By direction of the Colonel each of the captains detailed four men
from their respective companies to be my assistants, and at my
suggestion young men were chosen, such as myself, who could ride
forty-eight hours, if necessary, without stopping, and I asked for
men who were not afraid to go alone, not afraid to fight, and,
above all, men that would never allow themselves to be taken
prisoner.
The command having been drawn up for dress parade, the orderly
sergeants called their rolls, and whenever a man's name was called
whom the captains wished to de-tail, he was directed to stand
aside. Up to this time the men did not know and were wondering
what was up. Col. Elliott informed them after the drill was over,
and said to them:
"Soldiers, this man, Capt. Drannan, is now your chief, and you
will act according to his orders at any and all times. He will
instruct you when to meet him at his private quarters."
The next three days were spent in drilling the scouts to mount and
dismount quickly, to shoot at some object when on the dead run, to
lie on the side of the horse and shoot at an object on the
opposite side while running at full speed, and a great deal of
other work of that kind.
Three days later we started east, Capt. Mills and Lieut. Harding
with their companies, expecting to go about one hundred miles
before locating permanently for the summer.
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