Dedicated to maintaining the history and life of the cavalry

Trinity J Watchen

            Hello, my name is Trinity John Watchen. I was born in the south western part of the Wyoming territory in eighteen hundred and forty-three. I grew up near a little town called Afton were my mother and father ran a ranch. They had eight sons and seven daughters. All of which died do to Indian raids except my brother and I.

            When I was around the age of fifteen I lost my ma and pa do to the fever. Since I was the only one left at home I decided to start drifting. I got around a lot and during my travels I stopped in Virginia . I’m not sure the name of the town I stopped in but I was only going to be there long enough to get a few supplies. That is when I met a gentleman named Charles Richmond; he offered me a job working on his plantation. I was running low on money so I took him up on it.

            He had a great family; his wife’s name was Elayna Richmond her family was from England . They had a son named Shaun who we all called Buckshot. Now Buckshot and I became best friends while I was there. A year later Buckshot got himself a wife, and I went back to drifting.

            In eighteen hundred and sixty-one I was in Texas when I received word that Federal troops had come through and killed Buckshot then violated and killed his wife that was just months from having their first child. So I packed my gear and set out for Virginia .

            Once I was back in Virginia I set out to find the ones who were responsible for my friends’ death. For about a year I searched for these men without much luck. That is when I met Lieutenant Samuel H. Davis; he is a commanding officer with the 14^th Virginia Regimental Cavalry.

            I was told he would be going up against a group of yanks soon, so I signed up and went to war. During our many engagements I learned that my brother had joined up with the 1^st US Cavalry. Every day I pray that I don’t look down the barrel of my gun and find my brother at the other end of it. (I do hope we both make it threw this war.) Due to my very good tracking abilities and horsemanship I began to move up in command I am now a 1^st Sergeant in the 14thVirginia Regimental Cavalry serving under Lieutenant Samuel H. Davis.

I have just received new orders so I am off to our next battle field.

Yours in service.

 1^st Sergeant Trinity J. Watchen.