Print, wounded seriously but not mortally in that first battle at Shiloh, surrendered at Vicksburg and signed a parole letter where, as a condition of his release, he vowed never to take up arms against the Union. Print Olive saw the Confederacy die, and with that knowledge a vital part of the boy known by his family and friends vanished forever.
By the end of 1864, the South was being overrun by men on the move. These were the dregs of battered and crushed army units of both North and South, roving individually or in small packs like roving dogs. These were men who had been respectable citizens before the catastrophic war. Now it was every man for himself. The brutal pillage of the South was beginning, a down payment on the price of defeat. Every man of the old 2nd Texas Volunteers who was determined to live carried a loaded revolver at all times.
In these waning months of the war, which was now being fought far off to the east, Print, in his depression and defeat, formed many of the attitudes that would govern his actions the rest of his life. The brutalizing effect of mass killings and the lesson that taught that life was cheap, led Print’s new conviction, new self …. only eternal watchfulness, a six-shooter, and a quick draw would be his way to be in the world. He reduced that principle to four words … Do or get done. He muttered that phrase, either mentally or in bursts of anger or command, at least a thousand times throughout his life.
Print returned to the home spread and quickly resumed his role as manager of the family operation. During his absence, and the absence of other hunters, the wild herds had grown in health and number, millions and millions of tons of beef which would be in great demand. The opportunity was obvious, but also the threat. Thieves of every sort, gun-happy drifters, well-armed army veterans or deserters roamed the country looking for easy opportunity. Print was determined to take the “easy” out of that equation. “Six guns can solve a lot of problems.” He quickly hired several men who had the qualities he needed, loyalty and a quick draw.
It wasn’t long before he put his “Do or get done” conviction to the test. One day, while hunting in the Yegua Creek brush south of their ranch, he came upon a couple of cowboys driving a herd of about one hundred head. A third of the steers carried the Olive brand. Print rode around the herd and asked of one of the men where he was taking the cattle and whether he could produce evidence of purchase of the branded animals. The stranger quickly drew his gun and fired at Print, who returned fire, knocking him to the ground with a shot to the chest. He returned the Colt to its holster with its CSA—Confederate States of America—proudly showing, before attending to the wounded miscreant. Word spread quickly that Olive cattle would be protected at all costs.
It wasn’t long before a new wind was blowing, this one headed straight north. Word spread among the Texas cattlemen that a more lucrative market was being opened by the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad in the Platte River Valley of Nebraska. Cattle that fetched no more than $5 to $7 on the Gulf Coast could bring $15, $20 or up to $25 a head in Kansas City or Chicago. It wasn’t long before herds of 3000 or more were headed north on the Chisholm Trail, which tracked within sight of the Olive pens.
In the spring of 1869 Print joined in his first drive north, adding 800 head to a herd being assembled by Captain E. L. Price. The drive terminated at Ft. Kearny, Nebraska.
Radical Winds ~ by Steve Buttress, posted by Chuck Peek