A Note On The Characters: Powell and Ten Eyck

Brevet Major James Powell

One of Carrington's only supporters at the Fort, Powell has the faultiest testimony out of anybody I've researched so far. Carrington's corrections of it are longer than the actual original document, which says it all really.
Basically, he lies straight through it, despite being under oath. Yes, some details may be accurate but most are either only vaguely accurate or just completely made up. For example, he says that he commanded everything back at the Fort when Ten Eyck left to relieve Fetterman (when Carrington was obviously in command) and also, that Carrington continuously asked his opinion on things. A line from Carrington's rebuttal goes something like this: 'Major Powell, omits the fact, that he did nothing of the sort'.
Sums it up really.
A lot of Officers on the Plains did this type of thing - lie to make themselves sound bigger and better - but Powell's lying is incredible, backed up when he makes up the silly excuse as to why there was such a delay between some men sent out to try and get to Fetterman and Ten Eyck going out to relieve him: 'the commanding officer (Ten Eyck) was sitting on the roof of his house, listening to the firing'. What? !
My theory on why he is lying so badly is that he was probably jealous. Because of the fact he was one of Carrington's only supporters, he would have probably been irritated at the dismissive way the others were treating the Colonel but these same guys (who were younger than him) had higher ranks and so on...Also, he was dismissed from commanding the detail that Fetterman would claim command of on the grounds of his rank, and then other detachments later on that day. The result of this, mixed with maybe shame for being discarded from his command (Fetterman even took Powell's own command out) could easily lead to lying.
That or he was trying to make himself sound closer to Carrington than he actually was and was acting rather like a suck up.
Of course, I could be absolutely wrong but that's the story I'm going with. I'm not sure he realised he was doing this - or he was reliable and cautious on the outside (Carrington said this about him after his successful companionship to the wood train on December 19th) and rather scheming and jealous on the inside.
Still, he makes for a fun character to read and write about. In the story, I'll probably have a go at displaying him as quite a lost-in-his-own-world, dreamy kind of guy who is quite jealous and obsessive on the inside. Which he probably wasn't.
However, he could have been because there's no more information on him I can find. Which makes room for fiction. ^^

Captain Tenedor Ten Eyck

The oldest guy in the story and also the holder of the most detailed testimony next to Carrington's lengthy rebuttal of Powell's, Ten Eyck makes for quite a reliable set of details. He says specific times and distances, which is lovely of him as for a while, I was very confused over that (resulting in setting up a makeshift scene of the event to try and work it all out).
The main part he has is going out to the relief of Fetterman as soon as firing is heard from over Lodge Trail Ridge and then ending up retrieving the bodies when he sees what has befallen his comrades. I think, after all they've heard from the fort, going out after Fetterman is a brave thing to do so hats off to this guy and his command.
He also does not initiate any further attack from the Indians, even though they are coaxing him to do so, which again is probably the sensible option considering the sheer size of the Indian bands surrounding the valley.
He returns about sunset with the bodies, just as the wood train this is all over returns from the pinery.