Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1862-04-03
Rebel Indians in Battle.

All accounts concur in representing that
the Indians at the Pea Ridge battle were
of little use, except for whooping, toma-
hawking, scalping and robbing. They
would not stand before The big guns a
moment, but would scalp and rob the dead
One report says:
On the rebel side, the Indians were un-
Ger the command of Pike, S,andwartz and
Ross. They proved of little account, ex-
cept 10 plumber and rifle the dead and
scalp the wounded, of which fact Col. Bus
sey, of the Sd Illinois cavalry, has ample
evidence. In the field these cowardly al.
lies could not be brought within range Of
our cannon. They would say, "Ugh, big
gun" and skedaddle for the brush.
A secesh doctor who came afterward in
to our camp, relates that on the morning
of the battle, he observed about 500 In
dians daubing their faces all over with
black''from the coal of the charred stumps.
The doctor inquired of one of the chiefs
the significance of painting thus, when he
was answered that ''the Indians, when 60
ing into a fight, painted their faces; but
when they are pinchcd with hunger they
color black" These fellows have had moth
ing 10 eat in two days.
MISSOURI JIBBENAINoSAY.
One of the 9th Missouri was SO enraged
on the second day, seeing his brother. a
member of the Same regiment, horribly
butchered and scalped, that he swore ven-
geance against the Iudians, and for the re-
mainder of the day devoted his attention
entirely TO them, concealing himself be-
hind trees and fighting in their fashion
An excellent marksman, he would often
creep along the ground to obtain better
range, and then woe 10 the savage who
exposed any part of his body.
When he had shot an Indian, be would
shout with delirious JOY, ''There goes an
other red skin TO HI Hurrah for the
Stars and Stripes, and d-n all Indians"
Though ever following the willy foe, and
though fred upon again and again, he re-
ceived not scratch; and on his return TO
camp, after night-fall, bore with him nine
sealps of aboriginal warriors, slain by his
own hand to avenge his brothers death.
The Tribune's army correspondent states
the rebels excited the sayages 10 frenzy by
giving them whisky and gunpowder, for
which they paid dearly. They fired upon
friend and foe alike, and Saturday morn
ing body of 800 or 400 Indians fred in
to three or four companies of Arkansas
rebels marching in McCulloch's Division
The officer in command tried to stop them
in vain. Then followed desperate
INDIAN AND REBEL FIGHT.
The Indians either did not see or did
not care for the symbol of truce; but
poured two volleys into the Arkansans,
killing among others the Major himself
The presumption then was that the Cher
okees had turned traitors, and the Seces-
sion soldiers were Immediately ordered to
charge upon them. They did so, and for
an hour terrible fight ensued among the
oaks between them and and their late saw
age allies, in which it is stated some 250
were killed and wounded on both sides.-
The Indians suffered severely as they were
driven from their hiding places, and shot
and butchered without mercy. A person
who witnessed this part of the fight says
it was the most bloody and desperate that
occurred on the ield-being conducted
with the most reckless and brutal energy
by the Two parties. of whom it would be
difficult to say which was the more barba-
rous. On the dead savages were found, in
some instances, two or three scalps, fasten-
ed 10 their belts by thongs of leather.