An 1838 Letter by Josiah H. Vose, Commanding Officer of Fort Towson, Arkansas (now Oklahoma), in the Choctaw Nation

Unbound

1838 · Fort Towson [Oklahoma]

by VOSE, Josiah H.

Fort Towson [Oklahoma], 1838. Unbound. Very Good. Autograph Letter Signed. Small quarto. 4pp., neatly written in ink on one folded sheet (bifolium) of wove paper. Datelined Fort Towson, April 8, 1838. Addressed on the final page to Vose’s sister at Boston, with a scarce Fort Towson postmark. Three-inch split along one mailing fold, several small and easily removable glassine tissue mends at some corner mailing folds and around the wax seal, one tear at the edge from the opening of the seal (not affecting the text), very good overall.

Vose arrived at Fort Towson as a major in Lt. Colonel Stephen Kearney’s battalion (3rd Infantry regiment), (truncated) to facilitate the arrival, settlement, and protection of the Choctaw tribe which had been sent west from their homeland in Alabama and Mississippi under the Indian Removal Act. In time, Vose was promoted to Lt. Colonel and became commander of both the regiment and the fort. A religious man, Vose ran an efficient post that was considered one of the best assignments in the western United States. In this long letter to his sister, written near the end of his tenure at Fort Towson, Vose discusses his son and gives a detailed first-hand account of what is going on at the Fort:

“Jorish [Josiah H. Vose, Jr.] has not arrived, we expect him every day. He is now traveling with Gen Gaines – [He] has recently been at New Orleans. Yesterday I rec’d a letter from a gentleman at Saint Louis who became acquainted with Jorish. Introduced him to Gen Gaines and showed him very many civilities. He speaks in the highest terms of Jorish & says the General is much pleased with him. If he will only be prudent and abstain from all those bad practices which prevail in the Army he can do well. His pay will be handsome and with cunning he can save half of it. I hope he will be inclined to a course which will insure his happiness and respectability … The navigation of the Red River is improving very fast. A few days ago a steam boat from N Orleans arrived at our landing, 6 miles from the Fort. By another year, we expect boats will be able to come up frequently without much difficulty. Some changes may take place which will remove me from here in the course of the next fall – I expect however & hope to be allowed to remain till the spring of next year … Life and all things in the Army is so uncertain. I am somewhat apprehensive that should the Florida War be continued I shall have to go there next fall. But I hope not. We have recently had a reinforcement of troops at this post (recruits) I have now 250 men here. One company of 50 men will shortly leave for Fort Gibson …”

Fort Towson was one of the most important forts on the western frontier, serving as a buffer between the U.S. and both Texas and the Central Plains tribes. It also protected the Choctaw and later served as a receiving hub for other relocated tribes before they moved into their allotted section of the Indian Territory. Vose had requested reinforcements for his post because he believed that his force was insufficient to counter a significant outbreak of violence, which he believed was likely. As the white population abutting the Choctaw Nation increased, tensions between the groups increased as well. Moreover, ruffians from Republic of Texas were venturing into the area, and both Mexicans and Plains Indians were surreptitiously attempting to recruit Choctaws, Creeks, and Cherokees as allies in their wars against the Texans. Although Vose had asked for the entire 3rd Infantry regiment to be reassigned to the post, he was still pleased to receive the much smaller contingent of reinforcements. In voicing his optimism about the improving navigation of the Red River, Vose was referencing the log jam on the river which had grown to more than 160 miles long by 1830, and which was eventually cleared enough to allow ship traffic all the way to Fort Towson by April of 1838.

An informative, scarce surviving letter by Vose, with good historical content. (Inventory #: 583266)

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