, 1870-03-28
THE PUNISHMENT OF THE PIE
CANS,
Complete Account of Colonel Bakers
Expedition Against tho SnSagcx-
Graphic Narrative by mn officer In
tAG command,

Complete Account of Colonel l3aker.s
Expedition Against tho SnyaEcx-
Graphic Narrative by mn officer in
the Command.
From the Lancaster N. ny flpublsean, March u.
Ne nre permitted to publish tho following
graphic and interesting letter from Surgeon
Francis L. Town, United States Army, to his
father, Barton G. Town, Of this town. It will
be observed that Surgeon Towns letter abso-
la.cls contFaicts tho reports in circulation rel,
children Of the ricgans By Colonel Bakers
command:
FORT SHAW, Montana TsrrstsH,l
Having d,sposc Of snof, nasia;ss ~ no!s 1S now
proceed to give you lrtef synopsis of Affairs at
Fort Shaw, perhaps Of sotne Interest," Active oIe
crattons against the Indians IN, Montana were tn-
augurated, and have apparently come 10 q full
rknse by one dreadful blow, some account Of which
you harc seen 10 the pa2erA The troops left herr
notnjns of Janus51 * and II returned On The sah sa
os tho sau,e month. The command consisted ol
four companies Of the Second cavalry, nom Fort
ai Ills 1st. e1usa!ent T. al another COMPANY. anS
oae company Of The Twelfth Infantry, rs escort
and Ena!l to their sGrply, 1rain-a1! under com.
cava,ry. From the post they marched nearly due
Diahf nie1s n1a ,o t1s ss A.
day. and from this point moved only BY night, "
Ing concealed As much as possible ihroa9h the
aytine. They also left the Infantry with all the!F
tents and supplies behind on the Trton, and each
hoEFeulan took with him only hts rarions and
blankets, together with his carbnc aud sixty
rounds The thermometer EosnR very !oT about
this ume-tnto the twCnde8 below zero almost
every nl9ht-5ou can IMAGINE what It WIS for on
Gers and men thus to cut Sooee from everything
and 0ye on ssrsss n, ;nsse r Sss, an rint plains
sheltered and exposed to The benumbIng cold. No
nrs were allowed. since some party Of Indians out
ijsht at nisnt I'd thus discovering :heir :pproaeS,
convey the alarm throughout the Indian cAmTs
Tic Indians Of the command were after certain
Lands Of PteE1o8 which had becn unusually H.
dnstnons maraudtnR the psst summer and fail,
and lad committed numerous murders of whites
The T1eeana are one Of the three subdivisions Of
Soos BE W. Pieesns ess md Bsekfcet Though ii s1scs
feet they live almost a. distinct tribes; but they
occury mainly the same territory aud hunting
gr,,unds and 10 some extent acknowledge CON-
mon hrpfhcrhood. In other words, the nation has
At some time split up. into independent clans or
s1!,~~, the members Of which hunt the hanelo, or
cycn in OCCASIONS 60 on the war Path hluLcably
together. The Elooda and P.csans have their VIII
tcr quarters and lirc, many Of thcm, tue year
reund, on the MArias River: they are scattered
af.y miles, cncatnpcd In hands generally Of two
Of three hundred, more OF aess, IN place. The
former are higher up The stream towards Therc u
nows cut Of the Rocky Mountains, and the PteEans
a1r further down. The upper camps of tho F1egans
were those the troors were ordered 10 destroy,
ana me- .nes y .s .fr
II probably tum eighty TO one hundred miles
northw ard from here to whcrr they came upon
the Aarfaa. The attack occurred on the s3l
Either thrnusn fear ignorance. an.t in tho ta-k-
ness Of the hight mAFch, Immediately preceding,
their guide hA1t-hreed Indian. be aue complete
" hewtldered, and leh the troops out Of their
cAnrse. Being EALsded of this, Colonel Raker
dtrtcfed tho tnAIrh due north hF the North star
and moving cautiously forward, came near ne
r1ref about an hour or more bcf1rc daylight.
HeFr . helt wHs made, and each scldlcr stool By
his horse silently As bis .hiver!ng bones and the
frosty atmosphere would permit, and kept an
eaEy twN2hi roae o1s OF The r4yer oss.n sn1eitnt-
II to Unable them to distinguish objects q: some
distance. 70 lodge: wcrr IN sight and tae CON:
,'cen thwastcd IN theE purpose Of surprise by the
inrapaCity Of ther Cnide and cntiTely uncertain as
to The location Of tie Indian camna Catching sight
not far along OF solitary teel<r, detachment
surprised and captured ali tts inmates From them
thry learned, through An Interpreter, that Red
Horns l41d Of fhlstJ.dve lodges we're frptu eight
u twclsc miles below. This ras thc upper camp
of PicranA, snd the expedition had ssruek the
uTcs ::ss1t much too high up-i 4, to the vest
ne s1oers & neT pushed M rapidly ahead until the{
Hc.p.s land In the bottom below then sweeping
swiftly mp lney went With rush down into the
nyer tHttoro, whets ne wtn'sr camp EAA nwas
wAs iie;de hix tttnec, and the smoke Of the Lodge
nlrs eu,ied silently nj nom The doomed village In
thc fros1y morning alE. no on1uon Of danger
ul VI N4A &0A1E OEAO2Gr NIL lacy
wt.t Oh them The troops were suffering from
caad EHl want Of sleep, tttHened from exposure,
some OF them frost-ai1en, A1asa: knia1i hope tor
The sharp crash Of nncs smote the st!!l air.
sernc Of the wNHo,s, the hrsyest Of the
hand, s11anE 70 their a:na: otacrs panic -stsucs,
ance OF nignt wcrr almost Alike fur1e-scancely 1
wt7tor essApea- Eycry intAaa village or camp Is
ortntn With = hon.c Of .'oSa. grea. md email, Of
s.tance md moaH1ei saspe and look and Nth
many of thcN animals wtrr also Filled and
wounded hy rne lying missiles. md wild uluiAtnns
roee from their *oldsh thrpatA
trei1e penalty ies Al t;c.s tals.solnSs: ws WI
suppose on The theory that thus only Is the un-
oceasjoua, shont1nE Of the owucrs; and 80
by haEutc tuition ar lei 10 choose their
haprlness In the rtid practices OF ps,occ-she
braves mr. sid % have gotten oa-Rlack Eagle.
ami another well known, who hsye tafcn pat IN
d.fe1snt murders Of Hnltes. and who The citizens
would ha1e bscn oversskep. understand that
1s5 dc ID bodies ware counted after the attsck
TIE Eastern pspets appear 70 hayeis thai neitncf
STsn PCT ~. rnnEn xs oa 1o M af ,se
were collected unhu1t after the nrsu4 ceased, ana
satrd, hea,des considerable Number Of wo1ndstl.
ons nan oniy q the command "a. - 1ie1 ,s Lhe
rupca and skins The Inlsaas had COLLECTED,
everything tncy posessed, VIZ burned un;
no enc vss ailowed = ssss anJ1alns ,,ant Tnst
md kcenly felt this certain,s WIS ovcEdoieS
thtngn- Leaving one company hs-re 10 perform
ms .nsf, noops had again rsrhSg saxaneea ,;a
Cbtcf1 band, tuppoHtuG thAt hiS camp Ess only
Afsw miles below. Alter several hnu5,a> hard
ndiEg they came upon the nte Of the abandon>d
camp. few mounted lndi1us were seen here
and there watching them from the hilla- Five
lodges were discovered lying .caltapSed On the