1871 General Orders – Fort Concho, Texas- Relating to the Cavalry at that Post.

1871 General Orders – Fort Concho, Texas- Relating to the Cavalry at that Post. This is a five page manuscript General Order by command of Major John P. Hatch and (signed by) 1st Lt. George Gearhart Lott, 11th Infantry, Post Adjutant.  It is order No. 34,  was issued from Major Hatch, commanding Fort Concho, Texas, dated April 24, 1871.   It begins by noting, ” Until tactics suited to the nature of the service are provided by the proper authority the following instructions for the drill of a Company of Cavalry are added to the tactics now in use, and will be followed by the Cavalry of this command.

This is a very thorough order covering just about all one could imagine for a cavalry unit in the early Indian Wars of the South West.  I have photographed several sections that should highlight the contents. I believe this document is a very scarce piece of early Indian Wars cavalry history.

John Porter Hatch, was a career army officer, graduated from the USMA Class of 1845, and had 41 years in the Army. His service began at the beginning of the Mexican War, frontier service before the Civil War, promoted to MGen. of Volunteers during the war, with a colonelcy in the Regular Army, and held commands in the 4th Cavalry, and followed by the 2nd U.S. Cavalry until his retirement from the Army in 1886.  He was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry for his actions in the attack on Turner’s Gap. His citation reads: “Was severely wounded while leading one of his brigades in the attack under a heavy fire from the enemy.”

1st Lieutenant George Gearhart Lott, entered the USMA in 1860, but resigned one year later to serve in the Army at the beginning of the Civil War. His service was entirely performed in the staff role- acting as Aide de Camp to several General Staffs, MGen. John Wool was his first major assignment.  After the Civil War, and now a lieutenant in the 11th U.S. Infantry, Lott spent a short time at Newport, Ky, during Reconstruction, and then moved west to Fort Concho, Texas in 1871, had there made post adjutant.  He would remain with the 11th Infantry through his career in Texas, and the Dakotas attaining the rank of captain, then retiring after a medical board found him unfit for service due to physical disabilities suffered during his hard years of service.

A scare document relating to early Indian Wars Cavalry. written on legal size paper 8x 13, and all legible.

Fort Concho –Major John P. Hatch helped select the site and establish what would become Fort Concho in mid-1867. He formally served in command of the post on multiple separate occasions during its early years, followed by further battalion command duties at the fort through January 1873. Abandoned by the U.S. Army in June 1889 after the railroad reached the area and reduced its need.