Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-10-22

and soon the expedition took the sem
blance of life and drew its slow length
over the prairie. To be sure it was
late, but the General certainly was
not to blame for that. ...
will not dctaiu your readers with
the monotony of dreary marches, nor
recount to you how we suffered will,
the heat and cold, how we suffered for
water, good pure water, how after
marching all day furnishing, we could
only obtain brackish alkali water or
salt water to slacken thirst How We
cooked with buffalo chips, being over
two weeks without any kind Of wood
How we ate bad rations that some
swindling contractor Mt st. Lonis had
foisted on some easy Inspector. How
our horses from being splendid spirited
war chargers, are poor jaded carica-
lures. say we will not complain of
these things because it is the expecta.
ton that every soldier will and must
suffer. These arc the exigcncies of
the service, and it is noble to suffer
for ones country /; through all such
Gen. Sully persevere. Not another
officer scarcely in the land but would
have yielded to the mountains of diff
culties that seemed to weigh him
down. After marching nearly four
hundred miles we arrived at the mouth
of the Shyenne river, with only tweu-
ty-three days of provisions. A coun-
Gil of officers was called, and it was
determined that go ahead we would
until the last hard cracker was used
up. So we commenced again onr
weary toilsome march. Soon after
this we captured an old Indian that
the Indians had stripped of blank
cts, gun and horse. and abandoned on
the prairie to die. From him We
learned the whereabouts of the Indi-
ans. On the morning of the Sd of
September, Gen. Sully directed Major
House, with four companies, to scout
about twenty miles in certain direc-
ton and see if he could hunt up the
Indians The Major promptly marched
in the direction given, aud at about
2 o'clock p. NJ, suddenly came upon
some 400 or 500 lodges of Indians,
numbering about 1000 or | 200 war.
riors This was rather startling, but
the Major drew up his command, 200
in number, demanded their surrender,
telling them that white warriors were
near at hand, as thick as the grains of
sand on the river shore. lie negotia-
ted and treated with them until his
messenger arrived at Gen. Sully's
camp with the news. BY this time il
was about Al o'clock Pm The bugle
sounded to horse, the camp swarmed
with men and horses, and soon the
whole column, cavalry and artillery,
were going at killing pace to tho re-
lief of the Sd battalion. In a little
over one hour the ten miles are passed,
their camp bursts upon our view, their
number of men, women and children
fill up the ravines of the prairie. There
they lie. all ready for the attack. The
charge is sounded, volleys ring ont,
Indians and ponies fall thick and fast
the Indians reply with their arrows
and firearms (; night, impenetrable
darkness, soon throws its shield over
the strife, thereby preventing the utter
determination Of the whole red skin
assemblaGc. -.... .... ~
In the short space Of thirty minutes,
we had killed between 100 and 200
Indians, wonnding great many more,
and taking l5s prisoners. We burnt
and destroyed between 400 and 500
lodges or tepecs, thousands of pounds
of dried meat, buffalo robes and camp
plumber generally. The Indians that
we whipped were very wealthy set
They were composed of parts of the
Sioux, Sissetons, Ianktonnais, Cut
Heads, &c. They never had expert.
enced snch perfect route, and taking
it as it is, just at the beginning of
winter it is irreparable. 1t is certain
to lead to good results, and already
we have had delegations of the chiefs
desiring peace. | feel certain that
the Indians that committed the mur-
ders in Minnesota can all be secured.
These Indians were the very same
that had fought with Gen. Sibley and
had hung upon his rear, following him
up until they were in the middle of
Dacotah Territory The Indians laugh
considerably at Sibley's descriptions
of the battles They insist that il
they were whipped by him they never
knew it. They also insist that they
had the best of the fights with him,
and give the following reasons They
say that they killed as many of Sib-
ley's men as he did Indians ; that
they always attacked him when they
pleased, and that Siblcy on being at
tackled immediately commenced forti-
flying, and that the Indians got away
from him whenever they chose that
he (Sibley) was very glad to leave
their country and made tolerably quick
marches for an army that had swept
everything before it over the Missouri
river.
/ They draw a very unfavorable con-
trast to Gen. Siblcy, and very favora-
bic to Gen. Sully's command. They
say Gen. Sully's soldiers charged i'm
mediately upon them. that they did
not wait to fortify, and that our sol
; diers remained and destroyed all the
property that they had in the world
that Gen. Sully's soldiers are differ
ent race of warriors to General Sib
ley's. aaa ra
The loss of the 9th Iowa cavalry
was twelve killed. eleven privates and
one commissioned officer, and twenty
three wounded. The officer killed was
Cd Lieut.. L. j. Leavitt, of Go. B, act
; ing Adjutant of the regiment. His
/ horse being killed. fell SO as to hold
{ him down. when be was Immediately
surrounded by four indians. each O
, whom inflicted fatal wound npo,
/. him. He drew his revolver and emp
7 tied it on the savages. He was gal
: liant young officer. finely educated anc
+ fearless he would have made hi
Y mark before the war closed. He wa
: from Massachusetts, near Boston, am