Desertions from Fort Morgan

At times, desertion was a major problem in the military. By no means a daily occurrence, monthly reports note how many soldiers – generally enlisted men – deserted during the month.

Notes were also made of soldiers captured and placed under arrest, sometimes court martialed, sometimes placed back into service. As can be seen on the following chart, desertions were relatively rare with occasional spikes (one of which, that of January, 1867, was detailed in the book In View of the Mountains).


The spike in desertions in September, 1865 seems an anticipation of a general mustering out of troops stationed at the fort. Companies A, D & G, 1^st Colorado Cavalry left the fort in October and were mustered out in November; Companies G & H, 3^rd U. S. Volunteer Infantry and Company B, 6^th U. S. Volunteer Infantry also left the fort in October and were mustered out in November; and Company D, 1^st Michigan Cavalry was released from duty on October 5, 1865. The smaller spike in June, 1866 could also be explained by the anticipated mustering out of Companies C, D, & E of the 21^st New York Cavalry stationed at the fort – the last of the Civil War units, but not all deserters in this month were members of the 21^st New York Cavalry.

Court Martial - 18th U. S. Infantry

In June, 1866 the regular army took over the post with the arrival of the 18^th U. S. Infantry under the command of Major Lyman M. Kellogg. One reason desertions were common in the west was the draw of the mountains – and the gold that might be found there. Once soldiers came within sight of the mountains, the temptation for some was too great and they deserted - heading west.

    

On June 14^th, 1866 three privates from Company D of the 18^th U. S. Infantry, James M. Lane, William F. Smith, and Orange D. McLain, deserted taking with them horses, saddles, bridles, and rifles. The deserters were pursued and captured 18 miles west of Camp Collins.

The soldiers’ court martial coincided with the visit to Fort Wardwell of General John Pope and his entourage. The court martial was convened by the General himself and sitting in judgment were Brigadier General John W. Davidson, Major James Sawyer, Captain Frank H. Phipps, 1^st Lieutenant Joseph Hale, and 2^nd Lieutenant J. N. Wheelan with Major James F. Meline serving as Judge Advocate. The men were charged with desertion and theft with an additional charge of Disobedience of Orders levied at Private Smith as he had been charged with guarding the stables on the night of the desertion. 

The soldiers plead guilty on all charges and were found guilty by the court. The sentence for Privates Lane and McLain was forfeiture of pay, a dishonorable discharge, and ten years of hard labor served at a prison in Jefferson City, Missouri. Private Smith was sentenced “to be shot to death with musketry”. Private Smith’s sentence was later commuted to ten years of hard labor also to be served in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Mass Desertion - 7th U. S. Cavalry

On January 14, 1867, almost immediately after Captain Sheridan took command of Fort Morgan, all hell broke loose. Thirty soldiers under Sheridan's command deserted en masse stealing horses and heading south along the Cut-off, robbing a stagecoach along the way. Though desertions were a common occurrence, losing 30 soldiers at once was uncommon. 

Contrary to news reports, the men didn’t appear to be traveling together, but in groups of 2 or 3. Also contrary to the myth that built up around these deserters, about a third of the men were re-captured some returning to service. The deserting men can be gleaned from the muster rolls of the 7^th U S Cavalry, Company L:

Corp. William G. Abrams	Pvt. Clement F. Ames	Pvt. Joseph Arthurs
Pvt. James Anderson	Pvt. Adolphus M. Bremer	Pvt. Peter Dyke
Pvt. Nicholas Fleming	Corp. George W. Galindo	Corp. Philip Gleason
Sgt. Don A. Griswold	Corp. Samuel W. Harmer	Pvt. Cristopher Hoff
Pvt. John Kelly	Pvt. Joseph Kretschmer	Pvt. Joseph Lemons
Pvt. Couger Monroe	Pvt. John McCuskey	Pvt. Lawrence Murrey
Pvt. William Mathews	Pvt. John Owen	Pvt. George Patterson
Corp. Samuel Ray	Pvt. Henry H. Roberts	Pvt. John H. Scooley
Pvt. Decatur Simpson	Pvt. Henry Snider	Pvt. George W. Stephens
Sgt. Esi D. Woodbury	Pvt. Joseph Young	Pvt. Charles Spaine*
		* Unclear if Pvt. Spaine deserted

John Kelly and William Abrams were both arrested on January 25 and Peter Dyke, George Stephens, and Joseph Kretschmer on January 26^th. The following week, Joseph Lemons was arrested. Henry Snider was arrested in February and on April 5^th, Samuel Ray, Decatur Simpson, and Joseph Young were arrested near Fort Wallace, Kansas, later to be joined by Couger Monroe. Some of the men returned to service (Dyke, Kelly, Snider, Young) and even re-enlisted (Abrams and Kretschmer) and were with their Company – and Custer – at the Battle of Little Bighorn nearly ten years later. A few escapted from confinement and re-deserted (Lemons, Monroe, Ray, Simpson, and Stephens)   . There is no trace of the remaining deserters who either were able to effect their escape likely changing their names or perishion on the cold winter plains. 

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Sources: 

1. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Returns from U.S. Military Posts 1800-1916. Microfilm Serial: M617; Microfilm Roll: 808
2. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; national archives record group 153: Records of the Judge Advocate General’s Office (Army), Entry 15: Court-Martial Case Files, 1809-94. 7E3: 14/17/6. Box #2136; Private James M. Lane, Company D, 18^th U. S. Infantry (6/1866). Court-Martial Case File #00-1648
3. M. V. Sheridan to Chauncy McKeever, January 17, 1867, Bloedorn Research Center, Fort Morgan Museum (Fort Morgan, Colorado).
4. Muster Rolls of the 7^th U S Cavalry, Company L