Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1863-08-13
From the Springfield Republican.
SCOUTING IN DACOTAH.
INDIAN EXPEDITION.
Shayenne River, Dacotah, July IL. !


Smothering and choking with clouds of
dust and smoke which are sweeping over
the prairies with nose and ears pecling for
the third time under the broiling DacOtah
sun, and in very uncomfortable state
generally, your correspondent proposes the
dangerous experiment of writing letter
This time it shall tell the story of the
scouts, provided only that am not total
ly blinded by the deluge of dirt. | can
write upon this subject better now than
perhaps at any other time, as my tent is
located very near to the camp of the scouts,
and | can find better opportunities to gain
information than at other times when To-
Gated considerable distance apart. ...
..... STORIES OF SCOUTING.
There are many, doubtless, who mag
inc that the thrilling tales of the expert
enees and adventures of scouts, as related
in books of romance, and in newspaper
columns, have no counterpart in actual life
at the present time. But such an idea is
far from the truth. From the narratives
almost daily of the scouts connected with
this expedition, | could weave many sto-
ry of reality that would be quite as ex-
citing as some of the fictitious monstroci-
ties that are agonized into the weekly lit
erary journals. Probably no scout organ
lied for Indian warfare was ever more
complete than that now employed in the
Sioux war by Gen. Sibley. The force
numbers seventy, one half of whom arc
whites and the other half Indians and
half-breeds. If an eastern man wanted
to see motley company of the oldest
traders, most experienced hunters, and the
most canning and daring Indians in the
Northwest, he could ind them nowhere so
we'll as in this very camp of scouts They
are men who never speak of danger, and
who look upon horseback ride of one
hundred miles on the prairies, as a mere
commonplace trip. Mr.. Joseph Brown,
the most noted Indian trader in all this
region of country, and well-knowu poll
tician, editor aud advcnturer of the North
west, is in command of the force, aud
most skillfully he conducts the operations.
There are two companies of scouts which
are on duty on alternate days and nights.
One of them is commanded by a man
whose entire family was massacred by the
Sioux Indians last fall, and the man who
begged the privilege, which was granted,
of cutting the rope at the execution of the
thirty eight Indians at Mankato last win:
ter. He told me his story with tears in
his eyes, and concluded by pledging his
life even to the avenging of the murder of
his family. The other division is COM
manded by an adventurous and shrewd
frontiersman, man who knows every
war path or Indian trail in all the terri
tory.
Among the Indians are some of the most
Chippewa, Sioux and half breeds
in the Indian territory. Some of them
have been captured at different times by
our troops, and some are of the friendly
or farmer Indians. Scouting is no child's
play with them, as they are sure of ter
rible death if captured by the hostile
Sioux. Two of them arc men who helped
Mr.. Riggs, and the families at Yellow
Medicine to escape from the savages last
fall. Other-Day, who was formerly a
leading chief of the Sioux, and who is
now farmer near St. Paul, was expected
to JOIN the force. but failed for some rca-
son. Tho scouts camp in low tents, just
high enough to creep into, and are con-
stantly at work at their dangerous and to-
dious tasks -,. r.,
| said that they had dangerous expert,
ences. A few days ago, four of them had
wandered over on to the Cotcau ridge, 20
miles from camp, expecting to find Indian
lodges there by reason of a war club which
had been found and interpreted. After
they left camp another party of twenty
left for another locality, intending to be
gone through the night. While the
smaller company was wandering through
~ a A n