New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-10-09
Speech of Ch0csayy Brave.


| LFroH The Cnrtsville sand,ud.I
| The Indians were expected in at 10 o'clock, and
about that time they came in, following their drum
| and an old man with drawn sword, who delivered
| the speech below. The war dance was in the
sqnare-the warriors being stripped to their fight
ing costume. There were two companies of them,
and they advanced into the Fort with heads erect
and truly marTiat badrlR, beneath their color5 "a
Confederate ttag) with nine W bite stars ID CIRCLE
| surrounding one in red with white border, and
somewhat larger than the others. In the rear of
the companies were about twenty Indian women.
The color staff being placed in the ground the
warriors slowly ciTcled around it, and upon signal
from the captains they all stood still and silent
while the old man before mentioned drew his
sword, and moving slowly around in the circle
thus addressed them: ..
warriors of the Choctaw and ChicasaW nations!
look around you and what do you see! You see
men in every garb, armed and equipped for war.
4 strange slgnt FOR my young men. Who are these
men? Your brothers-the men of the South-men
who have come from the land of sunshine across
Red riVer-whose star is in the center of your flag
and who are in our hearts as their star is in our
col0rs-men and the sons of men, who dyed that
star in the blood of their brave, and with whom
you my warriors, are here to share the tolls, dan
gers and the glory of War-men who will lay down
their lives in just cause, and who, as yet, have
never turned their backs to their enemies. You,
men and warriors, must emulate their glorious
deeds. GDeatening shouts from the Warriors) Let
your enemies feel the edges of your knives. {Ugh,
ughD Let not your war path be through your
the life blood of your enemies in their own towns
and villages, side by side with yeur white broth
ers, who are lighting for their rights, their own
property, and for the protection Of the homes of
their wives and children.
Warriors! we have the same feclinns we have
the same description of property; and need | tell
you to look around and see the women and maid
ems of your race, who are assembled to see the
warriors in their paint? Their hands have armed
you for the fray and their hearts will be with you
in the leld of death.' ..
The warriors here broke forth into dance keep
ing time to the beating of the drum, and urtering
the scalp halioo fired off their guns and pistols +;
the women at the same time moving closer to the
circle, when an elderly matron, accompanied by
the others, in low, plaintiVe voice, commenced
song, in which they were reminded of their mothers
and the homes they had played around when they
were babes and how their mothers and sisters had
attended their footsteps when they We're too young
to follow their fathers to hunt the buffalo; and
now they had grown to be men, their sisters
comparatively weak, their mothers had grown old,
and the bright sun had changed their raven locks
to gray and now, should their mothers and sisters
knowing they needed protection ask it of stran-
gers? or should their own young men, who have
the right, keep the Northern men from pollutng
their soil?
The excitement here was intense. The warriors
sprang into the air with shouts of defiance, yelling
and whooping, and the women ran into the circle
through an opening made for the purpose, aud
dancing around the ,colors continued their song
but in more animated strain, in which an allusion
was made to the deeds of their forefathers, etc.
The old veteran again came forward and asked a
question, which was not understood by me, but
which they answered by "ugh, ugh y and then
addressed them again.
"Where are the men who fought your battles in
former years, who were a terror to their enemies {?
a mournful wail.) They have passed from our
sight, and gone to the happy land, but their blood
flows through the veins Of the living. Where are
the warriors of their blood? (Here! here'D This
is the first time some Of you have danced in the
warriors line let not your hearts fail nor your
arms grow weak, as yoHr country may need every
blOw.n
1t was the first opportunity your correspondent
has ever had to witness the novel ceremonies of an
lndan war dance, and no one can properly appre-
the defiant and determined exprcssion Indicated
by the gestures and general appearance Of the
men.