Diary of William Bushnell - Civil War Soldier

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~steelquist/WmBushnell.html

This piece was originally the diary of a soldier travelling in the frontier, William Addison Bushnell. It dates from December 10th, 1864 to the final extract on June 10th, 1866. He writes of his, and his fellow soldier's, journey from San Francisco, California to Fort Goodwin in Arizona, the majority of which was taken on foot. It also chronicles the journey back via Fort Yuma. This is a different perspective on Western expansion to the average settler, coming from a military point of view, and the fact that he had already travelled to the West, living in California, and was now moving Eastward. 

The first major expression of his came in the form of a poem almost a year after his first entry, entitled 'On The Desert'. It speaks of the wilderness around them in Fort Yuma, situated on the border between Arizona and California near Mexico. He describes it as "a landscape that wearies the vision" and dreams of "some river with green grassy borders". This shows how tough it was living in the, what could easily be described as 'wild', West, and that soldiers would constantly think of better places as inspiration to keep going. The poem ends with the line "Or 'til Gabriel's trumpet blows "recall" from on High" showing the strong Christian influence that was apparent during the times, hinting at the 'Manifest Destiny' aspect of expansion.

The things constantly mentioned are the resources, or lack thereof, and the huge distances covered daily, with the most being 46 miles in a day. As expected, the resources needed are scarce, with water seemingly the most reliable due to rivers and streams. Wildlife, as he mentions antelope and buffalo, as well as melons and bananas, are vital to their survival as they hunt and forage. In the Fort, starvation is persistent as food dwindles, yet even in desperate times, "not a man has refused to do his duty", exemplifying the positive attitude of the soldiers.

The purpose of Fort Goodwin was to establish control in the Arizona area and to protect settlers from Native Americans, who they saw as the threat. Whilst this, historically, proved to be wrong, Bushnell mentions how dangerous the Native Americans were. He writes "We pass a spot where a party of emigrants were murdered by the Indians." This may or may not be true, as it could just be propaganda speak, however it only increased tensions either way and gave the soldiers a reason to serve. He also mentions how the Natives did attempt peace with them "...an Apache Chief, bearing a flag of truce and seven or eight of his tribe who are peacefully disposed and favor a treaty of peace", contradicting the previous mention of murder.

As well as the acts of the Natives, Bushnell also makes note of the U.S. army actions towards the Indians. "A scouting party from Fort Grant fired on a body of Indians a day or two ago, killing four and taking a few prisoners. The Indians did not evince any hostility and it seems were fired on unaware." This shows how easy it seemed to be for some soldiers to attack without a decent reason just because they were Native Americans. Another example was also written about, concerning a captured Apache Chief who was shot during the night, "Another report current in camp and the one most generally believed is that he was shot by order of the Commanding Officer." The story told by the commanding officers was that the chief attempted an escape. This shows that even the soldiers themselves didn't believe their superiors, as well as the malice towards Indians, and how soldiers had no power or objection to it, obviously because they're mainly just taking orders.

In the end Bushnell states his delight to go home and how the experience wasn't as expected "under different circumstances the trip would have been one to be remembered a lifetime, with pleasure." Overall this account offers an insight to the real life on the plains as a soldier, plagued with starvation and death, as well as attitudes towards the Native Americans. The piece echoes a classic Hollywood narrative, as a soldier travels through the plains, encountering threats of all types, ending on a happy note as he's survived and gets to go home to his family and settles down to become a teacher. However, it is revealed in the epilogue that Bushnell didn't fully recover from the trek in Arizona, and was ill until his death in 1874 at just 34. That epitomises the harshness of life in the frontier as a result of Westward expansion.