Fetterman's Monument
Fetterman's Monument
FETTERMAN'S MONUMENT (cont)a man who more than anything else wanted to command in the field . Bookish, conscientious, a shrewd politician, he had organized and commanded the 18th Infantry when the war broke out. The regiment went on to carve a heroic battlefield record; Carrington had to stay home, recruiting, establishing prisoner-of-war camps. He was blamed and resented for this, although the best evidence is that it happened against his wishes. Fort Phil Kearny was his first command in the field. Fetterman in contrast had a brilliant Civil War record, leading his men at Corinth, Stone's River (where he was cited for bravery, the first of several times), Resaca, Kennesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Cree, the siege of Atlanta. Courageous as he was, Fetterman knew nothing about Indian warfare and to compound this ignorance, he had nothing but contempt for the Indians. He had been heard to say that one company of regulars could handle thousands of Indians, (THREE OF FIVE)