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Lt OBW Jr. Troop E 7th Cavalry Marla, Texas
11 Oct Sunday
Dear Mr. Barclay-
I wish I might have had a short visit with you during my recent stay in San Francisco but I was indeed glad to be able to speak with you over the telephone.
On my return to Riley I found your telegram of good wishes. Thank you for your thoughts.
Things worked out very well for me. My stay at Riley on getting back
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there was just one week. Orders then came out sending me down here to Texas where I am now attached to 7th Cavalry.
This is one of the 6 horse regiments in the country & hence I consider myself quite fortunate in drawing such an assignment. Ten of us came down & the whole thing was a pleasant surprise to all of us.
Our Reg is "on the border" this means our troops are stretched in three outposts from Columbus New Mex. to Marla, Tex. - which is the Hq. of my own trp. The length of our stay here is not known. This is of
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-2course just one of those Army situations.
For a month now I have had commend of our troops outpost here on the Rio Grande in a town called Presidio. the place can claim about 1500 including the outlying regions & is a port of entry from Mexico.
The whole country is very slow & uncolorful which is typical of all this border territory - from what I can gather. There are more Mexicans than whites & they make the barest of livings.
I now have a complement of 33 men & 25 horses which as you may imagine keeps me busy.
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I have a variety of work to do & find it quite interesting.
Right now I expect to be called back to Marla to give another new lieut. an opportunity with this camp.
The weather is rather pleasant though quite warm at times. Still it is not as sultry as Kansas turned out to be.
I hope all is well with you and that Stanford is managing to get along in spite of conditions imposed by the war.
Always with the best of wishes Oliver
