Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1867-02-20
[Ftom,ae Janesrale Wi.j Gazette. Jaa. 80.
Eull Details of the. Fort, Kearney- /.
.MaSsaCrcs-

+ [Fromthe JanesrAle IFis.l Gazette. Jan. 30.
Euli Details of the. Fort, Kearney-.
-, .-.s,. =.'Massacre. -. 'e 'e:a
From a pri7ate>letter to Mr.. 'Basid Tan-
kirk t,of this city, written by his'sontt Horace
d. .Vankirk,. Company g, Taehty.seventh
United States infantry, new stationed at Fort
Philip Kearney, we.are permitted to make
some extracts relatientostife Indian rn6ssa-
ere which. occurred o,rs the 2lst ofslastDe
cember.: lie says,,.- ifs.. - a'':'f''' -
-.-On the morning of 'Decer,ber 2ist, about
sA.o'clock, firing inrthc direction Of our wood
trainJ en- route to-tlse .pindty f5r'timber. wus
heard, and the picket Oh tho lookout hill Inn
mediatcly signaHed Indians in thatdirection.
Compan G, I'd U, S. S..cavaAry,. and about for
tyifife infantry; nnder command of Brsgs
fieua: Col,eG eGrdmmona'an CAP tairF:. Brown
wah'ordeps to go to thssaid1 0f>7he wood
train, and if they ,thsaght' they could take il
to HE pinezy aid rstutn IN safety, to- de- 80,
were inme mediateS gotten ready: Meanwhile,
Indians appeared lopthejhls eerbss tie Fling
rv,Fofas. about e mile distant; although seasf
tered and4a:smxH quaa,ises. The r pound.
er w1s,ges into position5 to-give; thenSa s!'eh
or two. and Col. Fettern1an's party started
out .he- Nathwess- gate. Fhee Indians, had
beguh to" skt :outp -feom'anoug the bushes
dong THE banks IF the Piney Fora, as a'shell
orStws went over their heads ia the-direct!on
Of their comrades On the hills. 'cfhe firing by
rhis time had ceased iusthe direction Of the
wood nain,' and Cox :Fetterman Had gone
dewh- into the valley Of the Rihey Fork
(which runs only about 100 yards from the
aorth corner of the blockade,) TO where the
Indians were getting oht uf'the bushes, and
sho had mt been seen till one of't%o sbefls
from the 12-pounder had begun to make them
think ,t.was not exactly safe around thore !;
they had evidently been dying irf ambush
there since some time before daylight: Taey'
were, should Judge, about l5O in number
and were ;rurhing hp favines and f!om
one place to another to keep cut of sight.
When Col. Fctterh,an got down into the val
lev. Ire threw out skirrhsh hne as he adj
vauced toward the creek; the Indians were
retreatiag in a northcrly direction toward P,no
Creek Valley, where Lieut.. Bingham and
Serrt. Bowers were killed on the. A
small party Of men joiued- Col. Fettermens
party in The Piney Fork bottom, consisting Of
who vent ont on hcir. own hook
"Colonel Fetterman's party kept on, and
finally disappeared oyer the hills toward the
Pcno Creek. Valley, and shortly after heavy
firins was heard in that direction. 1t was by
this time most il O'Clock: A. NJ, and, every
thing in the garrison pursued its regular r5u-.
tine Of garrison duty. About half past Ii A.
". a messenger arrived from the scene Of
action and requested more assistaucc,. .,nd
men were soon gathered to the number Ct.
about forty-Gve, under charge, OF Captain i.
Ten E.rck, to go to. their assistance. The.
messenger reported the Indians. charging on
our men in great numbers was anxious to
90 and cou!l not get a gun handy without
going down to the company after my own,
and knew l would not have time enough
for that, SO l concluded not to GO, but an, in
innate friend OF mine went, and get The
Goiiowmgastate from hin, and he il, i 1
think, a very good judge. :,
"H lie says they proceeded in haste to, The
field. and upon arriving at the edge OF Ptno
Creek Valley, they discovered further down
aud in the valley. what appeared to be cot
tonwcod limbs stripped of their bark. The
valley was one moving body of Indians, vel
ling, riding AROUND and cutting capcrs, as far
a, the eve could reach. Ny friend estimated
them al from three to five thousand, and he
aas seen armies in every position, and thiLk
he has made careful estimate. LLcy pco.
ceedcd along the edge of the valley to see.ii
they could find any trace Of Colonel Feiter
mans party, bu. not daripg o go down into
the bottom of the valley for they kncg it
would be folly, for they would be immediae-
lv surrounded By the Indians if they should.
They continued along the edge cf the valley
ill they got. toa point opposite to where the
apparent cottonwood trees 5Weyc lying, and
Captain Ten Eyck sent twenty men to go
down anl examine the scattered rubbish, and
10. aud behold; ,hey were the dead bodies Of
Cof. Fetferhnar .nd-party, and not one was
iound to have the least particle Of fife. When
Capt. Ten Eyck tef! the post, an ambulance
and tl!e ermY wagons, with hay in tue bottom
10 bring in The wounded and take out 5000
rouads Of Ammunition. was, sent cut dirtcly
after Captain-Tei, Eyck's party had left: hfter
it had been: discovered that npne cf Col. Fct'
.terinans party were lelt to tell the tGle, The
wagons and ambulance were driven down
and III OF the men, except avery few that
we're left~ ON q hight point to 'keepa Lookout,
vent down to load up-the bodies. the Incl
ais had 'rctyca;cd down ihc valley and did
not seem over auxions to. renew the combat,
;bu. very slowly kept failing back, leaViitg
..baut IS dead on the iichi, being 'hRablc'to
ybriHg thein;in, 5trt Returned tho next day,
3.d inst, and brought III the remainder. ThG
ocdies~wcTe stripped parfeetly naked and her.
riljly tnnrilated. some had the top Of their
skulls cut of. ard their brains taken out,
'c;ll4ls with'their arms cut out of tbeif Sockets
and were muila,ed in every shape and WY
imaginable, and had arrows in considerable
quantities stabbed m their. bodies. One man:
"a soldier in Company 2, ID Brttalion,,, 1Ssh
Infantry, had los in his body, another 65,
and .omo had ouly five %or'six, more or less.
From aIl:appearasoss the best evidence Is
lha. the party, yOuloHel Fet.orman's, treat
down into the valley on a;charyr, and orsy
150 or 200 Indians wera tlsiti2, and wher
they had got flirlyis the,bottom the Indians
sprang out.from among tie ,ravines and be.
hind tbc.litlc bills In immense iihmbers ard
surrounded them, forthey had
evidently fougbt"t1 the last man, and d'bynli
appearances fought we'll. .Their bodies were
all in the spase of forty feet square, although
they were not piled ca top of one another
The Indians oouhl not have finished their
work of torture many minutes before the ar;
rival of NGaptaiuren Eyck's party, for heatg
fling was heard after he had crossed the
-piuey Fork, 'i.l that direction. | have given
YOU the particulars as far as can, as far as
the fight is concerned, and L will try and re:
late the feelings Of the @arison on foundation
of such fact. Our total loss "a three officers,
seventy-six enlisted men, three citizens L
,know-of, nd'nerhaps more. Col. Darlington,
in his.dispatch, reports niuety-four killed. but
I tkiake it less than that number.". - : l.