American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1856-11-08
NEWS DEP ARTMENT.
The Recent Indian Fight Capt. Stew
art. CfBa,timOre.

somewhat Inaccurate. ofthe capture by
the Indians, on the 25th ultimo, of the
Mormon wagon train Of Secretary Bah.
bi,t, of Salt Lake. OF tho murder of two
men aud a child belonging To the train.
Of the recaptnre of the wagons. money,
and other valuabIes, which were turn.
ed over tn tho Colonel commanding the
United States troops sent on the 2Sth
ultimo in pursuit of the Indians, aud
which property was conveyed to Fort
kearny.
The officer referred TO in that extract
is not a Colonel, but our fellow towns
man, Capt George II. Steuart of The
First Cavalry regiment. In the mouth
OF June last, when engaged in field du-
W in Kansas, he was sent by Col. Sum
ner with his small company Of about
| thirty men, To relieve Fort kearny, in
Nebraska. on the Platte river which
at that time was besieged by u band of
Cheyenne Indians.
Capt. S. left Lcavenworth on tho 22l
of June aud arrived at Kearny on the
| I'd of July, whore he found Capt. Whar-
| ton, ofthe Sixth Infantry, with his cum
mand Of the post; the Chcyennes gone,
as was Supposed. To a considerable dis
lance 10 hunt buffalo, and their camping
ground around the post occupied by the
Pawnees, a tribe at war with the Chey-
ennes and friendly to us. On the esd
OF August. Lieut.. Wheaton of tho Same
regiment, (First Cavalry. arrived with
an escort of sixteen men AT Fort kear-,
ny bringing with him the famous Sioux
prisoners captured last year by Gen.
Harncy, and now sent on their Journey
home, with orders To Capt. Steuart TO
| take charge of them aud escort them TO
| Font Larimie, on the north fork Of the
| Platte, abou. 500 miles west Of kear-
ny, and on this side ofthe Rocky noun
| tains.
The next day, 2l,h OF August, Capt
S. was preparing To march, when the
mail carIier from Salt Lake, due that
| day, came in at the top Of the speed Of
his team, announcing that he had been
attacked and pursued by about twenty
! five Chsyennes, on the road about eight
miles from kearny;that heb al been
wounded, and was indebted for his mir
| acuIous escape To the throwing out vt
his mail wagon several bogs Of corn.
enabled him to increase his spoed.-
! Capt. ). was Immediately despatched
with his own company Of twenty five
men and Lieut.. Wheaton's detachment
of sixteen men. To find aud chastise
| the Indians who committed the assault.
They s"on reached the poinr( eight miIes)
where the corn was scattered in the road
but it was then too dark To discover u
ny trail. and the horses we're immediate-
~ unsaddlcd. no fires made, and day
| light waited for.
| At the dawn Of dov, on tho 25th, the
| pursuit was renewed two of tho Sioux
prisoners; Standing Elk and Red Lear.
acting as guides,) and continued for ten
hours through tho almost impossible
banks and islands Of The Plato river,
when at half past p. NJ. tho enemy
was discovered (abuut 45 warriors.)
They were Immediately charged by
Captain Steuart and his lieutenant Nc
Intyre, on tho left. aud Lieutenant
| Wheaton on the right; and in u shoIt
time dispersed, ten killed, a large mum.
Der wounded, and all the property OF
The band captured, including "a horses.
ill night. This was done without man
killed or wounded on tho part Of tho as
saianls, vino returned the next day to
! the post.
On the 9Th, when Captain S., was
| about taking up the limo of march for
Laramie, two men who escaped tho
massacre of Col. Babbitts Mormon wa.
gon train on the night Of the 18th, at
Wood liver. about twenty-nine miles
from Kearny, came there, aud. as soon
as arrangements could be made for GO
ing in pursuit Of those marauders, Cap.
tain Steuart took with him tho same
force rs on tho first occasion, (about
forty men,) and, proceeding rapidly to
Wood river, found the dead bodies on
the road two men and one chilly shock-
ingly mangled. Having buried them.
the company continued its search for
tho Cheyennes, but were unable TO
make out the trail, though assisted 10y
the Sioux prisoners in long and pain
ful search. .
They were so fortunate, however. as
to fall in with patty uf Omahas, and
to recover from them the four wagons
and some Of the effects Of Col. Babbitt
which had been abandoned by the Chey-
enncs. With this recaptured property
tho troops returned TO Fort Kearn y,
| where on tho lst Of September, it was
not known whether Capt. $. would ut
once proceed with tho Sioux prisoners
TO Fort Laramie, or be required to re.
main at Fort Kearny(for protection of
that post and the roads to Oregon and
California passing by thatposD uutil or.
ders were received from ecu. Smith. at
Fort onypnwnrth