Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-07-19

shore with two men where l met some
of the principal chiefs who pretended 10
be very friendly disposed towards us,
ard expressed wish that should trado.
with them.
Wishing to send party through by
land from that point to The yellow Stone
River, for which purpose forty or fifty
horses were necessary, and having Just
received an express from Major Henry,
sent tor the purpose of desiring me to
purchase all the horses | could on my
way, | consented to send some goods on
shore to exchange for horses, but pro-
posed that the chiefs of the towns would
meet me on the sand beach, where
perfect understanding should take place
before the barter commenced. After
long consultation among them, they APP
peared at the place proposed to hold a
talk. | made Them q small present,
which appeared to please them very
much. then told them that had IN
derstood that a difference had taken
place between a party of their men and
some of the Missouri Fur Company,
,ha' in consequence ofwhich they might
feel disposed 10 do me an injury, and
went on to state what supposed would
be the consequences should they attempt
il. They answered that the afftay all
luded TO, had caused angry feelings
among them, but that hose feelings had
vanished that they ,hen considered the
white people as their iliends and would
| treat them as such.
The price tor hcrses was proposed by
me, and agreed to BY them, the ex
change therefore commenced and on the
| evening of the l5tb inst. had complet-
ed my purchases and all things far an
early art the next morning. Late in
the afternoon the principal chief OF one Of
| he towrs senl me az invitation to visit
hin at MS lodge. | hesitated for a
moment, but al length concluded to ac-
cept il, as | did not wish them to know
that apprebended the least danger from
hem. | took with me my Interpreter,
and went to the lodge of the chief where
| was treated with every appearance Of
friendship by him, as well as several
other chiefs who were present The
next morning just before day light, was
informed that the Indians had killed one
Of my men, Aaron Stephens, and in all
probability would attack the boats in a
| lew miputes arrangements were made
to receive them, my party consisted cf
ninety men, forty of whom were selected
| to accompany me 10 the Yellow Stona
| river by land, and were encamped on the
sand beach in charge of the horses.
About sun rise the Indians commence
ed heavy and we'll directed fire from a
line extending along the picketing of one
Of their towns and some broken ground
| adjoining, distance of about six hun.
| dred yards. Seeing that some of the
| horses were killed and other wounded,
as we'll as two or three men. | Attempts
ed to have the horses crossed 10 sand
bar about the middle Of the river, over
which the water was abou, three feet deep,
but before any thing to effect that ob;ast
could be done, the fire became very de-
structive, aimed principally at the men
on shore. ! ordered the anchor weigh
ed and the boats put to shore; hut the
boa'men with but very few exceptions
were SO panic struck that they could rot
be got to execute the order. Two skffs
which would carry thirty men, were
aiken shore for the erobarca.ion of the
men, but q suppose) from predeter-
mination oft the men on the beach not to
give way to the Indians as long as there
appeared the least probability of keep
ing their ground, not more ,ban five Of
them made use ofthe large skiF, two of
whom we're wounded, the other skif
was taken to the opposite side of the
river by two men, one of them mortally
wounded.
! started the large skiff Immediately
back but unfortunately one of the men
that worked il was shot down, and by
some means the skif set drift by this
time the most of the horses were kill
ed or wounded, and about half Of the
men. | continued to make every effort
to get the boats 10 shore but all in vain,
although anchored not more than ninety
ieet out 10 the stream, the most of the
men swan TO the boats, some of them
when shot Immediately sprang into the
river ard sunk. 1t was about fifteen
minutes from the time the firing com.
menced unilthesurviving parto of the men
had embarked. The anchor of one of
the boats was weighed, the cable of the
other cut, and the boats dropped down
the stream. Finding j, impossible to
pass the towns in the then situation of
the men and boats, I directed them 10
be landed at the first timber. for the