WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1858
59
the space of fifty or seventy miles a day; and how long will it take for them at that rate to overtake the foraging party of the Indians? They would not succeed in it, and that is the history of all the efforts of the infantry. They are prefectly useless for this service. What does the Indian care for them? I have said, and I repeat, they only provoke hostilities on the part of the Indians. They can pass by the white forts, and steal horses and return in triumph to their tribes with their trophies, and it is an achievement. When the warrior returns, after having passed by the white man's fort, and his great warriors, he is swelled into a man of importance, and perchance he brings back a few scalps to exhibit at the war ·dance. This provokes them. They can pass around the forts if necessary, and entice a soldier away, and he is as defenseless as you can imagine a creature to be, and they scalp him and bear off his scalp as a trophy, from within sight of the fortress. This is the result of your system of defending the frontier by stationing infantry in forts. The stationing of your regulars on the frontiers provokes the Indians to hostilities; and, unless they are cavalry or dragoons, they are utterly useless. They cannot be maintained, at any rea- sonable expense, in a situation to give protection to our frontiers. The system must be changed; you never can give efficient protec- tion to the frontier with infantry stationed in forts. The Indian must be a great simpleton who would go within reach of the cannon or small arms of a fort, but he can pass by the fort and go one hundred or two hundred miles into the interior, reach the settlements, and commit depredations. You may make a cordon of posts, but, unless you build a rampart connecting one with another, you will never prevent the Indians coming in between them. To suppress Indian depredations, you must have mounted rangers, who will traverse the frontier and surprise the Indian when he does not expect it-men adroit to such warfare; men capable of taking advantage of the Indians; men who have been inured to dexterity of this kind. You may withdraw all your regular troops from Texas, and thereby add two thousand to your army in Utah, if you wiU give us a regiment of rangers. Give us that, and I will answe:· for the defense of our frontier. These are the efficient men. Sir, it is no mawkish fear of the regular Army that has ever induced me to go against its increase. I am opposed-not to its influence upon the nation as a formidable assailing power; not as one that is to march to Washington city, dictate laws, and say who shall rule; not as praetorian guards, nor as janissaries that are to march here, and place an imperial scepter in some lordling's
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