Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-04-26


DETAILS or THE FORT Phil kEAR-
NEY MAssACRE.--The following az
count of the Fort Phil Kearney massa-
ere is taken from a private letter Of
a Sergeant Of the Second Cavalry to
friend in Louisville:
"For some time previous to the
massacre the Indians were proving
around the post barely out of rifle
range, and the troops had several
pretty sharp skirmishes with them.
which did not amount to mich. On
the particular day of the slaughter a
wood train went out with a small
guard, and when about three miles
from the fort were attacked by the
| Indians. whom, after a brief Skirmish.
| they routed. The troops at the fort
/ hearing the firing. detachment of
ninetv-fOur men and officers were or
dered out by Gen. Darlington. under
| the command of Lieut.. Col. Fetter-
man. to go out az far as the crests OF
the bluffs to reconnoitre, but not to 90
beyond them, as he had reason to be-
lieve that the Indians were in large
force on the other side. Col. Fetter-
man and his command proceeded to
the bluffs. and immediately became
engaged with about fifty Indians who
of course retreatcd. In their ardor,
our troops charged, driving them over
the bluff into the hollow, aud out OF
sight of the garrison, which was against
positive orders. As soon as they
were in the hollow the fight became
general and terrific as those at the
garrison could tell by the ceaseless
roll of musketrv, which lasted aboul
two hours. When the firing had
ceased about two hours, and no sign
of the troops returning, the Genera
sent out thirty men and five ambulance;
to ascertain the result of the battle
But imagine 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 vale,
to find the still warm, bleeding an(
mutilated remains of niRety-four OF
their comrades, all scalped, and Gu
and mutilated in the most shockin!
and revolving and inhaman manner.
Not one solitary man who went on
: armed to the teeth a few hours befor,
was left to tell the tale, or how i
occurred. Lieut.. Col. Fettermau
| Capt. Brown and three other officer
{ were among the killed. OF q caval
, rymen, we'll armed with Spencer sever
shooters. and brace of revolvers
: and we'll mounted, not one individual
T escaped to give an account of how i
+ occurred; but it is supposed that ate
: our troops crossed the bluff, that the
were surrounded by 1000 or 300
warriors, and so massacred at once.
: No trace of the Indians, excep
stragglers, has been seen since tn
massacre. All the murdered me
were stripped to state of total mud
}. ty, and cut, and even quartered. an
r mutilated in the most barbarous an
:. shameful manner imaginable. Their
was one old guide and trapper VIII
was dead shot, and whom the Ind
ans all knew well, and he was foun
scaiped and two hundred and fifty-si
arrows sticking in his body. Their
was not man but had from thirty t
one hundred arrows remaining in hi
body when found. Itseems that the
vented their barbarous hatred on tn
lifeless bodies of our men by shootin
arrows into them. One Indian arrow
On calm day, will do the business q
e 100 to 200 yards as effectually as
it mimic rife-ball. The names of til
d officers were Lieut.. Col. Fettermal
Eighteenth United States Infantry
Capt. w. Brown, Eighteenth Unite
= States Infantry; Second. Lieut.. &c,
= Grummond. Eighteenth United State
It Infantry; Lieut.. Bingham, Secon
k United States Cavalyr. The Indian
h must have suffered terrible loss ais
! as there were about seventy of the
ponies found dead and stragglin
y about the battle-ground; but, as I'll
a. Indians invariably carry off their dea,
f the loss could only be guessed at
If 1t is estimated, however, that the
: lost at least five hundred warrior
in killed and wounded. Had the
: not been crippled they would hay
u assaulted the garrison the same ev
It ming, which was very weak"