Fort Sumter in the Civil War, the senior King quickly set about organizing the legendary Iron Brigade, of which he became major generalfollowing the regimentâs defense of Washington City. Young Charles accompanied his father in those early months of the war as a mounted orderly, a volunteer position without pay. Firsthand he watched the formation of the famous Army of the Potomac, but before he could become a part of it, young King received his appointment to the U.S. Military Academy from President Lincoln. He was bound and determined to make something of himself, coming from such a distinguished bloodline: Grandfather King, another Charles, served as president of Columbia College, and Great-grandfather had been a signer of the Constitution of the United States and the last candidate of the Federalist party for President.
On Reconstruction duty in the South after graduation, Kingâs battery of light artillery was often called out to quell riots. The mere arrival of his platoon with their Gatling guns never failed to disperse the noisy crowds of rabble. Three years later he was assigned to recruiting duty in Cincinnati, where in off-duty hours he played with the Red Stockings, a pioneer professional baseball team.
In 1870 he was promoted to first lieutenant and assigned to the Fifth Cavalry, then stationed at Fort McPherson, where he first saw the famous scout Bill Cody. It was while he was serving in detached duty in New Orleans that King married Adelaide Lavender Yorke. In seventy-four Charles rejoined his regiment at Camp Verde in Arizona. Many were the times he remembered the fierce fights at Diamond Butte and Black Mesa, but nothing awoke him at night like nightmares he suffered remembering that fight at Sunset Pass on the first day of November 1874. If Sergeant Bernard Taylor hadnât pulled King over his shoulder and carried the lieutenant out of those rocks â¦
Charles tried hard to think on other things when those vivid, black memories returned to haunt him. The wound kept King from active duty for more than a year, but at least he survived.
About the time he returned to his K Company, the Fifth was being transferred back to the plains, and by thetime King arrived back in Kansas, Carr appointed him regimental adjutant as the nation began to murmur rumors of one final campaign to end the Indian troubles on the northern plains.
Now, here at Laramie, in the midst of so many officersâ wives with their husbands already off to the north with Crook, Charles dwelt that much more often on his sweet Adelaide, who had elected to stay behind with her parents in New Orleans. How his heart yearned to walk across this parade with her, to sit beside her, to hold her hand and gaze into her eyes with that longing only youth can know.
How his heart burned to have her with him now, more painfully than ever. Charles knew it would be a long, long while before this business with the hostile bands was wrapped up and put behind them. Something told him that warm evening late in June that this would not be a short summerâs campaign.
Something like a whisper, haunting Charles King. And sitting here in these evening shadows at Fort Laramie, the lieutenant began to fear their business with the Sioux and Cheyenne would not only boil over into the fall and on into the winter, but that the mess it caused would be very, very nasty indeed.
Already Bill missed Lulu, the warm sun causing his skin to sweat beneath the thin shirt. Any breeze at all cooled him as he led the column of fours on and on across the rolling wilderness.
Cody thought on her as he squinted into the sundrenched distance, remembering land like this from that summer they caught Tall Bull at Summit Springs. * Lulu looked so damned good under a sunbonnet, a parasol coyly laid over her shoulder where she could spin it, cocking her head to the side and making him fall in love with her all over again. He remembered the sight of all those childrendashing
On Reconstruction duty in the South after graduation, Kingâs battery of light artillery was often called out to quell riots. The mere arrival of his platoon with their Gatling guns never failed to disperse the noisy crowds of rabble. Three years later he was assigned to recruiting duty in Cincinnati, where in off-duty hours he played with the Red Stockings, a pioneer professional baseball team.
In 1870 he was promoted to first lieutenant and assigned to the Fifth Cavalry, then stationed at Fort McPherson, where he first saw the famous scout Bill Cody. It was while he was serving in detached duty in New Orleans that King married Adelaide Lavender Yorke. In seventy-four Charles rejoined his regiment at Camp Verde in Arizona. Many were the times he remembered the fierce fights at Diamond Butte and Black Mesa, but nothing awoke him at night like nightmares he suffered remembering that fight at Sunset Pass on the first day of November 1874. If Sergeant Bernard Taylor hadnât pulled King over his shoulder and carried the lieutenant out of those rocks â¦
Charles tried hard to think on other things when those vivid, black memories returned to haunt him. The wound kept King from active duty for more than a year, but at least he survived.
About the time he returned to his K Company, the Fifth was being transferred back to the plains, and by thetime King arrived back in Kansas, Carr appointed him regimental adjutant as the nation began to murmur rumors of one final campaign to end the Indian troubles on the northern plains.
Now, here at Laramie, in the midst of so many officersâ wives with their husbands already off to the north with Crook, Charles dwelt that much more often on his sweet Adelaide, who had elected to stay behind with her parents in New Orleans. How his heart yearned to walk across this parade with her, to sit beside her, to hold her hand and gaze into her eyes with that longing only youth can know.
How his heart burned to have her with him now, more painfully than ever. Charles knew it would be a long, long while before this business with the hostile bands was wrapped up and put behind them. Something told him that warm evening late in June that this would not be a short summerâs campaign.
Something like a whisper, haunting Charles King. And sitting here in these evening shadows at Fort Laramie, the lieutenant began to fear their business with the Sioux and Cheyenne would not only boil over into the fall and on into the winter, but that the mess it caused would be very, very nasty indeed.
Already Bill missed Lulu, the warm sun causing his skin to sweat beneath the thin shirt. Any breeze at all cooled him as he led the column of fours on and on across the rolling wilderness.
Cody thought on her as he squinted into the sundrenched distance, remembering land like this from that summer they caught Tall Bull at Summit Springs. * Lulu looked so damned good under a sunbonnet, a parasol coyly laid over her shoulder where she could spin it, cocking her head to the side and making him fall in love with her all over again. He remembered the sight of all those childrendashing
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