BIRDWATCHER - (From the article) " ... Once the war began, he escorted Col. William H. Emory's Federal troops from Fort Cobb to Kansas in April 1861."
Col. William H. Emory was quite an explorer in his own right.
My maternal great great great grandfather was a U.S. Senator from Arkansas. I have the original copy of a book that was presented to him and all members of Congress at that time, regarding an incredible trip made by (then) Major Emory. He led the Army exploration and surveying exposition in 1854, from San Diego, Calif., all along the U.S. and Mexican border, across what today is Calif., Arizona, New Mexico, and to the eastern boundary on the Gulf Coast of Texas.
The expedition was to survey and establish the exact border between the U.S. and Mexico.
It's a fascinating read plus there are many amazing water color plates depicting the various Indians they encountered, the flora and fuana, tools, geologic features, etc. Also it has the personal observations by Major Emory of the men involved in the expedition and the adventures they encountered on the very difficult trip.
One of the interesting things about several of the large fold out maps of the great southwest are the notations over gigantic swathes of the U.S. marked, "Unknown Territory," "Indian Territory," and "Unexplored Territory."
If you ever run across a copy at one of the Universities, or in the Library of Congress, you won't go wrong reading it, although you won't do it in one night. It's over 400 pages long.
It is called:
"Report on the UNITED STATES AND MEXICAN BOUNDAY SURVEY made under The Direction Of The Secretary Of The Interior by William H. Emory, Major First Cavalry And United States Commissioner, Washington, A.O.F. Nicholson, Printer, 1857." L.W.
