The 1834 Dodge-Leavenworth Expedition

In 1833, Congress authorized a new regiment in the Army that would combine the skills of Regular Army soldiers with the frontier savvy of the Rangers. The First Dragoon Regiment was tasked with being the first U.S. envoy to make contact with the Plains Indian tribes to negotiate for peace. The 500-person strong Dragoon unit set out in June 1834 to fulfill their mission, but their journey was fraught with lack of water, sickness, and death. In this episode, Trait Thompson and Dr. Bob Blackburn discuss the hardships the Dragoons endured to establish relations with the Comanches, Wichitas, and Kiowas. Their guest is Correy Twilley, director of the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Training Support Facility at Fort Sill.