USA > Wyoming > The history of Wyoming from the earliest known discoveries > Part 35
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The officers of the company were, Ben Holliday, presi- dent and proprietor; Bela M. Hughes, who had been attor- ney for the C. O. C. and P. P. Company before Holliday's time, was retained as the attorney for the new company; David Street was made paymaster and general agent, and
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his assistants were Thomas A. Beach and A. T. Beach. The following persons at different times held the position of su- perintendent of the line: Isaac Eaton, Major John Kerr, William Reynolds, David Remick, Alexander Benham, James Stewart, Reuben S. Thomas and Robert I. Spotswood.
CHAPTER XXXI.
INDIAN DEPREDATIONS ON THE OVERLAND.
COLONEL CONNOR'S WINTER CAMPAIGN-BATTLE OF BEAR RIVER-224 INDIANS KILLED-COLONEL CONNOR MADE A BRIGADIER GENERAL -- SOUTHERN UTES GO ON THE WAR PATH-ADDITIONAL TROOPS ASKED FOR-GENERAL CONNOR MAKES A STATEMENT TO THE WAR DEPART- MENT REGARDING THE MORMONS-MAJOR WYNKOOP ORDERED TO THE OVERLAND TRAIL-HOSTILES ATTACK SWEETWATER STATION- UTES ATTACK STAGE STATION ON LARAMIE PLAINS-THE BANNOCKS AND SNAKES WANT PEACE-WYOMING ATTACHED TO THE MILITARY DISTRICT OF COLORADO-UTES SUE FOR PEACE IN UTAH-THE CA- REER OF THE NOTORIOUS JOSEPH A. SLADE IN WYOMING-HIS EXE- CUTION BY VIGILANTES IN MONTANA.
During the winter of 1862-3, there were numerous dep- redations committed along the Overland between Fort Lara- mie and Salt Lake City. Several miners were killed, as well as some belated emigrants. Colonel Connor learned that there was a large encampment of Indians on Bear River. These were of the Bannock, Snake and Shoshone tribes and were under chiefs Bear Hunter, Sagwich and Leight. They were well armed and had plenty of ammunition which they had secured from the Mormons in exchange for the property of emigrants whom they had killed on the trail during the fall. A large number of the young men of Chief Washakie's band of Shoshones had been operating with these marauders since March of the preceding year and they had become as reckless and bloodthirsty as the others. Washakie had spent much time in earnest entreaty with these young warriors in order to induce them to withdraw
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from the hostile camp. The young men for a long time re- fused compliance with his wishes on the ground that emi- grants would be robbed anyhow and they might as well have a share of the booty. Finally the chief succeeded in in- ducing a greater part of them to withdraw. This left in the camp of Bear Hunter 300 warriors, and being well armed they became insolent in the extreme. Their Chief was a warrior of recognized ability, and the success of these al- lied bands the year before tended to increase his power and influence. Colonel Connor carefully investigated the camp on Bear River and possessed himself of a knowledge of its capabilities for defense. When all that was necessary was ascertained in regard to the Indian camp, Colonel Connor resolved to make a winter campaign against these savages, and having noticed that heretofore the Indians in some man. ner gained a knowledge in advance of intended military operations, he on this occasion observed the greatest secrecy and to more successfully cover his movements, he resolved to deceive certain Mormons, who he suspicioned were in league with the Indians. He therefore on the 22nd of Janu- ary ordered Company K, Third Infantry, California Volun- teers, Captain Hoyt in command, two howitzers under com- mand of Lieutenant Honeyman, and twelve men of the Second Cavalry, California Volunteers, with a train of fif- teen wagons carrying supplies for twenty days, to proceed in the direction of the hostile camp on Bear River. When the suspected Mormons saw the departure of the little force they knew that it was intended to operate against Bear Hun- ter's band, and there was many a knowing look as well as an air of satisfaction, for they were confident that so small a force would avail little in an attack on a position as strong as that occupied by the hostiles. As expected, a messenger was dispatched to Bear Hunter, informing him of the expe- dition, giving full details as to the number of men com- posing it. It was afterwards learned that Bear Hunter sent back word to his friends by the messenger that he would be glad of having the opportunity of welcoming Colo- nel Connor's soldiers, and as the weather was very cold he
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would see to it that it was made warm for them. On the night of the 24th, two days after the departure of Captain Hoyt and his men, Colonel Connor made the second move in carrying out his plan. He left the fort under cover of darkness with detachments from Companies A, H, K and M, Second Cavalry California Volunteers, numbering 220 men, accompanied by Major McGarry, Second Cavalry California Volunteers; Surgeon Reid, Third Infantry California Vol- unteers; Captains McLean and Price and Lieutenants Chase, Clark, Quinn and Conrad, Second Cavalry California Volun. teers; Major Gallagher, Third Infantry California Volun- teers, and Captain Berry, Second Cavalry California Volun- teers, who were present at the post attending general court martial, as volunteers. The weather was very cold, but not a man or officer murmured. By daylight, sixty-eight miles had been accomplished and the next night the Infantry with the supply train was overtaken, and Colonel Connor, finding them in camp, ordered them to march forward that night. On the morning of the 29th, the command reached the vi- cinity of the Indian camp just as day was breaking, and fearing that the hostiles would discover the strength of his force, Colonel Connor pushed his cavalry forward to the banks of Bear River, leaving the infantry to follow with as much speed as possible. The snow was deep, but the soldiers made a rapid march, following the cavalry force. Shortly after daylight Colonel Connor ordered the cavalry forward under Major McGarry, with instructions to sur- round the Indians. After the departure of Major McGarry's command, Colonel Connor remained behind a few minutes to give orders to the infantry and artillery, after which he galloped forward and joined the advance column.
On arriving on the field, Colonel Connor found that Major McGarry had dismounted the cavalry and attacked the Indians, as he found that the nature of the ground would not permit him to surround them. As the soldiers came up, the savages rushed from their hiding places on foot and on horseback and with fiendish malignity waved the scalps of white women and children, and challenged the troops to
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battle, and at the same time vigorously attacked the whites. The cavalry accepted the challenge and poured in a deadly fire which caused the Indians to take shelter behind some strong natural defenses, consisting of a dry ravine about forty feet wide and from six to twelve feet deep. The sides of this ravine were fitted up with steps, so as to enable the warriors to mount to a sufficient height to discharge their rifles without exposing themselves to the fire of the sol. diers. Some parts of this ravine were fitted up with covers made from willows, thickly woven together, and behind these artificial defenses they fired upon the soldiers with telling effect. Colonel Connor, finding that he could not dislodge the hostiles without great sacrifice of life, ordered Major McGarry to turn their left flank. This was farther up the ravine, next to the mountain. Up to this time the in- fantry had not yet been engaged. Captain Hoyt had reached the ford with his men, three-quarters of a mile away, but found the water too deep. Colonel Connor, ascertaining the situation, ordered the men holding the cavalry horses to mount and lead the horses they had in charge across the ford and transport the infantry men to the opposite side. The troops were soon across and hurried to the battlefield. Up to this time the soldiers had suffered greatly. Colonel Connor found his men falling on every side of him, but the difficulties of the situation nerved him to greater effort. He now ordered the flanking party to advance down the ravine, and as the Indians were driven out the infantrymen in front shot them down. Some of the Indians tried to es- cape by swimming Bear River, and seeing this, Colonel Con- nor ordered a detachment of cavalry across the river to head them off. By far the largest number remained in the ra. vine and fought to the last. Colonel Connor's men, being thoroughly aroused, advanced into the mouth of the ravine, when the contest became a hand-to-hand fight. In their mad efforts to escape, many of the now demoralized warriors sprang over the ravine and plunged into the river, but they were shot down by the unerring marksmen. The fight com- menced at six in the morning and lasted four hours. The
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official report says that 224 dead Indians were found on the field. No prisoners were taken, except 160 squaws and chil- dren, but these were not molested, being left on the field. Colonel Connor had fourteen men killed and four officers and forty-nine men wounded. One of the officers and five of the wounded men died. I have talked with many of the men who were in the battle, and all agree that it was a most desperate engagement. Some of the men were stationed on the river to prevent the escape of the savages, and they claim that fully twenty-five were killed while in the water and whose bodies floated down the stream and were there- fore not in the official count. This would make the number of Indians killed 249. The bodies of Bear Hunter, Sagwich and Leight were found among the slain. One hundred and seventy-five horses were captured; also a quantity of arms. Seventy-five lodges and a large amount of wheat which had been furnished by the Mormons was destroyed. The cold on the day of battle was extreme. Seventy-five of the sol- diers had their feet frozen and many of them were maimed for life. Colonel Connor, in his official report of the battle, says that the suffering of his men during the march was be- yond description, but they steadily continued on without regard to hunger, cold or thirst, and not a murmur escaped them to indicate their sensibilities to pain or fatigue.
On receiving this report, General Halleck recommended that Colonel Connor be made a brigadier general for the heroic conduct of himself and men during the battle of Bear River. The appointment was accordingly made on March 29th. The prompt recognition on the part of the war de- partment of Connor's services in crushing the hostiles on Bear River gave great satisfaction to the people of the west, except of course the Mormons in Utah. His name was heard at that time from one end to the other of the Overland sys- tem. His practical method of fighting savages was ap- plauded by everybody, but the destruction of the Bannocks and Snakes did not serve to overawe the many other tribes located east and west of the Snake country. Trouble in Nebraska was apprehended early in the season. On March
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2nd, 1863, A. S. Paddock, Secretary and Acting Governor of Nebraska, sent a protest to Major General Halleck against withdrawing the troops from that territory for service in the Department of the Missouri, as it would leave the fron- tier settlements, which had contributed half their men, un- protected. Major General Curtis on the same date asked for the privilege of leaving part of these troops for the pro- tection of the frontier. This request was ignored, as mili- tary events of importance in Missouri, Kansas and Arkan- sas called for all the troops in the department. Thus it was that the Overland stage route in Nebraska was left at the mercy of the Indians.
The next trouble was with the Southern Utes, who first attacked the stage line beyond Salt Lake and later came into eastern Wyoming. On April 28th, General Connor, writing to the Department of the Pacific, says:
"The Indians are congregating in large force in the vi- cinity of the Mormon settlements south of this post, with a view of depredating on the Overland mail and emigrant routes, and are incited and encouraged in their hellish work by Brigham Young, by whose direction they are also sup- plied with food, and by his people with ammunition, which I have no means of preventing, nor can I strike at them before they get stronger, as in order to reach them I have to pass through Mormon settlements, and the Mormons notify the Indians of my approach, when they scatter to their inacces- sible mountain retreats, and thus avoid me. I understand the agents of the Overland mail company are opposed to having more troops sent here. Why I am unable to say. I
can only surmise, but cannot prove anything, as nothing can be proved against a Mormon or one of their Gentile favor- ites. I deem it a duty I owe to my command to notify the government,through the general commanding, of the danger to which they are exposed from the treachery, fanaticism and disloyalty of this people in case of a serious reverse to our arms in the east. I have also serious fears in conse. quence of my small command being scattered over a large extent of territory, of being overpowered in detail by the hordes of Indians now congregating under Mormon aus- pices, and who, my spies inform me, are to be joined by Mor. mons disguised as Indians. Brigham Young has complete control of the Indians of the territory, and could if he chose
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prevent the horrors that will soon be enacted on the Over. land route, and which with the force at my command I am powerless to prevent. If the exigencies of the service will not admit of my being adequately reinforced, I would again respectfully recommend that Brigham Young's offer to pro- tect the Overland mail and emigrant route for a certain sum be accepted and my command withdrawn, in which case the obnoxious Federal officers would of course have to leave."
On April 3rd a band of Indians attacked a post known as the Sweetwater Station. The hostiles were well armed and made a furious assault, but they were finally driven off after having dangerously wounded one soldier of Company L, Sixth Ohio Cavalry (afterwards known as the Eleventh.) There were twenty six men belonging to this company at the station at that time.
On April 13th, General Connor telegraphed to Major General Halleck from Camp Douglas: "Unless immediately reinforced with cavalry, the Indians, urged on by Mormons, will break up the Overland mail and make the emigrant road impassable." General Halleck referred this dispatch to General Schofield, commanding Department of the Mis- souri, and that officer ordered Colonel Chivington to send a cavalry force to reinforce Gen.Connor, and the Colonel, after some delay, ordered four companies of the First Colorado Cavalry, under Major E. W. Wynkoop, to proceed west on the Overland stage line as far as Fort Bridger and co- operate with General Connor's forces. Two of these compa- nies were taken from Denver and Major Wynkoop was or. dered to proceed with these to Fort Collins, where two other companies were located. Arriving there, he found that these troops were not mounted and were indifferently armed and so necessarily there was considerable time consumed be- fore the soldiers were ready for the march westward. In the meantime, General Connor's forces had met the hostile Utes twenty-five miles west of Salt Lake and after a severe engagement had driven them to the hills. A number of emigrants had been killed in that vicinity, also soldiers and stage drivers. General Connor complained that these Indi-
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ans were receiving help from the Mormon settlers west of Salt Lake. On June 18th, Governor Evans of Colorado noti- fied General Schofield that he had learned of a proposed war council of Sioux, Cheyennes and Arapahoes which was soon to be held north of Denver and near Fort Laramie. This conference, the Governor felt certain, would result in a more systematic attack on emigrant trains and the Over- land stage.
The delay of Major Wynkoop's command resulted in permitting the Southern Utes to attack the Overland stage road on the Laramie Plains. On July 5th, these Indians at- tacked the stage company's station at Cooper Creek and ran off all the stock, and the same night they visited Medicine Bow station and carried off all the provisions and stripped the keepers of the station, Hazard and Nicholls, of their clothing. The commander at Fort Halleck, being notified of these depredations, dispatched a force of seventy-five men to hunt up the savages. These troops, after scouting in various directions, located them at a point eighteen miles east of the fort and at once attacked them, killing a number. The Indians finally took shelter in the mountains. The troops in this engagement suffered considerably, Lieutenant Hugh H. Williams, among others, being mortally wounded. On the 10th the Indians ran off all the mules at Rock Creek station. These same hostiles ran off 250 head of horses a few miles from Fort Laramie. Extending their route north- ward, they came upon 211 head of horses belonging to Re- shaw, and these were also taken. By this time the condition of affairs along the Overland route from Denver to the North Platte had become serious. Philip Mandel, the hay con- tractor on the stage line, had a number of encounters with Indians that season. He and his men went to the hay fields armed with Winchesters and kept close at hand horses saddled, so as to fight or run as the occasion might require. Hay gathering that year could not be considered a peaceful vocation, as encounters with war parties were of frequent occurrence. These Indians belonged to the same tribe which had attacked the line beyond Salt Lake. General Connor,
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by urgent appeals, had secured reinforcements from Califor- nia, composed of a battalion of the Second Cavalry of that state.
Returning now to that part of the stage line west of Green River, the good effect of General Connor's method of fighting Indians will be observable. In the early part of June he met 200 Snakes, who signified a desire to be friendly and promised to remain so. At Fort Bridger 700 more of the same tribe told the General they were tired of fighting and wanted to be at peace, and as proof of their good inten- tions they returned to him 150 horses and mules they had stolen from the whites. The Shoshones, or that part of the band operating with the Snakes and Bannocks, begged of General Connor to be allowed to go back to Washakie's band. These misguided young men had suffered severely for their participation with the Snakes and Bannocks in depredations on the Overland trail. Pocatello with his band visited General Connor and begged for peace.
On July 19th, General Schofield, at the request of Gov- ernor Evans, made an order transferring to the military district of Colorado that part of the Territory of Idaho for- merly belonging to the Territory of Nebraska, thus placing Wyoming in the district commanded by Colonel John M. Chivington, who had the reputation of being a good Indian fighter. Matters along the stage line from Virginia Dale west were badly demoralized that season. Virginia Dale became a place of refuge for a number of women and chil- dren who had been living at stations on the line west. Ma- jor Wynkoop's much talked of Indian expedition failed to arrive in Wyoming and was finally ordered to another point by Colonel Chivington. The troops stationed at Fort Hal- leck were few in number and consequently were unable to strike a decisive blow, and so the long summer and fall passed. There were depredations now and then, but the little force at Fort Halleck kept the Indians in check for the time being. In spite of the depredations of Indians, and the unfavorable conditions which prevailed, there was some prospecting for gold that season on the head of Cooper
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Creek, Dutton Creek and Rock Creek, by miners on their re- turn from California, but they were finally driven out by the Utes.
In the latter part of July, the Southern Utes notified General Connor of a desire on their part to make peace, and a treaty was speedily entered into by the General with Little Soldier's band, the Indians giving up the property of the government in their hands, and General Connor turning over to them the ponies he had captured. The Indian chief was assured that the government desired to protect all good Indians, but that it would punish severely all bad ones. Later the General had a conference with the following Ute chiefs and made treaties with them: Antero, Tabby, Ca- nosh, Ute Pete, Au-ke-wah-kus, and Black Hawk. All these chiefs were accompanied by their people and the conference took place near Springville, Utah, and thus the Indian diffi- culty on the Overland, west of Pacific Springs, for the time being, was ended. Some of the Ute tribes who had been committing depredations on the Laramie Plains still re- mained hostile.
General Connor never allowed himself to be idle for a moment. When not engaged in fighting Idians, he laid plans to thwart the Mormons. He wrote long letters to Adjutant General R. C. Drum of the Department of the Pa- cific, giving in detail the plans and purposes of Brigham Young and his followers in their treasonable designs against the government. Finally an idea occurred to him that he might successfully subdue the Mormons in a peaceable way and that was through the opening of gold mines, and there- by induce a large number of Gentiles to come into the coun- try. With his usual impetuosity, he issued an order to a number of his officers to take their men into the mountains and prospect for gold. Major Noyes Baldwin was one of the first sent out. He prospected in Utah, south of Fort Bridger, and later went to the South Pass, going as far north as Big Wind River. General Connor, writing to Ad- jutant General Drum, says:
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"Having reason to believe that the territory is full of mineral wealth, I have instructed commanders of posts and detachments to permit the men of their commands to pros- pect the country in the vicinity of their respective posts, wherever such course would not interfere with their mili- tary duties, and to furnish every proper facility for the dis- covery and opening of mines of gold, silver and other min- erals. Already reliable reports reach me of the discovery of rich gold, silver and copper mines in almost every direc. tion, and that by spring one of the largest and most hopeful fields of mining operations will be opened to the hardy and adventurous of our people. Both gold quartz and silver leads have been discovered at Egan Canon, about 200 miles west of this place; also in Ruby Valley, and at points along the mail route. The Goose Creek mountains, 150 miles northwest of this city, are believed to contain rich mines of precious metals. The mountains in the immediate vicinity of this place are being explored and prospected, and I have reason to believe with successful results. Already, within a distance of from twenty-five to fifty miles of this city, in the east and west mountains, mines have been discovered, yielding, with imperfect tests, rich indications of silver, and largely charged with lead and copper ores. The work is still going on, and I have little doubt that rich veins of sil- ver, and probably gold, will be discovered in almost every direction, and still nearer to Salt Lake City. I may also mention that near Camp Connor, 150 miles north of this place, large deposits of salt, sulphur and extensive beds of coal have been found, while the springs adjoining the camp yield immense deposits of the carbonate of soda, which will one day, I have no doubt, be of very considerable commercial value. If I be not mistaken in these anticipations, I have no reason to doubt that the Mormon question will at an early day be finally settled by peaceable means, without the in- creased expenditure of a dollar by the government, or still more important, without the loss of a single soldier in con- flict. I have every confidence, therefore, in being able to accomplish this desirable result without the aid of another soldier in addition to those already under my command, not- withstanding the obstacles sought to be thrown in my way by the Mormon leaders, who see in the present policy the sure downfall of their most odious system of church tyran- ny. I have no fear for the future and believe the dawn is breaking upon this deluded people, even though their elders and bishops and chief priests may escape the personal pun-
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ishment of their sins against law and crimes against hu- manity and the government, so richly merited."
Before closing the events of 1863, it will be necessary to introduce a notorious character in these pages. It was a recognized fact in the Overland days that all the officers and agents connected with the Overland stages were men of the highest character, with a single exception, and this indi- vidual was Joseph A. Slade. He was a division superin- tendent, first with headquarters at Fort Laramie, and later established Virginia Dale, naming the place in honor of his wife. The incidents connected with this man Slade, I have drawn from numerous and what I consider reliable sources.
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