New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-03-20

d" - K-rslen Tins
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marching forward, now couutermarchiDg; now APP
pesring now Disappearing bat ever moving toward
victory.
ATROCITIES or TIE TEpiASs.
The Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole H.
dians, Of whom some three thousand were engaged
in the battle under the command Of Co. Alter, Pike,
Northern man, who deserves, and will doubtless
receive, eternal in'amy for lis efforts 20 induce q
horde Of sayages TO butcher brave men who had
taken up 10 prevent the subyersion of the he
public-rereaied he ourages upon civilized warfare,
and the shocking bafbGrites with Which our early
history has made Us familiar.
They fought as they did in the oien times-in the
manner the Rebels have adopted ns their own, from
behind logs and trees; anxious 20 destroy bu. fear
full Of exrosurei seeking by every device and ee-
ception 10 draw men into anbueh ana attack and
say them at disadvantage.
| In many instances thoy succeeded, but in Others
our men were as willy tie aborisnes and defeated
them az their own game. Many savage, while he
was pcering cautiously around tree, o. through tho
bushes, was relieved Of fo b. ma-kei or iiiie ball
crushing through ssul
Tie Indians often assumed 70 10 dead. throwing
themtelves upon their faces tie ground; and a.
soon as our troops would pass they would rise, take
deliberate aim, fire and fly.
Scapiug aud robb.ny were, W Of yors their favor
ite psstimes. TLey r'undered every wounded,
DYING ,nd dead Uuionir' they could ia, snd very
frequently murdered those they tscoyosod 20 badly
hurt as to he incapable Of Offering resistance.
The savages indeed seemed demonzod and Il Is
said the Rebels did everything in tLeir power TO
excite them to frenzy, giving them large quantities
Of whisky and gunpowder few minutcs previous 70
the commencement of hcs.iliues.
The appearance Of sone Of tie beso,ted savsges
wac fearful. They lost their sense Of caution aud
fear. and ran with long knives aga.nst large odds,
and fell pierced by dozens Of bullets. With bloody
hsnds and garments, with giterins eyes ard hoTrid
scowls they RACED about the Geld with terrible yells,
and 90 often frightened some OF our eoldiers for IA
fow seconds as to escape the fate that should have
befallen every one Of their number.
TIE REBELS SLAUGHTERED BY TIE INDIANS.
The Indians in many instances could not refrain
from scalpins their enemies, and it ID said that as
many as a hundred Of our brave men were thus
bsrbsrously treated. They frequently scared the
dead they found on the field, and in ten or twelve
cases 30 served soldier who were merely wounded.
have spoken Of the terrible excitement ard de-
moniac rage into which the a.vsgea were thrown by
tie appeals and Gre-waer Of tie Rebels, who it ap-
pesrs suffered from their aboriginal associates nearly
a. much tho Unionifts themselves, ana ia a man
ner they could have least expected.
The Secessonists overcharged their dusly
chimes, end when they were fiei tie truly guilty
suffered from the recoil.
The Indians in the midst OF the excitement and IN
der tie stimulus Of their burning potatoDs became
frenzied Lost TO every sense but that Of slaughter
Friend and foe were alike TO them; they fred al
tie nearest mark and used their long knives iIdis-
crmilately upon all within their reach. For more
than twelve hours they continued this impartial war
fare killing and wOunding more Of the Missouri and
Arkansas troops it ia believed than they did Of ours
On Saturday morning a body Of 900 or 400 In
dians were discovered on the north eide OF Sugar
Creek, below tie curve Of bill, firing from THO.
clusters Of postoaks into three or four companies Of
Arkansas soldiers, marching in McCullochs Division
toward the uIrer part OF the ridge. The Major Of
the battalion steug this hallooed out 10 them that
they were firing upon their own friends, and placed
his white hanoi erchef Oh his sword and waved 4 in
tho air.
The Indians ei,ler did no, zee or did not care for
the symbol Of truce but poured TWO voeys into tie
ArkansGns, killing among Others tie Major himself.
The presumption then was that tie CLerokees bad
turned traitors, and tie Secession soldiers we're i'm
mediately ordered to charge upon them. They did
So and for ali hour terrible fight onsued among the
oaks between them and their late savage allies, in
which il ia stated some go were killed and wounded
on both sides. The Indiana suffered severely, az
they were driven from their hiding places and shot
and butchered without mercy. s person who wit
messed this part Of the Gght says it was tie most
bloody and desperate that occurred On tho field
being conducted with the most reckless and brutal
energy by the two partieI, of whom il would be diff
cult to say which was the more barbar,ut. Ga the
dead sayages were found, in some instances two or
three scslps, fastensd to their tels ly thoDgs Of
leather.