I became well satisfied with my new station; there was plenty to eat and little to do, and pleasant surroundings. I was appointed adjutant and had to look after the guard and the bakehouse and the drilling of the company. Capt. Jones continued in command;⁶ Lieut. Slaughter was quartermaster and commissary, and Mrs. Slaughter, who was the only lady at the post, managed the mess, where we all took our meals. Dr. Haden was the Post Surgeon; he had ridden to meet us before our arrival. He was a courteous and refined Southerner, of blonde complexion and affable manners, and not obtrusive in his southern sentiments. There was also a Dr. Wallace, brother of Capt. Wallace, of the Fourth Infantry, who desired to become post sutler.

TODO

Investigate Wallace

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August Valentine Kautz

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1

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Generally the names of individuals will be further identified in the biographical section of this work.

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Palouse River (Wikipedia) The Palouse River is a tributary of the Snake River in Washington and Idaho, in the northwest United States. It flows for 167 miles (269 km) southwestwards, primarily through the Palouse region of southeastern Washington. It is part of the Columbia River Basin, as the Snake River is a tributary of the Columbia River.

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He [John Miller Haden] was a courteous and refined Southerner, of blonde complexion and affable manners, and not obtrusive in his southern sentiments.

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Nothing Worthy of Note Transpired Today (archive.org) The transcribed journals of Civil War General August Valentine Kautz that detail his daily life and activities during his post at Fort Steilacoom in 1850.

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https://archive.org/details/nothing-worthy-of-note-transpired-today-the-northwest-journals-of-august-v.-kautz/page/n31/mode/2up

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My relations with my fellow-officers were pleasant. Lieut. Jones, my first commanding officer, whom I should more properly speak of as Floyd Jones, had a number of peculiarities, but was on the whole a good commanding officer. He was a man of good habits, and very reputable in his personal conduct. We only differed on one subject. He affected too much devotion to the conventionalities of aristocracy and family inheritance. He laid claim to blue blood himself, and maintained that small hands and small feet were a sign of good lineage. He was conspicuous for being the only man in the country who changed his shirt every day, which, in those days, certainly exhibited unpardonable pride.

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To add to the romance of the surroundings, some Indians approached within view; they were about to get into a canoe. One of them told us that they were from far away down the Sound; he was a boy, much darker than the Indians of our neighborhood, but with light, clear eyes, and an intelligent expression. Indeed he was surprisingly handsome, but like all Indians he was dirty, with nothing on but a soiled hickory shirt. On his back he ‘carried a basket of small potatoes which he had obtained from the soldiers. Later, as twilight came on, the clear surface of the water was marked by the light gliding of Indians in their canoes, spearing for fish, of which there was great abundance. They filled the air with their wild discordant songs. It revealed the poetry of Indian life, to which the many stern realities bear a sad contrast.