Emotional Profiles of Infantrymen who served during the Indian Wars

topic 3: desertions... it amazes me how many soldiers of the 8th deserted. I'm going to highlight these individuals in order to calculate a percentage

Thank you for your thoughts & this beautifully detailed project.

I appreciate the compliment Erica Howton .
As I go through the enlistment roles I am startled by the things I discover about this chapter of American military history. There was so much hardship for everyone involved. I wonder at the motivations for each soldier and, of course, for each Native American.

Even though my lines were primarily from the Eastern US, I have other ancestors who were involved in these territories. One second great uncle of mine fought the Apache with Pershing, later committing suicide in Kansas : Major William Heebner Bean . He's on my maternal side.

On my paternal side: Captain Michael E. van Beuren

Looking over the profiles of Major William Bean and Clarence VB Fister, 8th US Infantry, Indian Wars , I see that they both were once stationed at the Presidio in San Francisco. ~> Six degrees of separation! :)

Today is solstice 2017. To date I've isolated 88 enlisted who served the 8th Inf. during the years 1877-1891. It is quite a chore to attempt to connect these with GENi profiles. I only have 11 and some of these are commissioned officers.

In many cases this is because enlisted soldiers did not go on to raise families, having spent many years in service.

* two men adopted children
* death from non-conflict causes is significant. I have yet to read of the 8th having participated in a pitched battle during this period.
* often-times, once a soldier of the 8th was discharged, records are sparse about the individual.
*Remember too that 5 years was the enlistment period and it seems that most of these soldiers only enlisted for one term.
* First enlistment started predominantly when a man was in his early twenties

I feel I should mention that one reason I have expended so much energy on this study of the 8th Infantry during this period is because it quickly became apparent that the plight of these troops was very demanding and, it seems, bleak.
I look forward to reading a copy of the account written by August Hettinger.

see the separate discussion: https://www.geni.com/discussions/169268

First Lt. Charles B. Gatewood, 6th U.S. Cavalry is another West Pointer like Major William Heebner Bean who suffered greatly for his military duties. Gatewood is credited with convincing Geronimo to go peacefully to his life-long imprisonment.

~•~
While I'm at it, I'd like to add Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, a classmate of Bean's and a leader in the pursuit of Geronimo.
It is poignant to me that immediately in my somewhat cursory examination we see evidence of officers from West Point who served in the so-called Indian Wars. Lieut. Colville Mott Pettit is another.