Journal Notes

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She Wore a Yellow Ribbon: Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

A cold sunrise greeted the soldiers stationed at Fort Cummings, New Mexico, on the first day of 1868. An eager bugler sounded a call to arms, and members of the Thirty-eighth Infantry hurried out of their barracks to line up in formation, their rifles perched over their shoulders. The enlisted African-American men who made up the regiment pulled their army-issued jackets tight around their necks in an effort to protect themselves from a bitter winter wind. Among the troops falling into place was Pvt. William Cathay. Cathay proudly stood at attention, willing and ready to do battle with the Apache who were raiding villages and wagon trains heading west. The determined expression the private wore was not unlike the look the other members of the outfit possessed.

The Thirty-eighth Infantry was just one of many black units known as the Buffalo Soldiers, a dedicated division of the U.S. Army that seemed to consistently wear a determined expression. Cathay was not unique in that manner. By all appearances Private Cathay was like the other 134 men who made up Company A. What set this soldier apart from the others, however, was her gender. Cathay was a woman disguised as a man-anxious to follow orders to overtake the Chiricahua Apache warriors.

To learn more about William Cathay and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

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Miles and miles of cactus and sand stretched out before a small caravan making its way across the Arizona Territory to an army post in Prescott. Frances Ann Boyd, a petite woman barely past twenty, cast a worried glance at her husband, Orsemus, driving their wagon. The young lieutenant kept his eyes fixed on the rugged trail. Three mounted soldier escorts led the train along the dangerous path toward a canyon in the near distance. It was six o’clock in the evening and, apart from the sound of the wagon wheels bumping along the rugged terrain and the horses’ hooves clopping over rocks, all was quiet.

Frances eyed the horizon before them then disappeared into the wagon. She picked up two sabers lying next to a trunk, unsheathed them, and thrust them out either side of the back of the wagon. From a distance she hoped it would look like they were armed with more travelers who were ready to do battle with the Apache. “Unless they come very close,” she thought, “the dim light would favor our deception.”

To learn more about Frances Boyd and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

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She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

The distant cadence of drums from the nearly deserted town of San Antonio de Bexar sent a shiver of fear through Juana Navarro Alsbury. She clutched her baby son closer and strained to hear. Mexican president and general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, enemy of her uncle and her husband, had come when least expected, bringing thousands of men, artillery, and a thirst for vengeance. The baby wailed at the nearby roar of the exploding powder from the cannon mounted at one corner of the Alamo.

That shot signaled defiance by the Texians and Tejonas holed up in the old mission. Juana soothed the baby and waited, holding her breath, for Santa Anna’s response.

It was said he had 1,000 troops, cavalry, and cannon at his command. Inside the crumbling fortress were several dozen women and children protected by fewer than 200 defenders. Juana’s new husband, Dr. Horatio A. Alsbury, had galloped off to find volunteers to join the fight, leaving Juana and the baby behind.

To learn more about Juana Navarro Alsbury and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

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She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

“Lozen is my right hand…strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy. Lozen is a shield to her people.” Apache War Chief Victorio, June 1880

Lozen was a born a member of the Mimbres tribe of Apache in 1827. Her family lived near Ojo Caliente in New Mexico. Her father was a leading member of his band, and her mother was a well-respected woman. Not unlike most Indian children at that time, Lozen learned to ride a horse when she was very young. By the age of eight, she was considered an expert rider. From early on it was clear to her parents that she would not assume the traditional female role. She loved hunting and playing rough games with her brother Victorio, and the other boys in the tribe. Her skills with a bow and arrow and a sling were exceptional. Like her father and his father before him she was a born warrior.

To learn more about Lozen and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

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She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

Susan Shelby Magoffin gazed around the small, white-plastered room in Santa Fe and wondered if she might die there. No one seemed sure where the Mexican army was, or how soon a battle might commence. But there was no doubt about the danger to herself and her husband now that her brother-in-law had been taken by the Mexicans as a spy. As she had since the start of her honeymoon journey, Susan recorded the day’s events in her journal.

December 1846, Tuesday 1^st. News comes in very ugly today. An Englishman from Chihuahua, direct, says that the three traders, Dr. Conley, Mr. McMannus and brother James, who went on ahead to Chihuahua have been taken prisoners, the two former lodged in the calboza [jail] while Brother James is on trial for his life.

The messenger who brought the ominous news had gone, but the impact of the latest information from Chihuahua still reverberated like an alarm bell. The fate of everyone associated with James Magoffin was in the balance. What if her own dear, husband, Samuel, left her behind to ride to his brother’s aid? They had been married less than a year, and despite their strange honeymoon, she could not bear to be parted from the man she called mi alma, my soul.

She would insist on going, too, she thought. After traveling thousands of miles across wild and dangerous terrain and through the lands of unfriendly Native Americans on her prairie honeymoon, she had proved her courage to herself and her husband. She had survived the hazardous 2,000-mile-journey despite raging storms, wild beasts, hostile tribes, outlaws, and the awful, waterless desert they had traversed a few weeks before.

To learn more about Susan Shelby Magoffin and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

I had the pleasure of being part of the upcoming program Legend and Lies: Into the West which debuts Sunday, April 12. I’m anxious to see how it all turned out and excited about being a part of the next series Fox will be doing entitled Hollywood Shootouts. Hope you’ll tune in.

Fox News Channel Press

Press Releases from Fox News Channel

FOX NEWS CHANNEL TO DEBUT 10-WEEK RUN OF HISTORICAL EPISODIC SPECIALS LEGENDS & LIES ON SUNDAY, APRIL 12th

Executive Produced by FNC’s Bill O’Reilly

FOX News Channel (FNC) will present a 10-week run of historical episodic specials entitled, Legends & Lies: Into the West, with the first installment debuting on Sunday, April 12^th from 8-9PM/ET, announced Bill Shine, Senior Executive Vice President, FOX News. Executive produced by FNC’s Bill O’Reilly, the hour-long episodes will recount the tales of the greatest characters of America’s Wild West, including Jesse James, David Crockett, Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid.

In making the announcement, Shine said, “We are thrilled to present our viewers with insight that defined the West’s past and pay tribute to some of the most notorious American trailblazers.”

Each week, Legends & Lies will feature a portrayal of the critical moment that made each American hero renowned, along with first-hand accounts from direct descendants and historians. Coupling that with the support of archival photographs and special effects, viewers will see the forensic science and hear the analysis, giving them a chance to decipher the true story behind each hero and separate the legend from the lie.

Two original episodes will run back-to-back for the premiere week with brand new episodes debuting every following Sunday. Legends & Lies will also be presented during additional weekend programming including, Saturdays at 8PM/ET and on Sundays at 9PM/ET. The docu-style series is produced by Warm Springs Production, which is known for such programs as The History Channel’s Mountain Men, Animal Planet’s American River Renegades and HGTV’s Log Cabin Living.

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She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

It was almost two in the morning and Elizabeth Custer, the young wife of the famed “boy general” George, couldn’t sleep. The heat kept her awake-a sweltering intense heat that had overtaken fort Lincoln in the Dakota Territory earlier that day. Even if the conditions had been more congenial, however, sleep would have eluded Elizabeth. The rumor that had swept through the army post around lunchtime disturbed her greatly, and until this rumor was confirmed she doubted that she’d be able to get a moment’s rest.

Elizabeth, or Libbie, as her husband and friends called her, carried her petite, slender frame over to the window and gazed out at the night sky. It had been more than two weeks since she had said good-bye to her husband. She left him and his battalion a few miles outside the fort. George had orders from his superior officers in Washington, D.C., to “round up the hostile Indians in the territory and bring about stability in the hills of Montana.”

George and Elizabeth made their good-byes and she headed back to the fort. As she rode away, she turned around for one last glance at General Custer’s column departing in the opposite direction. It was a splendid picture. The flags and pennons were flying, the men were waving, and even the horses seemed to be arching themselves to show how fine and fit they were. George rode to the top of the promontory and turned around, stood up in his stirrups, and waved his hat. They all started forward again and in a few seconds disappeared; horses, flags, men, and ammunition-all on their way to the Little Bighorn River. The was the last time Elizabeth saw her husband alive.

To learn more about Elizabeth Custer and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

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She Wore a Yellow Ribbon:

Women Soldiers and Patriots of the Western Frontier.

A lone Native American woman cautiously led her chestnut mare through the bluffs around Klamath Lake, an inland sea 20 miles north of the line dividing California and Oregon. The rider was Mrs. Frank “Tobey” Riddle. She belonged to the Modoc tribe that settled in the area; they called her Winema. She was known among her family and friends as one who possessed great courage and could not be intimidated by danger. She pressed on past the jagged rocks lining the transparent water, praying to the great god Ka-moo-kum-chux to give her abundant courage in the face of the certain danger that she was about to encounter.

Winema was a mediator between the Modoc people, other Indian tribes in the area, and the U. S. Army. With her skills she was able to negotiate treaties that kept the land of her ancestors in peace. Whenever that peace was threatened, her job was to set things straight. She was on her way to do just that-riding into hostile Modoc territory to persuade the chief to surrender to the cavalry.

To learn more about Winema and other women soldiers and patriots of the Western Frontier read

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.

“A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it,” says Alan Ladd as the mysterious buckskin-clad stranger in Shane. “There’s some things a man just can’t run away from,” drawls a young John Wayne to his terrified fellow passengers in John Ford’s Stagecoach. “Draw fast and aim slow,” quips Richard Dix as Wyatt Earp in Tombstone.

The West and the western are the stuff of legend-and American movies. Since the birth of motion pictures more than 8,000 western films have been made. That’s a lot of cowboys, cattle, wagon trains, and shoot-outs. With the exception of Key Largo, most of my favorite films are westerns. Westerns have not only influenced the way people think, they have also influenced the way we dress and the way we talk. The following are a few of the frank, funny, poignant lines from some of those films that remind us of that independent western spirit.

From the movie The Alamo-1960

“You never pray, do you, Davy?”

“I never found the time.” Parson (Hank Worden) and Davy Crockett (John Wayne)

“I’m a stranger ‘round these here parts. What do you Texans use for drinking whiskey?”

“Drinking whiskey.”

Captain Almeron Dickson (Ken Curtis) and Beekeeper (Chill Wills)

From the movie Bad Day at Black Rock-1955

“I’ll only be here twenty-four hours.”

“In a place like this, that could be a lifetime.”

Passenger John J. McReedy (Spencer Tracy) and train conductor (bit player)

From the movie Destry Rides Again-1939

“You’d better mind your own business or you’re heading for trouble.”

“Trouble is my business.”

Saloon singer Frenchie (Marlene Dietrich) and Sheriff Tom Destry (James Stewart)

“Wait a minute, lady!”

“Who you calling a lady?!”

Sheriff Tom Destry (James Stewart) and saloon singer Frenchie (Marlene Dietrich)

Long live the western.

Congratulations to Debbie Clark! Debbie won a copy of

Buffalo Gals: Women of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

There will be another opportunity to win a book about

women of the Old West next week.

One final note about Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

William Cody first brought the action and adventure of the untamed frontier to United States audiences in 1872. Wearing his trademark massive sombrero and fringed hunting suit of buckskin, Cody introduced the world to a cast of legendary western heroes. Among the talent that graced the program’s bill were Wild Bill Hickok, Pawnee Bill, and Sitting Bull. From the start the Wild West Show was a huge success. Thirty-nine years after Cody decided to embark on the risky business venture, he had amassed a fortune worth more than $3 million.

A big part of the show’s success was the showcasing of female performers. Women riders and shooters were included not just for the crowd’s amusement but also because Buffalo Bill believed women shouldn’t be left out.

To learn more about Buffalo Bill Cody and the women who performed with him read Buffalo Gals: Women of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.