The Republican 5-24-1889

Connecting with History

The Bugle Notes from the Fort column was written by soldiers living at Fort Niobrara along what is now the Niobrara National Scenic River in the 1880's and 1890's in "The Republican" newspaper published in Valentine, Nebraska. Fort Niobrara became a National Wildlife Refuge in 1912 when troops were moved elsewhere in the United States. Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge protects and conserves the wildlife, plants, and habitats of the Nebraska Sandhills and Niobrara River Valley. Visitors can explore the land that the soldiers trod many years ago now protected as the Niobrara National Scenic River and the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge.

Microfilm of The Republican 5-24-1889, Bugle Notes from the Fort Column.

City of Valentine, Public Library.

The Republican 5-24-1889
Valentine, NE

Bugle Notes from the Fort
Editor The Republican

The new water tank is almost completed.

The old commissary building would make a fine guard house.

We are to have another dramatic and musical entertainment on Saturday, so this busy week is going to end pleasantly after all.

Most of the preliminary rifle practice is over and many of the companies have begun their record shooting. Twenty-four is the highest score that has yet been made.

We are now having company drill and dress-parade from noon to ten o’clock in the morning, guard mount coming immediately after. This arrangement gives us the whole afternoon for shooting.

We hear that a commissary building and some additional officers’ quarters are about to be erected. This will bring a host of tradesmen to the post, and we think it would pay some enterprising citizen to run a temporary restaurant here during their stay

There was a baseball match here on Sunday, one side representing the Cavalry and the other the Infantry. It promised to be an interesting game at the start, but finally the white and colored men had a disagreement which put an end to the day’s sport.

The band has been giving some fine open air concerts during the week. They take place at night, and looking at the bandsmen from a distance nothing is seen but the glitter of the instruments. They look like musicians from a fairy land, every man wearing a helmet of fire. One might also imagine that the street lamps had got the command to assemble on the centre skirmishes and had acted accordingly. The music sounds beautiful in the night air.

TAM O’SHANTER.

Textual Note:

"Bugle Notes from the Fort" articles were transcribed to reflect the original text in grammar, spelling, and formatting. Errors are true to the original text and reflect the historic context of their authorship.