uniform was worn by the troopers only on Sunday morning parade and, Bradley said, “then they'd only have it on for an hour or two."And there was the matter of style. According to Bradley, “when a person joined he was issued a suit of clothes; later he threw it to one side and purchased non-commissioned officers cloth,which was better, and had the troop tailor make a suit of clothes. Nearly all the men had this kind of suit of clothes, except for someone who just joined. The issue clothes were pretty tough looking.” Remembering the first Army clothes he was issued, Bradley complained “they had two or three sizes and just threw you out a suit of clothes.

"Private Bradley explained about his weapons: “you had to sign up for sabers and guns and cartridge belts.” The young trooper had qualified as a marksman and sharpshooter. He said, “I had the same carbine all the time—one did, except if the bore is not right. When you got a gun you knew, you wanted to keep it, because you could shoot better with that one than any other.” The NCO in charge of the barracks would padlock the carbines in a round rack each evening and “it was his duty to see that all the guns were in there, or accounted for."He considered the horses at Fort Bowie as good. "They're always inspected by the officers,and tested out. I had a pretty good horse, but he wasn't half broke. I had a lot of breaking to do."In one month [October] at Huachuca the 2d Cavalry reported turning into the Quartermaster ten unserviceable horses.Bradley gave this picture of the daily life at Fort Bowie, Arizona, in 1890, a routine in which he said “day followed day, with little break."The first call was at 0615 hours, although he added that the time changed “all the time.” Reveille was at 0625 when you actually jumped out of bed. By 0630 “you fall in for roll call by 1st Sgt....in complete uniform—with your tunic buttoned up.” Before breakfast cavalrymen could expect to put in an hour of stable duty. “Each morning we went to care for our horses for an hour, then ate our breakfast of black coffee and baked hash."Fatigue call was at 0715. “Outside the 1st Sgt’s office is a bulletin board, where you can find out what you're supposed to do the next day. I was lucky,” he said, “[i] usually had fatigue walking around behind the c.o.” Although Bradley found that “there was lots of work around a post like that,” he didn't think the garrison was overworked. “There was always old guard fatigue. When they came off guard they didn't do anything but groom horses for an hour. The next day, with a sergeant or a corporal, they'd go out and saw wood or do something up at the officers’ quarters."There was a sick call at 0730 when the sick men were “marched up to the doctor at the hospital on the hill.” If “you had some business at the adjutant's office, then you went up to take care of it” at orderly call. According to Bradley, they didn't have drill call every day but “just layed up on our bunks in the quarters.” Bradley did not remember ever being on the rifle range while with his troop at Fort Bowie. When they did have mounted drill, it was "on the flats of San Simeon Valley—a dry place of cactus and spikes."During mounted drill, they were in charge of the first sergeant because they only had one officer. “The troop was always divided into two platoons, and the 1st Sgt. was always in command of the first platoon and the 1st duty Sgt. of the second platoon.” The desert scrub and cacti of the Arizona desert made its demands upon horsemanship. During mounted drill Bradley remembered galloping across the desert on a fine horse when his saber "caught on a mesquite bush and dragged me right off the horse.... It didn't seem to hurt me, I caught my horse and got on again."After drill they would have afternoon stables with the NCOs grooming their own mounts and the enlisted men would groom the remainder, taking turns with the animals at the command of “change horses.” Retreat was at 1700 and the men were assembled outside the barracks. “The 1st Sgt. called the names, then the adjutant comes out and hears ‘Troop C, 4th Cavalry present or accounted for. "This was followed by Mess Call at 1715. The fare was repetitious. “When in post," Bradley reported, “we just had meat and potatoes.” Tattoo, First Call, followed. Another roll call was taken at 2100 when the “non-commissioned officers in charge would just walk around and see that the fellows were there.” Taps was at 2300 and the NCOs “checked men in bunks; they were always looking to see if anyone had run off." Some men were detailed to sleep in the stables to act as a guard. The stable guard was a fulltime assignment, Bradley related “There was a man detailed who stayed down there all the time—even slept there—did nothing else but show up once in a while for inspection.”

[Bradley, Reginald A., C Troop, 4th Cavalry, interview by Rickey, Don, Jr., at Grass Valley, Calif., 1968, typescript in Arizona Historical Society, Tucson.]
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