The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-12-02

The Sixth West virginia Cavalry
Fighting the IndIRns--Why the Reg
lment Is not Discharged.
Adjutant General Peirpoint yesterday
resolved letter from Lieut.. Col. r. E.
Fleming, of the Sixth West Virginia
Cavalry, commanding detachment, at
post Alkali, n. T., ffty miles east of
Julesburg, on the Platte river, In which
Col. Fleming states that the detachment
under him has had three different en-
gagements with the Indians. of the last
he says:
| 1.-THE Indians attacked us mt this place
on the 9TH inst, and captured some
/ stock. We mounted about sixty men
and pursued, charged, routed and drove
/ them for ten miles into and across the
river, retaking all the stock and killing
| five. We lost no men killed or wound
/ ed. They were at least 800 strong, and
/ / think more, as they crossed within
I four miles the next night with 4, 900, GO
ing south to winter. The boys are after
| them now. This detachment Is in good
spirits and excellent health. The Gem
! eral commanding has comPlimented US
[ highly for conduct in action"
The remainder of the regiment, Col.
Fleming says, is at Platte Bridge, 40
miles above Fort Laramie, on the North
Platte. He adds:
This is cold place, and we are
camped 60 miles from wood, still in
shelter tents, with nothing to build
quarters:
The detachment of this regiment
which has been doing such meritorious
duty against the Indians is composed of
a large proportion of the men who were
charged with mutinous conduct at Fort
'Leavenworth in July last.
By some who are unacquainted with
the fncts, it is no doubt thought very
strange that this regiment which has
been in the service so long should be re-
tanned when all other troops from this
State have been mustered out. Every
effort bias been made by Governor Bore
man TO have this regiment also dis
charged. Efforts were made to have it
discharged when it was first known that
it had been ordered west, and because
of the necessitous condition of the fam
lilies of many of the men belonging to
it, frequent applicationsha have since been
made, but without success. Anecessity
existed for troops in the west; and when
they We're ordered thither, the com
manding General did not stop to inquire
to what State they belonged, all being
in the United States service; and such
as were most available were sent.
When Gen. Peirpoint visited the Sixth
at Fort Leavenworth, last summer, he
received assurances from Gen. Pope
that the regiment would be mustered
out in short time. But the hopes in
spired by these assurances have not
been realized. We had hoped the men
would have returned home before win
ter, but the season is now so far advanc-
ed, and they are so far from civilization,
that their places cannot readily be sup
piled this winter, and the probabilities
are they will be retained till spring.
The last application for the muster
out of the regiment, addressed by GenI
Peirpoint, under date of October 18th,
to the General Commanding the De-
partment of the Missouri, was returned
with the following endorsements:
! HEAD QUARTERS u. s. FoRCEs,
| KANSAS AND THE TERRITORIES.
'FoET LEAYENwoRTH, Nov. >, 1865,
90 This regiment is now west
OF Fort Laramie, and is designated as
one to be retained. 1t cannot be mus
tered out till relieved by other troops;
and it is so late in the season that we
cannot get troops out there beforesprinE,
/ II being some one thousand miles from
4 here. The regiment will be relieved at
| the earliest possible moment.
(Signed) &C. NJ, DoDGE
Major General Commanding"
"H'D Q'Rs DEBT OF THE Missouri,
IE4- ''ST. LOUIS. Mo-, Nov. Z, 1885.
Respectfully returned to the Adiu-
| tant General State of West Virginia.
attention invited to Endorsement OF
Major General Dodge.
(Signed) "JoHN PoPE.
Major Gen'l Com'dg."