Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1865-09-29
The Indian Fight At Platte Bridge Of
July 05th and 20th.

Indian attack of the last Of July at Platte
Bridge in a letter to the Leavenworth
Times
July 25th.-Fine breeze this morning.
Considerable noise among the horses last
night. Very dark night. Guard think
Indians were providing around.
At about 2 o'clock p. NJ, just as we
were through dinner, the cry ran through
the camp, "The Indians are coming" I
ran out Of my tent, and sure enough there
they were, coming up the opposite side Of
the river. The boys commenced firing,
making some very good shots. Fifteen of
the enemy rode along the river bank, yell
ing like madmen.
About twelve men, mounted, with some
twenty footmen, followed them about two
miles north. They passed us, retiring
slowly, contending for every inch of
ground. Toward evening they began be-
ing reinforced, and we in turn were COM
PEELED to fall back rapidly, they pressing
on US so closely, that we were enabled to
hit several of them. Two were killed and
one MORALLY wounded. Finding our am
munition getting scarce, and they, by su-
periority of numbers, hanking US, we were
compelled to fall back, leaving the intan-
try at the further end Of the bridge. The
cavalry re-crossed to camp, where we
found the mail in, just in time to keep
from being captured, as but a small party
was with it. I had just finished reading
my letters, when the savages-some forty
or fifty in number, began crossing the
river below, where some forty head of
cattle were being grazed by the ranchero
at this place. Some of GU boys had gone
down on this side on foot, and as the In
dams made o dash at the herd, they ran
to the assistance of the herders, and run
ming fight began, the boys trying to get
the cattle off. They saved all except n
steer, which the Indians shot full of ar
rows. BY this time, twelve or fourteen of
our boys arrived, mounted. After q short
fight the enemy retreated, leaving behind
a mounted chief, who ran into a clump of
bushes. One Of our men-Pharos Ham
mond-ran after him, dragged him out,
ran his knife into the chiefs heart, and
then scalped him. We were now rein
forced. and made a general charge upon
the enemy, driving them across the river.
They troubled US no more that night.
They numbered from so to 100.
The detachment sent to Sweetwater had
not arrived. I volunteered to command
twenty-four men and 60 to meet them.
1t. Collins, of Company G, 18th Kansas,
accompanied US. We crossed the bridge,
and had gone probably a mile, when from
the north, east, south, and west, the saw
ages m 1t appeared as though they
sprung up out of the ground. We were
completely surrounded. Thousands came
rushing and yelling from every point. 1t
was a terrible situation to be in. Our
only salvation was the bridge or heaven.
I chose the former. We turned fright
about"
Death in its most horrible form was
near. The swift arrow, the tomahawk,
and the scalping- knife Of the savage, yell
ing foe would soon begin their work. We
put our horses to the utmost speed, charg-
ing into the savage foe.
1t was one long, long, bloody lane.
What a terrible ordeal to 60 through! 1
had often read of running the gauntlet"
but this was a fearful reality. Bows and
arrows, spears and guns, flashed before
and around US. Savages caught us, at
tempting to drag US from u horses-but
onward-life, dear life, was the prize. At
through their rank down the steep bank
to the river bottom. Friends had crossed
to our relief, and a living blaze of FIRE
flashed from their ranks, Furnishing the
enemy severely. Out Of the twenty-four
men whom I started out with, five were
killed and fifteen wounded. 1t. Collins
was killed. The whole fight was in full
view of the station. Nearly every horse
was wounded. My W was shot in the
hip, where the ball still remains. The
enemy numbered between two and three
thousand warriors. They suffered dread
fully. They cut the telegraph wire both
east and west. A party of twenty
men endeavored to mend 1t, so that we
could send word East of our situation,
but they failed-the enemy killing one Of
their men and wounding three, but lost q
number of their own men in the fight.
Owing to their superior numbers we were
compelled to retire without accomplishing
anything. About IL o'clock the detach-
ment from Sweetwater came in sight. We
fred a howitzer twice to warn them, but
on they came, to q terrible fate. The
enemy discovered them, and for four long
hours they fought-three only escaping.
Their names were Henry Smith, Byron
Swain and Corporal James Swater, all Of
Company D, llth Kansas Regiment. We
could see the whole of the fighting, but
could not render any assistance. Two
Snake Observation-Disclosures this morn
ing, to try and get through with dis
patches to Deer Creek.
9th. Got up at daybreak this morning.
Went on top of the building and took a
look with the glass. The Indians could
be seen, several together, and soon on the
hills north hundreds of them were visible.
Some of them came opposite the post and
told the Indians there to send their women
off as they were going to burn the station
and kill all the men. They were now
moving southwest toward Red Buttes. l
went with a party to try and find the
bodies of our slain. We found them
~dreadfully mutilated- their bodies shot
full of arrows We found a scrap Of
paper, purporting to be written by a
prisoner, upon the battlefield. 1t ran
thus: "Blackfeet, Cheyennes, Arapa-
hoes, Sioux, and a few Camanches are
here now. I was taken prisoner down
on the Platte River. You killed a chief
yesterday. They say they do not want
to have peace. Another thousand are
coming. They want your stock"
Our force now numbers over one hum
dred and fifty men, a number having ar
rived from below.
H. Eoootso,, loool &C ~