The Diary of Lieutenant Francis Henry French at Fort Clark, Texas 1883 (continued)

Monday, Oct. 15, 1883

No letter this morning to my great disappointment. At target practice did not make good scores. Papers this morning say that Gen. Augur is ordered to Leavenworth & Gen. Mackenzie to San Antonio. Having served under Gen M. before think the change will be very acceptable. Marched on Officer of the Day this morning. Visited the sentinels out with prisoners and then wrote a letter to enquire about the iron beds. Could not sell mine to Charlie, but shall try to sell it some other place. Visited sentinels with prisoners in the afternoon & after getting to my quarters felt rather sick. Studied Phonography, read Vanity Fair & played solitaire until retreat. In the evening had quite a hard attack of diarrhea compelling me to give up making a call on Capt. Lancaster. Sellmer, Bartlett & Towle called this evening. Visited the guard house at retreat & tattoo. After tattoo played solitaire a while & then went to sleep on the sofa in Capt. Vance's.

About 12:15 AM this morning woke up and inspected guard. Felt tired out from the diarrhea as it made me very weak. Was awakened at reveille & received the reports. Raining this morning a cold drizzle. No letters this morning. Col. Otis, 8th Cav'y. & Adjt. Hickey1 came up last night to make acquaintance of the 8th Cav'y. officers here, as Col. O. has just been promoted to the Colonelcy. He is almost as large as Col. Bliss, seems very pleasant & affable but hasn't much snap. Was relieved by Cunningham. Did not miss any duties yesterday or this morning. After guard mounting played billiards with Cunningham, but was quite weak from the attack last night. About noon took a long nap and feel much better. Studied Phonography & read Vanity Fair until retreat, when I reported "E" Co. as Capt. Vance went hunting this morning & Guard has gone to San Antonio for his wife. After dinner called on Col. Otis, Hickey & Capt. Lancaster to pay respects, and at Mrs. Heger's. My stomach was quite uneasy all evening. Several callers were here this evening. Col. Bliss is ordered to Arizona to sit on Col. Morrow's2 court. Mrs. B. Is on her way here.

Guard, Mrs. G. & Sully returned last night. Saw them about noon. Mrs. Guard is looking much better than ever before. Sellmer & Bartlett & Col. Towle breakfasted with us this morning. At noon went over to town to get a new pair of pantaloons,3 made from soldier's cloth to wear at Mayer's Springs and scouting. A letter came from home this morning, having been seven days en route. Wrote one home in the afternoon & one to Shunk to enquire about my package. Don’t understand why he has not written me about this. Studied Phonography & went out to the Seminole Camp. In the evening escorted Mrs. Kauffman to a little promenade concert. The floor was very sandy & the evening quite warm, so there wasn't much pleasure in dancing. Besides there were no young ladies there, which always detracts from the pleasure of any entertainment. After the dance had wine & cake with Mrs. Kauffman.

At target practice made a better score than ever before, but was vexed at the manner in which Capt. Vance spoke to me before the men. Put in requisition for clothing for some Seminoles this morning. No mail today. Lester breakfasted with us. He was a Captain in the 8th Cav'y, but left the service to speculate on Wall St. Losing all his money he returned as a 2nd Lt. to the same regiment. He is quite cheerful & gay and seems to be generally liked. The battery left this morning. Said good-bye to Capt. Lancaster & Sellmer at the office. Afterwards went to the store to read the papers. Then wrote letters to Lula & Father; to the former about a Christmas present for Mother; to the latter about Potter. Think he & Sue are thinking of marriage & Father wants me to learn all I can about him. Was very well pleased with him this summer, & think he will make Sue a good honorable husband. Studied Phonography and after dinner visited the Seminoles as usual. In the evening called on Mrs. Williams & Mrs. Guard, returning to my quarters after tattoo. Hope to get a letter from Shunk tomorrow. Got two bushels of pecans to send home today.

Did better shooting at target practice than before & got one leg at 200 yds. No mail this morning, confound it. Had a slight touch of diarrhea this morning. After guard mounting drew & issued clothing to some Seminoles. Then receipted to Guard for the property in the hands of the Seminoles. Hewitt, Guard & Dr. Maddox spent quite a long time here talking. Dr. M. is inclined to talk about matters that he knows nothing about with as much assurance as if he were perfectly familiar with them. Wrote a letter to Lizzie, T. Hoagland & to Adjutant General, when dinner was announced. Afterwards went to the Seminole Camp. In the evening called on Mrs. Heger, Mrs. Hall & on Eckerson. Was very close and oppressive today but a slight norther cooled the air in the evening.

No target practice this morning. Got a letter & bundle of papers from home & a postal from Shunk bringing word that the freight package will be at Spofford on Sunday or Monday. Had to punish White4 today for absence from stables last evening. Went to the Commissary's & then got the property of the Detachment from Guard & had some Seminoles carry it up to my room. Visited the Library & then came back to read the papers I received this morning. Studied Phonography & ruled a book to put in it the property each man has. Visited the camp before dinner taking a bath on returning. Maddox and Hewitt were at dinner having been hunting with Capt. Vance. About eight o'clock escorted Mrs. Maj. Morris to the hop in honor of Col. Otis, given by the cavalry. The floor was fine, music good, refreshments excellent. Drank too much champagne & punch for my own good, although I was not under the influence at all. Maj. Caraher was decidedly tipsy & tried to sing. As usual Maj. Smith made an ass of himself by appearing in a thin black sack coat and white pants. Most of us wore blouses at Col. Bernard's request, but it seems to me at such a reception full dress ought to be worn. Maj. Smith is making people disgusted with him more and more every day. It will be a big relief to the 19th when he goes out. Came home about 11-30 o'clock having enjoyed the evening very much.

Cool and comfortable today. Felt tired out this morning & had hard work to get up. Received notification from Q.M. General of correctness of account for last quarter '82. Guard & family took breakfast with us and spent a long time here after breakfast. What a happy couple they would be if Mrs. G. were not so selfish. Guard would gladly give his life for her, but in everything she says or does, the selfishness crops out. If it is not for her it is for Sully who is fast becoming a young rogue. Commenced a letter home after noon, but Eckerson came in & we talked with Capt. Vance for a long time & then took a walk out to the cemetery for exercise. I must take more exercise every day for my health. Did not finish the letter before dinner and after it went out to the camp & put down in the book all the property each man was responsible for. After returning finished the letter but did not get it over in time for this evening's mail. Afterwards went to church and escorted Mrs. Hall home. Then called on Miss Ffoulkes & played duets with her. Retired early feeling tired from last night.


1 Hickey, James Burke (1848-1928) USMA Class of 1871. Civil War enlisted service in the US Navy. He spent over 30 years in the 8th Cavalry, retiring in 1909 as the Colonel of the 14th Cavalry.

4 White, Lewis (1831-Unk) was a Scout from 1874-1884. He is buried in the Seminole Indian Scout Cemetery.

Francis Henry French was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on September 27, 1857. Deeply impressed from his youth by the stirring deeds and stories told by veterans of the Civil War, he realized his ambition for a military career by entering the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York where he graduated twelfth from the class of 1879. He was assigned as 2nd Lieutenant of “E” Company, 19th Infantry and came west. Following service at Fort Garland, Colorado Territory, and Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the regiment moved to Fort Brown at Brownsville, Texas where Lieutenant French was detailed as the Regimental Adjutant. In December 1882 the 19th Infantry was posted to Fort Clark. At Fort Clark, on January 1, 1883, Lieutenant French began diaries, which he faithfully maintained for the next thirty years. The Fort Clark period of these diaries from 1883-1888 and his letters home are an intriguing window to late 19th century Army life at Fort Clark and to the American experience of the Victorian era. Lieutenant French’s command of the famed Seminole- Negro Indian Scouts is particularly noteworthy as the young officer developed a lifelong respect for the scouts as soldiers and men. Lieutenant French is a caring and sensitive man with opinions on people and politics. He is a bachelor immersed in the “society” of the regiment and Fort Clark. However, always in the background is his profession of being a soldier and an officer, which he takes quite seriously. The fascination of any diary is of course the private thoughts and observations of another human being, revealed, and in this case the direct link to local history. What the diary truly brings to light is the complex society of a regiment at a frontier post amid the tedium of garrison routine and soldiering, all of which serve to season the young officer. The reader can’t help but become engrossed in the almost soap opera like situations and personalities observed and commented upon on a daily basis by the very perceptive Lieutenant. French falls in and out of love and debt, and is the consummate social butterfly as he takes full advantage of his bachelor status. 


Submitted by Fort Clark Heritage Council - Bill Haenn, FCHC Senior Historian. Fort Clark Heritage Council is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, established in 2023, to advocate for the preservation and protection of the architecture and other historic resources in the Fort Clark National Register Historic District… committed to endorsing and promulgating the rich history of Fort Clark by expanding upon related educational and research efforts.