Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1867-04-26

Details of the Fort Phil KeaYuey
Massacre.

GWUU8U0y0s
The following account Of the Fort Phil.
Kearney massacre is taken from private
letter Of = Sergeant of the Second Cav
airy to friend at Louisville:
For some time previous to the massa-
ere the Indians were proving around the
post, barely out Of rife range, and the
troops had several pretty sharp skirmishes
with them, which did not amount to much.
On the particular day of the slaughter
wood train went out with small guard,
and when about three miles from the fort
were attacked by the Indians, whom, after
brief skirmish, they routed. The troops
at the fort hearing the firing, detachment
OF nineiy-four men and officers were or
dered out by Gen. Darlington, under the
command Of Lieut.. Col. Fetterman, to 60
out as far as the crests of the bluffs to re-
connoitre, but not to go beyond them. as
he had reason to believe that the Indians
were in large force on the other side. Col
Fetterman and bis command proceeded to
the bluffs, and Immediately became en-
gagged with about fifty Indians who Of
course retreated. In their ardor, our
troops charged, driving them over the bluff
into the hollow, and out Of sight Of the
garrison, which was against positive or
ders. AS soon as they were in the hollow
the fight became general and terrific, as
those at tile garrison could tell by the
ceaseless roll of musketry, which lasted
about two hours. When the firing had
ceased about two hours and no sign of the
troops returning. the General sent out
thirty men and five ambulances 10 ascer-
tain the result of the battle. But mag
ine their horror on gaining the top of the.
bluff TO see the last of the Indians going
over the opposite bluff, and on going down
in the valley to find the still warm, bleed
ing and mutilated remains of ninety -four
Of their comrades, all scalped, and cut
and mutilated in the most shocking and
revolving and inhuman manner.
Not one solitary man who went out
armed to the teeth few hours before
were left TO tell the tale, or how it occur
Lieut.. Col. Fetterman, Capt. Brown and
three other officers were among the killed.
OF twenty-seven cavalry men, well armed
with Spencer seyen-shooters, and brace
of revolvers. and well mounted, not one
individual escaped to give an account Of
bow it occurred /; but it is to be supposed
that after our troops crossed The bluff, that
they were surrounded by 1000 or 5000
warriors, and SO massacred at once.
No trace of the Indians, except stray
glers, has been seen since the massacre.
All the murdered men were stripped to a
state Of total nudity, and cut, and even
quartered, ane mutilated in the most bar
barous and shameful manner imaginable.
There was one old guide and trapper who
was ~ dead shot, and whom the Indians
all knew well, and he was found scalped
and Two hundred and fifty-six arrows
sticking in his body. There was not
man but had from Thirty to one hundred
arrows remaining in his body when found.
1t seems that they vented their barbarous
hatred on the lifeless bodies of our men
by shooting arrows INTO them. One In
dian arrow will do the business at 100 to
200 yards as effectually as minie-rifle
ball. The names of the officers we're
Lieut.. Col. Fetterman, Eighteenth United
States Infantry Capt. w. Brown, Eigh-
teenth United States Infantry; Second
Lieutenant George Grummund, Eigh-
teenth United States Infantry; Lieuten-
ant Bingham, Second United States Cav
airy. The Indians must have suffered a
terrible loss, also, as there were about
seventy of their ponies found dead and
struggling about the battle-ground but,
as the Indians invariably carry off their
dead, it could only be guessed at. 1t il
estimated, however, that they lost at least
five hundred warriors in killed and wound.
ed. Had they not been crippled they
would have assaulted the garrison the
same evening which was very weak"