The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1866-02-21
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Letter from Montana Territory.
BANNAcK, Cry, M. T., I
yxt54 10Th December, 1865. (

" flTfif 4 4otn Oecemper, loOo. 49,
/ ID EDIToRs ASHLAND UNION :-Emigra.
ton over the plains this year was attend
ed with more than usual difficulties and
hardshipg, for the following reasons: In
the first place, the season was more than
40 ordinarily rainy one, both on the
lplains and In ethe mountains. On this
account, the roads were frequently very
heavy or slippery, and in some places,
badlylcu up. In the second place, the
Indians along our route were very hostile,
attacking weak or careless trains almost
daily. Parties Of several tribes, Ara.
pahoes, Cheyennes, Sioux and perhaps
some others, combined in these attacks,
which were made at various points, from
the lower Platte as far West as Bridger's
pass, distance Of not less than FIVE hun.
dred miles. As IA matter Of precaution,
wo Ipt out guards night and day along
several hundred miles more of our road,
not knowing certainly when we had pass.
ed the bound Of danger This precau-
tiop may have been the principal rea-
son OF our coming through safely, while
other trains, both before and behind us,
were roughly handled. In the Black
Hills, which we crossed by the Cherokee
trail, pass Of over forty miles in length,
of many narrow deiiles and precipitous
and rocky pitches, we were on constant
lookout for descent of the red knay es
on US. One night there, we camped
where only the day befyre, party of EN-.
igrant families had been robbed of their
horses and left utterly helpless. When
we arrived, they were anxiOusly trying to
DEVISE gays and means to continue their
journey, but with diumest prospects of
success How they came up out of their
bad luck, j don't know. Again, large
train, only half days drive ahead of us,
was pounced upon in Bridger's pass, and
the uniortI1gnatte party, after brisk fight
0! half an hour, saw eighty eight head of
their stock driven with whoop and a
rush up one of the defles Of the noun
tains on their right. None of it was ev.
er recovered. The leader OF the attack.
ing party was undoubtedly white man,
for as he received the fatal shot, he threw
up his hands and circulated in good, un.
broken English, words which indicated
that he was fully aware "his time had
come" Being firmly strapped to his
horse, however, he was carried off, as is
usually the case with Indians wounded
or killed in fight, unless their hores also
are disabled. There were many OTTER
similar attacks along our route with va
rious results.
Another, and the main reason why our
journey this year was unusually and un.
necessarily severe, was in the fact. that
tho military authorities interested them.
selves altogether tco much in our behalf.
We would have got along faster and more
safely without any of their interference.
Their arrangem ents were simply an an
noyance and continual drag-weight on all
our movements. By order of Gen. Con-
nor, trains of less than hundred wagons
were not allowed to pass Ft Kearney,-
These were formed into quasi military
organizations there, with Captains and
Lieutenants to whom were given near.
ly as absolute authority and command
as belong to the same rank in the army
KNOWING The many and constant hind.
RANGES necessarily incident to such ball
and chain contrivapce, we determined to
run our train Independent of IL, if posi-.
BILE, and BY a most lucky chance, did
mako our way through the lines untram.
melled by the whims of new Aedged
Captains and the like. To this success,
/ attribute the fact of our moving with as
little delay as could have been expected
even under somewhat more favorable cir
cumstances. After reaching Julesburgh,
however, we were continually annoyed
and hampercd by general commands from
headquarters, to compel obedience to
which we found multitude of Lisuten.
ants with their squads stretched along
hundreds Of miles Of our road.
1t had been our intention ltO cross the
Platte at the last mentioned place, and
then to take our road by way Of IT. Lar
annie or up the valley Of Lodge Pole
creek, as We might afterwards determine,
but We were confronted by orders from
General ConOor informing us that We We
/ must follow the Overland Stage Route
which keeps the south side Of the'river
as far mp as Denver. Looking ou these
orders as made with q view to our protec-