©2004
By Bill Hockett
Dedicated to the late T.J. Sperry, my mentor and friend. He exemplified the highest standards expected of Non Commissioned Officers.
The Non Commissioned Officer (NCO) of the frontier army was an imposing fellow. In the small army of the post Civil War period (it rarely exceeded 25,000 men) most of the rank and file were privates. Officers had appointed duties, but generally did not mix with their men. Officers were considered regimental assets while enlisted men (except staff NCOs of whom more will be discussed later) were assigned to companies. The soldier's friends and home were always in his company. It was the NCO's job to run the company. In the frontier army, an enlisted man had to get permission from his First Sergeant to speak with an officer. The regulations for the Uniform and Dress of 1872 (as amended and used until much later) stated that the following ranks were considered NCOs:
Sergeant Major (Regimental Staff NCO)
Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant (Regimental Staff NCO)
Principal Musician or Chief Trumpeter (Regimental Staff NCO)
Saddler Sergeant (Regimental Staff NCO)
Hospital Steward (Staff NCO assigned to Post)
Ordnance Sergeant (Staff NCO assigned to Post)
Commissary Sergeant (Staff NCO assigned to Post)
First Sergeant (Company NCO)
Sergeant (Company NCO)
Corporal (Company NCO)
Company Quartermaster Sergeant (Company NCO)
Non Commissioned Officers were appointed by the commanding officer of the regiment, upon recommendation of their company commanders. They could be reduced to the ranks by court-martial for various infractions. They were to receive a warrant of their rank, signed by the commanding officer. They were entitled to implicit obedience from the soldiers, and they were to be obeyed and respected by the men. Customs of Service for Non Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, by Brig. Gen. August V. Kautz stated that the confidence of the soldiers in the integrity of a Non Commissioned Officer can only be obtained by his being rigidly just and impartial to those under him. He also had to keep his temper on all occasions, and discharge his duty without passion or feeling. An NCO who could not control himself found it difficult to control those over whom he was placed.
As related earlier, the First Sergeant ran the company. He reported directly to his company commander and was responsible for most of the day to day activities of his men. Many private soldiers had little contact with their officers, beyond formal exchanges and military courtesies. The other company sergeants and corporals worked for the First Sergeant. In the 1870s, the small regular army companies rarely exceeded 60 men. In combat, cavalry companies usually had 40-50 men present. Company D, 4th Infantry had only 41 men at the Battle of the Rosebud in June 1876. Since regular army companies were so under manned, they were usually divided into two platoons. Each platoon was supposed to have a lieutenant and sergeant as leaders. Often, the sergeant served alone as the platoon leader. He had perhaps another sergeant and several corporals to assist him. Corporals were designated as squad leaders. All NCOs were considered tough, even by the standards of the day. The enforcement of discipline and other company punishment was usually left to the company NCOs. In some companies, discipline was maintained by their fists. One 1st Cavalry Private related that "Sergeant Parrish hit Hall a couple of punches in the mug at supper."
Since each NCO position in the company had his specific duties, it was expected that he be able to command men based on his rank. Upton's 1874 Tactics gave mounted and dismounted instruction for School of the soldier, platoon, and company. Essentially, corporals were expected to be able to instruct soldiers in School of the Soldier. Sergeants had to be able to instruct and command the School of the platoon. First Sergeants had to be able to instruct and command the School of the Company. All NCOs had to know how to set up picket lines and conduct guard duty. They routinely inspected horses, uniforms and arms of their men.
Who were these men? All had come up through the ranks. Some were ex-officers of the Union or Confederate armies. Others, like Company M, 7th Cavalry First Sergeant John Ryan, had been enlisted men during the Civil War. Many were on their second or third tour in the army. Charles Windolph of Company H, 7th Cavalry was promoted to Corporal by his company commander, Captain Frederick Benteen, after he served bravely at the Little Bighorn. He eventually rose to First Sergeant of Company H. Many NCOs had strong ties to their companies. When his company was ordered out after Nez Perce Indians in the summer of 1877, Sergeant McDermott cut short his furlough to be with his men. He was later killed in the Bear Paw Mountain battle. On Reno Hill during the Little Big Horn battle on June 26, 1876, Corporal George Lell was gravely wounded in the stomach. He asked his Company H men to prop him up so he could watch them fight. They held him in a sitting position where he could see his comrades in action. A smile came to his face as he saw the fight the 7th Cavalry was making. The men then laid him down, and he died shortly afterward. In addition to leadership and instructional duties, NCOs were expected to be literate so they could make out the reports and forms that made even the nineteenth century army bureaucratic. They were also expected to be able to command details of men normally assigned to officers.
This was the case in April 1879, when Sergeant Thomas Glover of Company B, 2d Cavalry took ten soldiers and several Indian scouts into the field from Fort Keogh, Montana. By rapid marching he tracked, surprised and captured the hostile Cheyenne band of Little Wolf. He then secured their weapons and ponies and led them safely back to Fort Keogh. For his energy, promptness, and good judgement he was awarded the Medal of Honor. Other veteran NCOs led similar expeditions.
Sergeant John Charlton of Company F, 4th Cavalry led 26 soldiers from Fort Sill to Caddo Indian Territory in October 1875. Colonel Ranald McKenzie ordered him to serve as an escort to General Sherman and conduct his party safely back to Fort Sill. Sergeant Charlton later related how proud he was to command a detail that normally should have had an officer. Colonel McKenzie obviously had great faith in Charlton to send him to escort the commanding general of the army.
Regimental staff NCOs were one level higher than company NCOs. They had regimental positions and were not assigned to companies. In a cavalry regiment, their ranks were Sergeant Major, Chief Trumpeter, Saddler Sergeant and Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant. In Infantry regiments the Principal Musician replaced the Chief Trumpeter and there was no Saddler Sergeant. They worked directly for the regimental commanding officer and were assigned to his headquarters staff. They often worked with their officer counterparts such as the adjutant and quartermaster. At the Little Bighorn, 7th Cavalry Sergeant Major William Sharrow and Chief Trumpeter Henry Voss were killed on Custer Hill, along with Custer and the rest of his staff. Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant Thomas Causby and Saddler Sergeant John Tritten were lucky to have been left behind with the supplies at the Powder River base camp.
Staff Non Commissioned Officers assigned to the post were the highest ranking
NCOs. Essentially, they were between officers and other NCOs in rank. Today,
warrant officers approximate their rank and duties. In the 1870s Ordnance Sergeant,
Commissary Sergeant and Hospital Steward were the only post NCOs. In the 1880s,
the Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant grade was replaced by the Post Quartermaster
Sergeant.
Fort Laramie had a Post staff NCO who served there thirty-seven of his fifty-three years in the army! Ordnance Sergeant Leodegar Schnyder served there longer than any other man. He came to the post as First Sergeant of Company G, 6th Infantry in 1849. In December 1852 he was appointed post Ordnance Sergeant and stayed there until September, 1886. Although the veteran NCO did not leave any personal letters, he is mentioned in some official records. After the Grattan disaster of August 1854, there were three or four other women living at Fort Laramie in addition to his wife. They were fearful that the Indians would storm the adobe fort. Schnyder concentrated them into a group so that they could more easily be defended. After news of the Fetterman Massacre reached Fort Laramie in December 1866, Schnyder organized the defense of the post, and positioned howitzers to protect against an attack that never came.
Ordnance Sergeant Schnyder also served as garrison postmaster. He was a precise, methodical man and established rules for delivering the mail. Citizens, NCOs and enlisted men had to pick up their mail at the post office. He delivered mail to the officers at their homes starting with the commanding officer and ending with the newest Second Lieutenant. One day, an officer went too far and marched into the post office and started rifling through the mail in an attempt to find his own letters. The grizzled veteran asked him to leave politely but the officer refused, saying he had certain rights and privileges. Ordnance Sergeant Schnyder replied that as postmaster he also had rights and privileges and proceeded to help the officer over the railing with great swiftness.
NCO rank was designated by chevrons worn on coats and blouses and by trouser stripes. Chevrons were NEVER worn on shirts during the Indian Wars period. Chevrons were made of wool facing cloth in corps colors (lemon yellow for cavalry, sky blue for infantry, red for artillery, etc) with black silk chain stitching per the 1872 regulations. Trouser stripes per the 1872 regulations were also made of wool facing cloth in corps colors and were 1/2" wide for corporals and 1" wide for sergeants. Post staff NCOs were authorized trouser stripes 1 & 1/4" wide, in recogntion of their special status. The colors were the same as for chevrons except for infantry who wore dark blue trouser stripes so they would show up against the sky blue trousers. Also, in the 1880s, infantry colors were changed to white and cavalry to orange yellow to resist fading by the sun.
Non Commissioned Officers were the backbone of the frontier army as they continue to be today. Reenactors and living history interpreters should read as much as possible about their duties and responsibilities. Even more important, we should understand the critical role they played in shaping the frontier army.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Carter, Captain Robert G. The Old Sergeant's Story. Mattituck, NY: J.M. Carroll and Co. 1982.
Kautz, Brigadier General August V. Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers. Philadelphia, PA: J.B. Lippincott and Co. 1864.
Mangum, Neil C. Battle of the Rosebud: Prelude to the Little Bighorn. El Segundo, CA. 1987.
McDermott, John Dishon. "Fort Laramie's Silent Soldier Leodegar Schnyder." Fort Laramie, 1974.
Rickey, Don. Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay. Norman, OK. 1963.
Windolph, Charles. "The Battle of the Little Bighorn." Unpublished Manuscript, Deadwood, SD.
Figure 1. Cavalry Corporal and Sergeant in fatigue uniforms, circa 1880s
Figure 2. 12th Infantry 1st Sergeant John B. Coons and his family, circa 1891
Figure 3. Corporal Edward Wiener, Ordnance Corps, circa late 1880s in dress uniform
Figure 4. Sergeant John Comfort, 4th Cavalry in campaign uniform, circa late 1870s
