Thetroopswerepostedtothebestadvantagetoprotectthepartiesengagedinbuildingtheseroads，andinpersonIreconnoitredwelltothefront，traversingthebuffaloregionsfromsouthtonorth，andfromeasttowest，oftenwithaverysmallescort，minglingwiththeIndianswheneversafe，andtherebygainedpersonalknowledgeofmatterswhichenabledmetousethetroopstothebestadvantage。Iamsurethatwithoutthecourageandactivityofthedepartmentcommanderswiththesmallbodiesofregulartroopsontheplainsduringtheyears1866——’69，thePacificRailroadscouldnothavebeenbuilt;butoncebuiltandinfulloperationthefateofthebuffaloandIndianwassettledforalltimetocome。
Atthecloseofthecivilwartherewereonemillionfivehundredandsixteennamesonthemuster—rolls，ofwhichsevenhundredandninetyseventhousandeighthundredandsevenwerepresent，andtwohundredandtwothousandsevenhundredandnineabsent，ofwhichtwenty—twothousandninehundredandtwenty—ninewereregulars，theotherswerevolunteers，coloredtroops，andveteranreserves。Theregularsconsistedofsixregimentsofcavalry，fiveofartillery，andnineteenofinfantry。BytheactofJuly28，1866，thepeaceestablishmentwasfixedatonegeneral（Grant），onelieutenant—
general（Sherman），fivemajor—generals（Halleck，Meade，Sheridan，Thomas，andHancock），tenbrigadiers（McDowell，Cooke，Pope，Hooker，Schofield，Howard，Terry，Ord，Canby，andRousseau），tenregimentsofcavalry，fiveofartillery，andforty—fiveofinfantry，admittingofanaggregateforceoffifty—fourthousandsixhundredandforty—onemen。
Allothersweremusteredout，andthuswereremandedtotheirhomesnearlyamillionofstrong，vigorousmenwhohadimbibedthesomewhaterratichabitsofthesoldier;thesewereofeveryprofessionandtradeinlife，who，onregainingtheirhomes，foundtheirplacesoccupiedbyothers，thattheirfriendsandneighborsweredifferent，andthattheythemselveshadchanged。TheynaturallylookedfornewhomestothegreatWest，tothenewTerritoriesandStatesasfarasthePacificcoast，andwerealizeto—daythatthevigorousmenwhocontrolKansas，Nebraska，Dakota，Montana，Colorado，etc。，etc。，weresoldiersofthecivilwar。
Thesemenflockedtotheplains，andwereratherstimulatedthanretardedbythedangerofanIndianwar。Thiswasanotherpotentagencyinproducingtheresultweenjoyto—day，inhavinginsoshortatimereplacedthewildbuffaloesbymorenumerousherdsoftamecattle，andbysubstitutingfortheuselessIndianstheintelligentownersofproductivefarmsandcattle—ranches。