Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-06-17
sOLDIERINGIN DAKOTA.


We venture 10 publish the subjoinec
letter from young friend of ours serv
ing with the 18th U. S. Infantry, now il
Dakota Territory. A. E. L.
CAMP AT GRAND RIVER AGENCY,
DAKOTA TERRITORY.
May %, 1870.
: We left Richmond Va, on
the above named date (APrl 3O), e1
z0zsze for Sioux City, Iowa there to re-
/ port for further orders. The route we
/ took was 7,ia Baltimore, Crestline, Fort
/ Wayne and Chicago. We arrived safe
/ IN Sioux City May ?, and there received
| orders to proceed without delay to Fort
Sully d. T. by means of Missouri river
boat On the evening Of the sd we left
Sioux City and on that of the 4th, while
proceeding up the river, encountered a
terrific storm of wind and ram Our old
boat ran IN a sand-bar and was com
PEELED to lay over until the morning of
the 9TH. We were on the main deck of
the boat, both sides which were stream
ing with water. The wind blew a per-
feet hurricane for about 48 hours. The
boaunen were obliged to lash the upper
deck to the main deck with ropes and
even then expected every minute that
the wind would carry it off. There were
FIVE companies of my regiment on board
and of course we were badly crowded.
While remaining there, fast in the sand
bar, some of the boatmen undertook to
go to ashore with the yawl but were
driven by the force of the wind against
the side of the boat and the yawl capsiz-
ed and sunk. As the water was only
about three feet deep, no one was
drowned One evening while in this
predicament the old boat caught fire and
but for a timely discovery of the fire
would have been destroyed.
About noon of the 9TH found US again
progressing slowly up the river. The
Missouri is the crookedest stream ever
saw. At the place where we were caught
on the sand-bar the distance to Sioux
City by direct line was only nine miles
while by the course of the river it was
thirty-five miles. At another place we
passed around bend of forty miles and
emerged only two miles in advance of
where we entered it.
Our boat only drew about three feet of
water yet think l can safely say we ran
aground FIVE times, on an average, in
every twelve hours. Fifty miles is con-
sidered big days travel.
Passing the other FIVE companies of
the regiment, which had started ahead
of US on another boat, we arrived at Fort
Sully, where we remained twenty-four
hours. While there we drew clothing,
tents and rations. When we left Fort
Sully the other five companies had not
yet arrived. =
We are now at Grand River Agency.
ka0 IL,
There are but two companies at this
post and Indians enough to eat four if
they tried.
We expect every day to have trouble.
with them. They appear generally very
friendly, especially when they imagine
we are going to make them presents.
They are mostly Sioux Indians and are
very. .treacherous. To-day one of their
Chiefs, with about a dozen of his braves
came into our Adjutants Office and wan
ted to hold council with our command
ing officer. They wanted rations and
tobacco. The Chief was in one room
talking to the Colonel, his escort remain
ing in another room adjoining. Every
once and while they would set up a
sort of bowling. l suppose they meant
it for singing, for they all made the same
kind of noise. The Colonel finally
gave them box of hard bread to get
rid of them
About all the words they can utter
that we can understand are coffee, sugar
and tobacco. They are very fond of
sugar. When they have anything they
want to sell they hold the article in one
hand and hold up as many fingers of
the other as they want dollars for it.
They have very peculiar way of dis
posing of their dead. They sew up the
remains in buffalo robe or blanket and
place them on a sort of platform made
by driving four stakes about FIVE feet
high and placing cross pieces on the
top. There are a good many such
graves in this vicinity.
Their women are regarded as mer-
chandise. Any one can buy the best
squaw for two ponies and little tobacco.
Inferior squaws can be bought for as
low as five dollars.
This is a very severe climate and the
weather is very cold at present. /
We sleep comfortably under four or FIVE
blankets, inside of a tent. The cold takes
the more effect upon us for our having
spent three summers in the hot climate of
Texas. There are but few white settlers
in this neighborhood. The country, so
far as 1 have seen it, is very sandy and
the wind blows constantly and some
times with great violence. When the
weather is dry the sand nearly blinds us |
The whole territory around us is an un-
broken plain.
The Indians do not like the idea of
our coming here, but we will sicken
some of them if they undertake to inter
fere with u.s. We have two small block
houses with a small howitzer in each |
We are armed with Springfield breech- !
loading muskets.