President's War Message to Congress: Haun’s Account of the Pioneers

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Haun’s Account of the Pioneers
Haun’s story goes back to January 1849, when the American population suffered from economic hard times. People seeking new ventures travel west in search of gold riches. These people, including Haun, are the pioneers. While they were primarily men, women were part of the process through their voices (stories) are less often told. Being a pioneer required one to leave his life behind and endure the rigors of the journey. Some women pioneers had to do this while pregnant. They were in constant fear of attacks from native communities and the possibility of running out of food and water. They also had to endure homesickness and the rigorous activities of starting up all over against they arrived at the destination. Essentially, they left a relatively better life behind to start a new uncertain one, hundreds of miles away from home and kin.
They encountered multiple hazards that threatened their existence along the journey and tested their resilience and determination to establish a new life in a new region. Bad weather, for instance, was destructive because it slowed down the journey. Haun narrates that had they waited a few weeks before embarking on the journey, and the roads would have been easier to navigate, reducing the journey's hardship. Another significant hazard was the encounter with buffaloes, which left two people injured, including a child who suffered a shoulder dislocation. Additionally, Indians were a fundamental cause for concern because they would have attacked the caravan anytime. In general, nature was not friendly to the pioneers. They had to endure dusty wind, a snake ...