Annals of Wyoming, The Wyoming History Journal. Winter 2012 Vol 84, No 1.
Sam Stringer: Army Teamster and U. S. Mail Carrier 1861 to 1905 by Gil Bollinger and Brock Hanson
This is an interesting short biography, including parts of a late in life interview, of a teamster who worked first for the Confederate Army, then the U.S. Army, and then ended his carrier as a mail carrier and private contractor.
Stringer lived what we would regard as an interesting life, and what was probably mostly regarded as a hard life while he lived. Born in Florida in 1830, he joined the Confederate Army as an Army teamster but was captured at Wilson's Creek. Strongly attached to his team, he lied to his captors about being a private contractor in order to secure release and rejoin the team, with the offer being that he'd freight for the Union. His offer was accepted and he continued on in Army service up through 1889, when he left Army employment and became a freighter for the post office.
Stringer's carrier placed him in Army service during the Indian Wars, and he saw service in most of the campaigns on the Northern Plains. Most of his reported recollections are observations rather than battle experiences. His later career for the Post Office appears to have been as personally hazardous as his Army service had been, as it placed him at the constant mercy of the elements.
It's an interesting look at the view of a teamster, which is something we don't often see. Most teamsters didn't bother to give interviews and they didn't leave many written records of their specialized occupation.