The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1864-09-17
CITY MONTANA SATURDAY SEPTEMBER ~ 1se1
September 5th, 1864,

September 5th, 1864.
EpIroR Posr I'm looking over The Hrst
number of your paper, | was somewbat
surprised as well as amused at the nceount
of an Indian fight on Powder river IN tho
Bo1eman cutoff. observe the name of
1 pT. Crepin somewhat conspicuous, and /
believe his is the only name mentioned in
the whole affair. Now, | being one of the
individual members Of the train alluded TO
IN tue above mentioned fight, (said train
consisting Of three hundred and sixty-nine
men, thirty six women, and ,ffty-six child
rem, and known as Capt. Townsend's train. J
L consider it my duty to correct some of the
many errors made by your correspondent
" +. W." who, conclude, must have taken
the story from some person who knows but
nttie OF the matter, or else he must have
little regard for the truth. -
'.on the morning of the 7th of July last,
just as our train was beginning to roll out,
party OF Indians were discovered short
distance from our camp. Upon learning
this fact, Capt. Townsend called out the
men, who, with four exceptions, responded
nobly- to the call. He then ordered the
wagon master, Mr.. BerryhiH, to corral tho
tram, but for some reason best known to
himseii, the wagon-master refused to obey
the order, when the captain very promptly
commenced cOrralling the train himself.
Ot course there was much noise and confu-
sion in camp, and very little order, but
while the train was corraling, our old guide,
Bayer, went out to meet the Indians, and, !,
If possible, to ascertain what they wanted.
He soon returned, saying they only wanted
food, and did not wish to fight, as they were
on their way to the Snake country in pur-
SUIT OF horses stolen from them by the
Snakes. Very few of US, however, believed
this story, and when our captain and others
came around soliciting food for them, many
refused to give them anything but powder
and lead, as most of us were convinced
that they were bent On mischief. Our
guide said they were band of Cheyennes,
led on by chief called sSpotted Cow, .
and we'll known for his hostility to whites,
he being the same one who drove back q
train of eighty wagons last season, that at
tempted to 60 through on that road.
While our men were yet in the act Of
carrying them provisions, such as bread,
sugar, coffee, &C., party of our men went
out to search for a man that was back look
ing for his cow, and they were no sooner
out OF sight of our camp, than the Indians
surrounded them and commenced firing on
them. and tried to cut them of, but our
men fought their way through without q
scratch, excepting one man, (Mr. Archer, }
who was hit in the back with an arrow. He
was II brave fellow and acted nobly, and
came into camp with the arrow sticking in
his back. DR.. Crepin not being able to ex-
tract the arrow, another Dr., an English
man whose name did not learn was called
in and finally succeeded in getting it out.
When we heard he..friug and learned the
cause Of it, there was q number of men
started to the rescue-myself among the
rest, and |, being we'll mounted, got in ad-
vance of the rest, most Of whom were OH
foot. When got nearly to where the men
were that were fighting, met DR.. Crepin
coming back, urging his horse to his ut
most speed, and shouting with all his might
to us to 90 back-that the men Were all cut
to pieces, and that the Indians were flank
ing us, and would soon be in the rear of the
corral. On hearing this, We all went back
to camp, but soon found out that there was
no truth whatever in any part of the above
statement. And, rs to the doctors pulling
an Indian by the hair, that is all 6. shenan-
igNu. AL luuldu W Uulu nave udU 10 nave
been mounted on a feet horse indeed, to
have got that close to DIR. Crepin on that
day. The DR.. said, on coming into camp,
that he had killed two Indiant, but could
never find any other person that ever saw
him shoot at one, even at long range.
The Indians showed more than their US
ual bravery on that day, as might have
been expected, after our feeding them, and
showing them that we We're afraid of them.
We lost four men killed, as stated by your
correspondent, but instead of our killing
thirty Indians, we probably killed about
seven, as the Indians acknowledged loss
of that many, we were told afterwards by
friendly Indians. That is more than we
supposed we had killed, as they managed
to get all the dead off the field,
Now, Messrs. Editors; l hope you will
give ehis letter a place in your paper, in
justice to the few brave meu who took part
in this affair. /, for one, feel like claiming
very little glory in the whole matter.
think the whole fight showed good deal of
cowardice on our part, and we let the In
dians go without furnishing them as they
ought to have been, and might have been.
As there was over four hundred persons
witnessed the whole affair, if l have not
given q correct statement let some one cor
rect me. ZsRAH FRENCH.