Wildmen
Copyright© 2026 by acolodude
Chapter 4: Leaving Fort Leavenworth
Tuesday, March 8, 1864
Breakfast was a little sad because we were saying goodbye to people who had become real friends. Grandfather promised that we would make a trip back to visit them at least once.
Richard said he would hold us to that promise and shook each of our hands. Kurt hugged me before shaking Grandfather’s and Dad’s hands. Yolanda and Wendy hugged all three of us.
All the work on the wagon train had been completed and delivered the previous evening, so the Davenports were ready for another busy day.
We weren’t surprised to see the wagon train pulling out as we began loading our supplies onto the mules.
More than an hour before sunset, we caught up with the train. They had circled their wagons for the night and appeared to be practicing the maneuver. It was a smart idea. If they were attacked, the faster they could circle the wagons, the better their chances of surviving.
We had already seen signs of them practicing the maneuver twice, which was how we managed to catch up. We traveled a little faster than a wagon train, but not by much, and they had several hours’ head start on us.
They welcomed us into the circle. We picketed our animals alongside the train’s animals, just inside the wagons, where they were protected and readily available to be hitched up again quickly.
Each wagon had five mules and one ox. That gave every wagon an extra mule, while the fourteen oxen provided a potential source of meat if it became necessary during the journey.
The wagon train master was Jack Cooper, forty-seven years old. He had led seventeen wagon trains, fifteen of which had completed their journeys successfully.
The other two scouts were Sam Hunter, thirty-three, on his tenth trip, and Will Reynolds, twenty-nine, on his eighth.
The wagon train’s elected leader was Alexander Mooretown, 51: a wealthy man fleeing the war, who traveled with his wife, Susan, 48; their son, Robert, 16; and their daughter, Tabitha, 12.
The other families and their occupations were as follows:
Jonas Smithe, 38: A blacksmith. His wife, Elisabeth, 35, and daughter, Olivia, 17, were both seamstresses.
Reginald Overton, 40: A farmer. His wife, Gloria, was an herbalist.
Samuel Overton, 19: A farmer, traveling with his wife, Julia, 18, and their daughter, Kira, 3.
Paul Kingsley, 31: A farmer, traveling with his wife, Wendi, 30; their son, Saul, 14; and their daughter, Ursula, 11.
Valor Burchwood, 29: A farmer, traveling with his wife, Barbara, 27, and their son, Evan, 12.
Leon Holdings, 35: A doctor. His wife, Irene, 33, was a nurse.
Harold Young, 32: An Army medic. His wife, Anna, was also a nurse. Harold started medical school, which the war interrupted, when he was wounded he left the Army and joined Doctor Holdings.
Errol Jackson, 27: A rancher, traveling with his wife, Sara, 26, and their daughter, Jodie, 13.
Evert Bass, 35: A rancher, traveling with his wife, Marybeth, 32, and their daughter, Ali, 17.
Williams Walter, 40: Traveling with his wife, Ellen, 41; their daughter, Dawn, 19; and their son, Westley, 17.
Luke Forster, 45: A carpenter. His wife, Zeniya, 43, specialized in leatherwork.
Xion Bone, 53: Traveling with his wife, Analisa, 50, and their family.
Frank Bright, 83: Traveling with his wife, AnMari, 81, and their family.
These families, along with the Mooretown’s, made up the fourteen wagons in the train.
That evening, we were invited to dinner with Mr. Cooper and Mr. Mooretown. They were interested in having us join the train as additional scouts and help defend the group if necessary.
Mr. Cooper explained the rules governing the train. His word was final, and there would be no arguing about it. The first offense earned a warning, and that would be the only warning. A second offense meant being thrown off the train.
He had needed to enforce that rule only once, and that was before the train had even left Fort Leavenworth. Two families couldn’t get along, so neither family was allowed to join the train.