Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 16.djvu/52



44 WILLIAM H. PACKWOOD

"I was one of the 25 men, and as soon as the regiment was out of view, Captain Morris moved camp across Salt creek on the east side, and called it Camp Scott. By the 5th of June Captain Morris had his quartermaster and commissary supplies and train ready for the trip. General Wilson and family, Dr. Birdsall and his daughter, Sophia, and Milton S. Latham, afterwards senator from California (later Miss Bird- sail became Mrs. Latham).

"Mr. Latham left us near Fort Kearney and returned and came around by water to California. Major Reynolds, regi- mental paymaster, with two wagons and money for the regi- ment, joined us. With Major Reynolds was M. P. Deady, then a young shock-headed roustabout, called the 'Red Headed Blacksmith' by our men.

"All being ready, on the 5th of June, 1849, Captain Morris, with Lieutenant Haynes of the artillery in command, broke camp for California. We were five months to a day reaching Sacramento. We were possibly the last train on the road, and our stock suffered fearfully. Out of over 200 head of horses and mules we reached the summit of the Sierras on October 25 with one little light wagon, and I think about 19 head of horses and mules. This was one of the cholera years, and a year in which a large emigration had passed on before us, and, in places, on account of sickness, trains were laid over, and in consequence the grass was stripped far from the line of travel. Many a time we sent our stock as much as seven miles for feed.

"When we reached the Humboldt we had to guard and herd our stock every night, as the Indians were very trouble- some. The Indians stampeded our stock twice. Some of our animals were found and recovered 15 miles from camp. There had been given us a 30-foot rope and an iron picket pin with a ring in the top to tie the rope in. The iron pin was 12 to 14 inches long and three-fourths of an inch thick. With a stam- pede or break loose, as soon as our horses got on the run the pins would be jerked from the ground and go flying in the