Chapter 32: The Expedition Sets Out
Crossing the Cascade pass in late June brought the mule train weather of every kind. They had rain, hail, snow, and wind as they wended their way along the mountain trail, careful not to slip on the wet scree.
“I’ll be damn glad when we reach Klamath,” Joel muttered to the boys as they shivered in camp on the morning of June 22. “I wouldn’t have signed up if I’d known we’d be stuck in the mountains. I was told we’d be explorin’ the desert country east of here.”
When they rode into Fort Klamath the next afternoon, a corporal greeted them at the stables. “You’ve made your last run to Jacksonville,” he said. “Cap’n Kelly heard from Drew.”
“That right?” Sergeant Geisy said with a grin. “We’ll be doin’ real militia work now?”
Will and the other packers crowded around the corporal to see what he knew. But all he said was, “Ain’t sure when we’re headin’ out. Kelly says he’ll call muster tomorrow mornin.’ Seven o’clock sharp.”
“What do you think?” Will asked Joel while they unpacked the mules and rubbed down their mounts. “Will we leave soon?”
“We’ll have to wait till morning,” Joel replied. “As long as I’m gettin’ paid, I’d rather rest in camp awhile.”
June 23, 1864. We may be done running the supply train. I hope we leave on the expedition soon. I’m curious about Lt. Col. Drew.
Will thought he would sleep well, given the relative comfort of their camp at the fort compared to the mountain cold. But he tossed and turned well after midnight, wondering where the militia would send him next.
“Joel?” Will whispered when Joel staggered into bed after drinking with other packers and soldiers.
“Huh?”
“How long will we be on reconnaissance with Colonel Drew?”
“How should I know? Go to sleep.”
But Will couldn’t relax. Joining the expedition was the most exciting thing he’d ever done, and the real journey was about to start.
“Colonel Drew has been detained in California,” Captain Kelly began after the cavalry and packers assembled the next morning. The captain looked peeved at the groans that followed—he seemed as eager as the rest of the men to get underway.
“But he is on his way,” Kelly continued. “We are to leave Fort Klamath on June 28, next Tuesday. He will catch up to us as we travel toward the Sprague River.”
Cheers arose from some of the cavalry. Joel remained stoic. “Not much time in camp,” he muttered. “Won’t have a minute’s rest whilst we’re packin’ provisions for the trek.”
But Will grinned. He’d be seeing unfamiliar territory soon. Even the thought of pulling mules for weeks on end didn’t daunt his spirits.
Still, as Joel predicted, the men worked from dawn to dusk for the next few days. They checked and rechecked their horses’ and mules’ hooves. They rubbed down the animals, making sure the beasts were healthy. They packed and repacked the mules’ panniers, cramming as much as they could into the leather bags and tying on odd-shaped tools and harness pieces that wouldn’t fit anywhere else.
Will and Jonah were given four mules each for the expedition. Joel took eight, as did a few of the other experienced packers, with most of the men taking six beasts. Only one wizened old packer, a man named Felix Bagley, led just four mules like the boys.
“That’s twice as much weight to lift as we had on the supply runs,” Jonah complained.
“So it is,” Joel said. “But it ain’t much harder to lead four mules than two. You’ll get the hang of it.”
That week, all men were furnished with rifles, even the packers. The cavalry also had Colt revolvers and sabers, but Captain Kelly refused to issue the packers those military weapons.
Sergeant Crockett, the quartermaster, supervised the packing. He argued with the packers over whether the mules could carry more. “We got the quartermaster’s wagon,” he told them. “An ambulance wagon and a third wagon. But the rest of our provisions must go by mule. Load ’em up. Leastwise, this time we’ll be eatin’ from their loads—they’ll get lighter each day. So start as heavy as we can.”
June 27, 1864. Rained today, our last day at Klamath. Tomorrow we leave! Sgt. Crockett is a tough taskmaster. Drew can’t be any tougher.
On June 28, the expeditionary force finally left Fort Klamath and headed southeast. The force consisted of forty-seven men from Company C of the First Oregon Cavalry Militia under the command of Captain Kelly. The cavalry unit also had a surgeon and several civilian employees, including a guide, a blacksmith, three teamsters, and two Indian scouts.
Two teams of Army mules pulled two wagons and a hired team pulled a third wagon. In addition, fourteen civilian packers, including Joel, Jonah, and Will, handled eighty-six pack mules. Sergeant Geisy and his cavalry squad guarded the packers, as they had on the supply runs.
June 28 was the first time the entire company traveled together. Despite several days of preparation, Will was appalled at the lack of organization. He’d thought the military always moved in aligned ranks, but Captain Kelly let the men spread out along the trail, most of the cavalry in front and packers next. The wagons brought up the rear, except for a small cavalry guard behind them.
The mules all carried between four hundred and four hundred twenty-five pounds. In addition, the three wagons were filled to the brim. The supplies needed for so many men headed into rough country amazed Will. “Why do we need all this stuff?” he asked Joel, gesturing at the long line of mules and wagons. “And how will we get it through the mountains?”
“Some of it’s your food,” Joel said. “Wagons also carry blacksmith tools, ammunition, medical supplies, whatever Sergeant Crockett thinks we might need. Just do your job like a man. And keep your mouth shut.”
Captain Kelly led the company almost due south toward a marsh at the north end of Upper Klamath Lake, then they traveled east up a ridge on the far rim of the Klamath basin and north to a ford on the Williamson River. Tall pine forests blanketed much of the land, with occasional clusters of fir trees and cedars. The ground beneath the trees was rocky once they passed the marsh.
They only traveled nine miles that day, which annoyed Will. “How are we going to reconnoiter anything if we only go nine miles a day?” he asked Joel. “Even Jonah and I traveled twice that far most days coming south.”
Joel grimaced. “What’d I tell you? Hold your tongue. It takes a while for a group to get a rhythm.” He chuckled. “Our first day on the trail in forty-seven, Pa was fit to be tied. One family had to stop and repack everything an hour out of Independence, or their wagon would’ve capsized.”
“And we almost made a circle today,” Jonah complained. “South, then east, then north again.”
“You know better,” Joel chastised his younger brother. “Wagons can’t move well in the marsh. Nor over big rocks. We had to detour where the scouts took us. That’s the way it’s gonna be, so get used to it.”
Will unloaded his mules and made camp with Joel and Jonah. He was crawling into his bedroll when Joel tapped his leg with the toe of his boot. “You got first watch. You can’t rest till midnight.”
Will sighed and moved off.
“Don’t forget your rifle,” Joel reminded him.
They made better distance the next day, traveling seventeen miles from the Williamson River to the Sprague. Peaks of the Cascades rose on all sides as they rode through low gravelly hills patchworked with grassy glades. Joel pointed out Mount Shasta to the south in California, as well as smaller Mount McLaughlin to their west.
Once they reached the Sprague River, they traveled along its north bank through undulating hills. A spur of the Cascades reached down from the north, and the river wound through the foothills. Again, they meandered through rises and gullies, as the scouts tried to find an easy path for the wagons. Will and the other packers simply followed behind the soldiers, pulling their mule strings.
They camped their second night out along the bubbling Sprague, a lively stream lined with cottonwood and aspen. They set up camp about six miles from where the Sprague flowed into the Williamson.
June 29, 1864. Two days out from Klamath. Camping on the Sprague River. Country is pretty. I have the last watch tonight. I hope I sleep well until then.
