Wright on Elliott

[elisabeth]

And yet another intriguing snippet: R W. Wright , Fort Dodge pioneer, on a number of interesting matters (e.g. Bat Masterson etc.) ... but especially on the Major Elliott affair.

He maintains that the truth of it was that Elliott's horse ran away with him, and that a bunch of soldiers followed thinking mistakenly that he was charging the enemy. He also claims that Elliott and company stood off the Indians for two days. Improbable in the extreme; however, if stories like this were doing the rounds, they'd certainly fuel plenty of anti-Custer feeling. The notion that Custer might have pulled out while Elliott and his men were still alive -- well, pure dynamite.

Whether fact or fiction, it's quite nice reading.

[gocav76]

sounds like F-Troop www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVwFADi4Y38 The end of the Civil War was near when quite accidentally,
A hero who sneezed abruptly seized retreat and reversed it to victory.

His medal of honor pleased and thrilled his proud little family group.
While pinning it on some blood was spilled and so it was planned he’d command F-Troop.



Where Indian fights are colorful sights & nobody takes a lickin’
Where pale face and redskin both turn chicken.

When killing and fighting get them down, they know their morale can’t droop.
As long as they all relax in town before they resume with a bang and a boom F-Troop.

[bc]

Actually gocav, I thought the TV show, F-troop, was inspired by a real Capt. James W. Parmetar who was at Fort Larned circa 1863 - 1864 with the 12th Kansas Vol. Infantry. The catchy song just sounded like the Parmetar who commanded the fort as well as the Capt. Parmenter who command F Troop on TV.

I have a letter printed in the Denver newspaper (from someone at the fort who was present at the time) a few weeks after the Indian attack at Fort Larned, KS where it alleged that the drunken Capt. Parmetar, who was in command of the fort at the time, allowed the Indians to get to close to the fort and they attacked and captured 172 Army animals from the fort. The Indians were pursued after the attack but weren't overtaken.

This was a raid by the Kiowas against the fort on July 17, 1864. Parmetar had been chasing and trying to get the Kiowas to leave the Santa Fe Trail prior to that. After an unfruitful chase, he invited the Indians to Fort Larned for a council where he ordered them off the trail and to go south for the summer. Instead, the Indians attacked the fort and took their animals.

The letter also referred to this Capt. Parmetar having screwed up somewhere back east during the civil war which was why he was sent west.

I'd have to dig around to find the letter/newspaper reprint in my files. I found the letter a few years ago while reviewing microfilm at the Denver Public Library or the State Historical society, I forget where now as I was at both places.

Regards, Brit

[gocav76]

Brit, Thanks for the info on Capt. Parmenter. First time I had heard about the real Captain. Let us know if you find out anything else. Larry

[bc]

Regarding Capt. J. W. Parmetar, I searched the "OR" at the Cornell Univ site. Under a search for the name Parmetar I came up with some correspondence & rosters. Of note are the references to Parmetar in Series I, Vol. 34, (part IV). The IG, Major T. I. McKenny states that every officer and man he talked to says Parmetar is a drunkard. He recommends his removal. Gen. S. R. Curtis in another letter states that Larned needs and good commander and Parmetar should be disposed of. However, the District commander wrote back stating he had no suitable replacement he could send there. There was also a letter from Col. John Chivington in Colorado that was complaining about Parmetar keeping the howitzers at Fort Larned for his protection when he could use them in Colorado. Chivington did not have anything nice to say about Parmetar. This would have been just prior to Chivington's Sand Creek Massacre.

I didn't see any other references to any other civil war service.

However, the letter printed in the Denver newspaper along with this official correspondence has always made me wonder if the TV show, F Troop, and its commander, Capt. Parmenter, played by Ken Berry, was loosely based upon Capt. Parmetar at Fort Larned. Anyway it spices up my presentations that I give on Kansas history. I suppose there could be many inspirations for the F Troop show from the old west but the combination of a Capt. Parmenter (sic) of questionable command abilities, screwup involving the Indian attack on the fort and loss of 172 animals, screwup involving the howitzers, in command of a western fort, with an Indian camp nearby (Hekowie/Kiowa) seems to put this one at the top of the list.

BTW, I misspelled my own name.

Regards, Britt

[alfuso]

gocac76

Where'd the Heckowie get their name? A group of them got quite lost, went up to the local wagon train and asked "Where the heck are we?" And so a legend was born.

alfuso

[bc]

Here is the scoop on F troop from wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F_Troop

Alfuso is right about the Indian tribe name but it is spelled Hekawi.

Fort Courage was in Kansas though.

Parmenter got his medal of honor and promotion to captain at Appomattox when he sneezed and his the troops though he said charge. They say it is a comedy derivative of the John Wayne movie Fort Apache because of the running joke involving O'Rourkes. It further states it bears more of a resemblance to the Glenn Ford movie Advance to the Rear which came out a year earlier in 1964.

[crzhrs]

Speaking of F Troop . . .

The "military" TV shows of the 60s-early 70s were all satires on the military . . . F Troop, McHale's Navy, Phil Silvers Show (Sgt. Bilko), MASH.

Times have changed and I guess it's not OK to satirize the military any more.

[alfuso]

I think Phil Silvers went to his grave still known as/being "Sgt Bilko" One of my favorite shows in the 50's.

The military satires -- and I mean the true satires rather than the almost realistic shows like MASH which was dark comedy based on real situations -- were before Viet Nam.

alfuso

[bc]

McHale's Navy was my favorite military comedy and still is. There are some reruns that show up every once in a while. Combat was my favorite non-satirical military show.

[crzhrs]

MASH was definately anti-War (Vietnam) . . . the others, especially Bilko were pre-Vietnam and/or just at the beginning before things were heating up.

I think COMBAT which was a very good show, lost ratings because people were sick of the heavy casualties during Vietnam and was taken off the air.

Still, there is quite a difference in the way the military is depicted today on TV . . . much more pro than con.

[Scout]

I'm not so sure Vietnam had anything to do with the end of COMBAT. There were several other WW2 shows on which resulted in viewer burnout. Even a comedy, HOGANS HEROES. Enough already. Remember at one time there was a rash of hillbilly shows; Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Green Acres. Then Hollywood gave us an overload of doctor shows, DR. KILDARE, BEN CASEY, etc., etc. People just got sick of 'em. It use to be if you had a hit show in Hollywood there were 100 copy cat shows. Who can remember the ALL western them of the 50's. Of course, I'm much to young to remember them but I've heard.

[alfuso]

I can remember way too many of the 50's Westerns. . .

That's my father's fault - he was Western fan.

alfuso

[Melani]

bc said:

McHale's Navy was my favorite military comedy and still is. There are some reruns that show up every once in a while. Combat was my favorite non-satirical military show.

Mine too--both of them.

When I once said I thought McHale's Navy was just too silly, my dad said he actually knew guys like McHale around New Guinea during WWII.

[frankcoins]

Ran across this old book with a reference to Captain Parmeter at Fort Larned. Check page 1116

books.google.com/books?id=NCObM3OAPuwC&q=parmeter