218 As a result a new regiment of dragoons was established under the command of Colonel Henry Dodge on March 22, 1833, and Lancaster Lupton had received an "unexpected" appointment as a second lieutenant in this unique group (6). Deciding that his new experiences might be well worth remembering this young man put his first month's movement in a leatherbound ledger or what he referred to as his "book " (7). He had no way of knowing that over a century later historians would try to piece together his life from the disjointed entries found in the aged, worn book which we will call his diary. With this introduction we record the brief statements of a dragoon in Arkansas Territory in 1833--- a man who eventually built two fur trading posts, has a community named for him (Fort Lupton, Colorado), and ended his days in 1885 in Arcata, California (8). THE DIARY (9) May 16th, 1833---By this evening's mail I received the appointment of 2d Lt. in the Dragoons---This was quite unexpected to me as I was not an applicant---accompanying the appointment was an order to proceed forthwith to Nashville Tenn. on the recruiting service for my regt (10). There were several causes which prevented my immediate departure. ___________________________ 6. Lupton also, simultaneously, was promoted to the rank of 1st lieutenant on March 4, 1833.Cullum Biographical Register, I, 435. For a description of the dragoon campaign, see James Hildreth, Dragoon Campaigns to the Rocky Mountains; Being a History of the Enlistment, Organization, and First Campaigns of the Regiment of the United States Dragoons, Together with the Incidents of a Soldier's Life, and Sketches of Scenery and Indian Character (New York, 1836; reprint., New York, 1973). 7. Housed in the library of the Colorado Historical Society, Denver. 8. Ann W. Hafen, "Lancaster P. Lupton," in LeRoy R. Hafen, ed., The Mountain Men and the Fur Trade of the Far West (10 vols., Glendale, Calif., 1965), II, 207, 212, 216. 9. The diary portion of Lupton's "book" begins on page [53], counting from inside the front cover, through page [72]. It is written in pen and has been transcribed exactly from the original, with no changes in spelling or additions of punctuation. Lupton partially numbered the "diary" portion of his "book" as pages [1] through 20. 10. For a description of the dragoon recruiting activities, see P[hilio] St. G[eorge] Cooke, Scenes and Adventures in the Army, or Romance of Military Life (Philadelphia 1857; reprint ed., New York, 1973).           Contents  Words  Study Questions  Related Sites Next