USA > Wyoming > The history of Wyoming from the earliest known discoveries > Part 40
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"I have the honor to report that on the morning of last Saturday the Indians in considerable force attacked Rock Ridge Station and ran off what stock remained, and soon after cut the telegraph line. No further information was received from there until yesterday, when a messenger ar- rived from Sweetwater Station, bringing intelligence that on Sunday night Lieutenant Collins, Eleventh Ohio Volun- teer Cavalry, with two men, started from Three Crossings for Rock Ridge, and, arriving within a short distance, dis- covered that the station was in flames. Not considering it prudent to venture farther, he returned to Three Crossings. The fate of the garrison at Rock Ridge is unknown, but the worst is feared. It numbered four men, all of the Eleventh Ohio Cavalry. Monday afternoon about forty Indians ef- fected a stampede of the herd of mules and horses belonging to the Sweetwater garrison, and succeeded in getting away with four horses and six mules. One Indian was killed. Yesterday I sent Lieutenant Bretney, with eight men of his company, to Sweetwater, then to proceed to Rock Ridge if deemed safe. He will be at the latter place tomorrow. I also sent Captain Green, with sixty men of the Eleventh Kansas, provided with twenty days' rations, to go up the road as far as Rock Ridge, with instructions to repair the telegraph line and take the necessary measures for the im- mediate rebuilding of the station at Rock Ridge. I also turned over to Captain Lybe five of the government teams that came up with my regimental train, and ordered him to proceed at once to his station at Three Crossings and dis- tribute his company according to orders from you, and also to submit to the order and direction of Captain Green in reference to repairing the telegraph, and re-erection of sta- tion at Rock Ridge."
Lieutenant Bretney proceeded up the road as ordered and investigated the condition of the various stations, and
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his report shows that on May 26th three Indians made an attempt to take the herd at Sweetwater Station, but were repulsed by the garrison, who killed one hostile and wound- ed another. Fortunately none of the small force was in- jured. Two days later the Indians returned in force and succeeded in stampeding four horses and two mules. The little garrison fired at the hostiles and wounded one of them. On June 1st, the Indians again returned and made a des- perate attempt to run off the balance of the horses, but the soldiers, being on the watch, opened a vigorous fire and drove them off. This party cut the telegraph wire and car- ried off about 100 yards of it: Lieutenant Bretney also re- ported that on the 27th of May, about 150 savages made a furious attack on Saint Mary's Station and in a short time succeeded in setting fire to the buildings. The garrison, consisting of five men, retreated to an old well outside of quarters, where they remained until the night of the 28th, when they escaped to South Pass. The operator, Private Chavil St. Clair, took precaution enough to secure a relay, sounder and a coil of fine wire, and was thus enabled to communicate with Fort Bridger. The garrison lost every- thing but the firearms and the clothes on their backs. Their horse equipments were burned. There were but two horses kept at the station; one of these the Indians captured and the other was shot to prevent its falling into their hands. They cut about 400 yards of telegraph wire and burned the poles. When the Indians left they moved to the south, pass- ing up the valley of Sage Creek. The garrison did as well as could be expected under the circumstances. When the Indians came within proper distance they fired upon them briskly. Several were known to have been wounded. None of the garrison was injured.
The Indians were active along the telegraph line at this time. A little affair occurred at Platte Bridge on the morning of June 3rd which made something of a stir but did not result very seriously. Six Indians appeared on the river bank, opposite the post, and it was thought their ob- ject was to draw the men across the river and lead them into -(29)
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an ambush prepared. As soon as the alarm of "Indians" was given, First Sergeant Samuel B. White, Eleventh Ohio Cavalry, who was in charge, dispatched a messenger to Colonel Plumb of the Eleventh Kansas Cavalry, who was at Camp Dodge, informing him of the appearance of the hos- tiles. As soon as this messenger had gone, Sergeant White ordered a twelve-pound howitzer trained on the Indians and the first fire resulted in crippling two of their ponies but inflicted no injury on the savages, who quickly took ref- uge behind the rocks. The sergeant then mounted ten men and sent them to the bluffs on the North Platte to watch the movements of the enemy, and followed these by ten soldiers on foot in the rear to prevent the mounted men being cut off by a superior force. One Indian was seen go- ing toward the telegraph line with the evident intention of cutting it. He was pursued and fired upon, but only the horse was hit. As soon as Colonel Plumb received the message from Platte Bridge, he mounted ten men of Com- pany B, Eleventh Kansas Cavalry, and hastened with all possible speed to the scene of hostilities. Arriving at Platte Bridge, he took ten men of Company G, Eleventh Ohio Cav- alry, all mounted, and proceeded in pursuit of the Indians. On leaving Camp Dodge, he had ordered twenty more men of his own regiment to mount as soon as possible and fol- low him. The pursuit of the Indians led Colonel Plumb and his command across to the north side of the Platte and then over some rough country directly north of the post. A hard chase of five miles brought them within shooting distance of the hostiles and a running fight ensued which resulted in one Indian pony being killed and two Indians wounded. One-half of Colonel Plumb's force had fallen behind on ac- count of their horses being unable to keep up. The Indians, aware of the situation, now turned and made a vigorous charge on their assailants, but Colonel Plumb and his ten troopers received them by showing a compact front and de- livering a galling fire. The Indians now turned and fled. Shortly after, about sixty Indians charged down the bottom of Dry Creek, a half a mile to the left of the command, with
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the evident purpose of cutting them off from Platte Bridge. The little party now realized that they were in a dangerous position, but fortunately the twenty who had been ordered to follow from Camp Dodge appeared in sight and the In- dians turned and fled. Six or seven of the soldiers started in pursuit of some hostiles who had turned to the right. The soldiers pressed them closely and were led into ambush by about thirty Indians in front and rear. At the time of this attack the soldiers found themselves with empty re- volvers and were unable to hold their ground until assist- ance could arrive. In this affair Private Bonwell, Company F, Eleventh Kansas, and Private Sahlnecker, Company G, Eleventh Ohio Cavalry, were killed. Night coming on, the troops returned to Platte Bridge Station. On the same day as the above, Lieutenant James A. Brown of the Eleventh Ohio Cavalry reported from Fort Halleck the result of an effort to open the mail route west to Fort Bridger. He had under his command a force of thirty men and was accompa- nied by Captain Lewis of General Connor's staff and R. I. Spotswood, the division agent of the Overland Stage Com- pany. He says that he found the station at Sage Creek de- serted and four miles beyond, lying by the roadside, were two dead emigrants, one of whom had been scalped. The next two stations, Pine Grove and Bridger Pass, were also found deserted. At the fourth station, Sulphur Spring, were the stock tenders and drivers from the above named stations and also the stock belonging to Sage Creek and Pine Grove. It was learned here that the stock at Bridger's Pass Station had been driven off by the Indians. Having ascertained that the depredations extended no farther west, Lieutenant Brown remained at Sulphur Spring Station un- til 4 p. m. next day, when detaching three men he sent them to Washakie (next station west) and leaving five men for the protection of Sulphur Spring, started for Fort Halleck, . accompanied by the two division agents of the Overland, two coaches and stock for the line, camping that night at Bridger's Pass. Next morning they left, leaving a corporal and four men at the station; from thence to Pine Grove
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station, leaving five men there; they then came on to Sage Creek Station, where they left a corporal and four men; from thence to the North Platte crossing, and camped for the night. The next day they returned to Fort Halleck.
Lieutenant Brown had scarcely left Sage Creek Station, where he had stationed four men and a corporal, when 100 well armed Indians attacked the place. After an hour's se- vere fighting, the ammunition gave out, which compelled the little garrison to abandon the station. They were well mounted and were accompanied by the two stock tenders, also mounted. The moment they left the station they were completely surrounded by the savages, and then ensued a desperate fight, the white men retreating toward Pine Grove Station. The Indians followed them for eight miles, killing George Bodine and Perry Stewart, wounding and capturing Orlando Ducket, wounding Corporal W. H. Caldwell and Private William Wilson, all of Company K, Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. The two citizens were also missing. Corporal Caldwell and Private Wilson escaped to Pine Grove Station. They and the detachment then retreated to Sulphur Spring Station, taking the detachment at Bridger's Pass with them. Next morning they started back, com- manded by Sergeant McFaddin, who was up the road on escort duty with ten men of Company K, Eleventh Ohio Volunteer Cavalry. They found the bodies of Perry Stew- art and George Bodine lying in the road, horribly mutilated, the latter scalped. They also found one citizen. The other citizen and Private Ducket of Company K could not be found.
Simultaneously with this trouble west of Fort Halleck, the Indians made an attack east of that place. A dispatch from Virginia Dale from Major Norton of the Sixth U. S. Volunteers to General Connor says:
"The stage from the west has just arrived at this sta- tion, having made but one change of horses from Fort Hal- leck. All stations have been abandoned by the stage com- pany except Big Laramie. Their stock has been concen- trated at that place and Halleck. I learn from the passen-
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gers that fourteen horses were stolen from the latter place on the 4th instant. Unless the stage company re-occupy their stations, I shall be obliged to make a different dispo- sition of the escort for self-protection, if nothing else. There are large bodies of Indians on the road; the lowest accounts place them at from 600 to 800. I am on my way to Fort Hal- leck with Captain Wilson and an escort of ten men. Should anything special occur, I will inform you by messenger."
Major Norton had two days before ordered Company F of the Eleventh Kansas Cavalry, to relieve some Ohio troops serving on the Laramie Plains, but the company to a man refused duty, alleging that their time of service had ex- pired. Company B of the same regiment offered to assist them in their mutiny. Finally Company F was persuaded to go, but they threatened to return in two weeks.
On the 10th, Captain Wilson, commanding the post at Fort Collins, reported that Indians had robbed the station at Willow Springs and that he had started out in pursuit with a force of twenty-five men, but owing to a bad storm coming on he was unable to get farther west than Virginia Dale, but that he had sent word to Sergeant Linnell, com- manding detachment at Big Laramie, to send five men to guard Willow Springs station.
General Connor had hastened to Fort Collins, where he found matters in even a worse condition than he sup- posed. Robert Spotswood, the superintendent of the stage line, had withdrawn all the stage stock east of Fort Halleck and declined to put it on again unless there was a guard of thirty men placed at each stage station. This was out of the question, so General Connor sent the mails through by wag- ons in charge of soldiers.
It has been mentioned that a large number of what were styled "friendly Indians" had been fed at Fort Laramie during the winter of 1864-5. Some of the officers had ques- tioned the good faith of these savages, but as they put on the appearence of peace and good will, they and their fami- lies were fed and allowed to remain. They were composed of Sioux, Cheyennes and Arapahoes. Under instructions from General Dodge, an attempt was made to use these na-
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tives as scouts. A company of them was organized, uni- formed and armed at the expense of the government, and one Charles Elston was intrusted with the command of these very questionable soldiers. He was also in charge of the Indian encampment. During the spring and early summer members of this Indian company were sent out to scout the hills and locate the hostiles. It afterwards turned out that these scouts were in the confidence of the enemy and made such reports to the commander at the fort as were desired by the hostile chiefs. The scouts were well posted as to what was going on in military circles and also under- stood the purposes of the government. Early in June it was decided to send these hangers-on across to Julesburg, so as to remove them from the influence of the hostile bands which were in the hills around Fort Laramie. The leading Indians were consulted and agreed to the removal, and con- sequently on June 11th, 185 lodges of these people were started for that place, with an escort of 135 enlisted men under command of Captain W. D. Fouts of the Seventh Iowa Cavalry and four other commissioned officers, Captain Wilcox and Lieutenants Haywood, Smith and Triggs. The escort was made up of Company D, Captain Fouts' company, and detachments from Companies A and B from the same regiment. The Indians numbered in warriors, squaws and papooses, about 1,500. The cavalcade proceeded slowly on its way and nothing occurred to arouse the suspicion of Captain Fouts for three days, except signal smokes by hos- tiles north of the Platte and reputed conferences by night between the so-called friendly Indians and the other class across the river. On the afternoon of the 13th, the party went into camp on Horse Creek and the Indians proceeded to give a dog feast. Late in the evening 382 of the warriors congregated in secret council. The officers were a little cu- rious to know what was going on and yet their best efforts failed in finding out. What followed is told by Captain Wil- cox in a very clear and concise manner. He says :
"On the morning of the 14th, reveille was sounded at 3 a. m., and the order of march announced to be at 5. At
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sunrise I was ordered by Captain Fouts to proceed with the advance guard (Companies A and B, detachments) two miles on the route of march, then halt and wait till the wagon train closed up and the Indians closed up on the rear wagons, then to move forward in column of march. Just as the wagons were closing up I heard the rapid report of firearms to the rear. Believing it to be a revolt and attack by the Indians, and knowing the great disparity in numbers against us, as well as the fact that the family of Captain Fouts, the family of Lieutenant Triggs, and Mrs. Eubanks and child (late rescued Indian captives) being with us, I determined to prepare for defensive warfare, and had the wagons corraled in the best possible shape, the teams un- hitched and put inside the corral and securely fastened, and the men in line outside, ready for action (it would not do to leave the train unprotected.) In this condition I awaited orders from Captain Fouts. A messenger coming up shortly after, reported that Captain Fouts had gone across the creek to hurry up the Indians, and was shot and killed by them, and that the Indians were then fighting among themselves. I immediately dispatched a messenger on the fleetest horse to communicate with Fort Mitchell and the telegraph office, eighteen miles distant. The messenger was closely pursued by Indians.
"The rear guard (Company D) coming up, I demanded of Lieutenant Haywood why he did not stand and fight the Indians instead of retreating. He replied that his men had no ammunition, and that the Captain (Fouts) had refused to have cartridges issued to the men of his company; that he (Lieutenant Haywood) had urged the issuing of cartridges the night before and that the captain said they would not be needed. I ordered the filling of the cartridge boxes immedi- ately, and ordered Lieutenant Smith, in command of Lieu- tenant Triggs and sixty-five men, to keep in line outside the corral, dig rifle pits defensible against all approaches, and to hold the corral, while I with Lieutenant Haywood and seventy men mounted on the best horses (the horses were all very poor from hard service; but few were really ser- viceable, and many men were altogether dismounted) re- paired with all possible dispatch to the scene of action. Passing the late Indian encampment, we saw the body of Captain Fouts, dead, stripped and mutilated. The Indians had fled two or three miles to the Platte. The squaws and papooses were swimming the river on ponies, while the warriors were mounted, circling and moving in hostile ar-
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ray. Supposing that a part of them were really friendly, and would join us in subduing the rest, I charged on in pur- suit of the criminal fugitives. Passing a few squaws and papooses, I ordered my men not to kill or harm them; they returned. When within 600 yards of the enemy, I halted my command in line and sent the interpreter (Elston) to the front to signal and tell all who were our friends to return, and they should not be harmed, but protected. But all were hostile, and with hideous yells charged upon us. I dis- mounted my men and deployed a line of skirmishers to the front with long-ranged arms (Galleger carbines, meanest arm in service) to receive them. When within 300 yards the Indians opened fire upon us. My men answered them promptly with a volley that repulsed them temporarily in front, but more than 100 were dashing by each flank and closing in the rear, while from the hills to our left they were rapidly bearing down upon us by scores and hundreds. See- ing that we were assailed by more than 500 warriors, equal- ly armed and better mounted than my own little squad, and fearing that to stand, be surrounded and cut off from our ammunition and defenses would involve the entire command in indiscriminate slaughter and massacre, as well as the burning of the train and capture of the animals, I deter- mined to act upon the principle that 'prudence is the better part of valor.' Remounting my men, I fell back to our de- fenses by desperate skirmishing to our rear and flanks, the enemy's flankers being all the while in our advance, endeav- oring to close in front, till within gunshot of our rifle pits, when a volley sent them howling to the rear. In falling back, a few only (I cannot give their names) of my command acted badly. Most of them behaved nobly, and a few with unsurpassed bravery. In the action, nearly all the ammuni- tion in the cartridge boxes was used up; some entirely so.
"After replenishing the cartridge boxes with a new supply of ammunition and finding that the Indians were not disposed to attack the entire command behind defenses, I went out with Lieutenant Smith and fifty men (all I could mount on serviceable horses) to feel the enemy and if possi- ble detain him until we could be reinforced. After going three miles we saw the Indians in vastly superior numbers forming in front and coming over the hills to the left, evi- dently intending to entrap and overwhelm us away from the corral and rifle pits. Not being strong enough to whip them in open field, we again retired, taking with us our killed and mutilated on the battlefield.
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"Captain Shuman, Eleventh Ohio Cavalry, arriving promptly with reinforcements from Fort Mitchell, at about 9 o'clock, I mounted every available horse and mule in my command and went for them again with sanguine hopes, but unfortunately the reinforcements were a little too late. Their families having got across the Platte, we had the mor- tification of seeing the warriors follow and from the oppo- site hills tauntingly beckon us to follow-an impossibility in the face of a superior enemy at the swimming stage of the river. In their flight they dropped and abandoned all their lodges and loose plunder, which I ordered burned and de- stroyed. From discoveries in the timbered islands, the In- dians had evidently been strongly reinforced by warriors from the opposite side of the river. Their loss in killed was not less than twenty or thirty, most of whom they threw in the river, as dead bodies were seen floating in the river below where they crossed. After repairing the telegraph line, broken by the Indians in the action, we took up our line of march and arrived at Fort Mitchell a little after night- fall.
"Our loss in action was four killed and four wounded, viz .: Captain W. D. Fouts, Privates Edward McMahon, Richard Groger, Company D, Seventh Iowa Cavalry, and Private Philip Alder, Company B, killed; Privates Samuel Kersey and Lewis Tuttle, Company B, Privates James H. May and John W. Trout, Company D, wounded.
"Throughout the action all the officers under my com- mand behaved with credit to themselves and to the service."
While this affair was going on at Horse Creek, Colonel Moonlight was at Fort Laramie, and having received notice by telegraph of the revolt, hastily started with a cavalry force to the scene of the disturbance. He had with him Companies L and M, Second California Cavalry, Company L, Eleventh Kansas Cavalry, and detachments from the Eleventh Ohio and Sixteenth Kansas Cavalry, numbering in all 234 men. When they had reached a point nine miles east of Fort Laramie, a messenger met Colonel Moonlight to inform him that the Indians had crossed the North Platte and were on the north side of that river. The North Platte was swollen and impassable, so Colonel Moonlight took his command back to Fort Laramie, where they crossed and pushed down the river to overtake the Indians. In two
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days the command reached Dead Man's Fork, in the neigh- borhood of the place where it was expected the runaways would be found. Here a halt was made for breakfast and for the purpose of allowing the horses to graze. What hap- pened at that point I prefer to have Colonel Moonlight tell in his own way, and therefore I quote from his report.
"The camp was in the bed of the river, with steep banks on both sides, where our horses could be easiest protected and herded. But few of the California troops had any pick- et ropes or pins, so that their animals had to be herded. The others were either picketed or tied head and foot. About 10 o'clock the alarm of Indians was given and every man sprang to his arms. The Indians, numbering about 200, made a bold attempt to get into camp, but were handsomely repulsed and compelled to fall back from three-quarters of a mile to a mile, and had given up the attack. In the mean- time, the horses had been corralled in camp, and I ordered part of the men to get them saddled up while the others watched the movements of the Indians. The horses had be- come frantic with fear at the noise made by the Indians and the firing on both sides, and broke through the men in spite of every attempt to check them. Captain Huntoon and my- self threw ourselves in front of them, but they rode us right down. Captain Booth, Eleventh Kansas, succeeded in cut- ting off a few horses in the rear by firing his pistols into them. The horses broke straight for the Indians, who fled at first, supposing we were charging, but after discovering their mistake closed round and galloped them off over the mountains, where they were pursued by Captains Brown, Conrad and Booth with about twenty-five mounted men. These officers were unable to accomplish anything, as the horses were surrounded with what they considered about 400 Indians, who, in the English language, dared them to fight. After losing the horses, there was nothing left for me to do but to return, after destroying the saddles and other property which we had no means of transporting. The Indians made no attack on us afterward, and we ar- rived here on the 20th instant. The march back on foot was a tedious and severe one, as water is only found in little creeks from twenty-five to thirty miles apart."
The number of horses captured by the Indians, as shown by Moonlight's official report, was seventy-four. His own horse was among the number, and he with the other dis-
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