The New York herald., 1870-03-25
INDIAN FIGHTING.
>~c~>o~>~|~~~~~~~~>~~>~~
THE PUNISHMENT OF THE PlsGANS.
Complete Account Of Colonel Bakers EXpedi.
tiOn Against the SayageL
Graphic Narrative by en- Officer in
the Command.
lPuR7HER REPORT FROM GEN. SHERIDAN.

Prom the Lancaster IN. HI Republican, March 20 !
We are permitted TO publish the following graphic
and interesting letter from Surgeon Francis l.. Town.
Upiled States Army, 70 his iatner, Barton @. Town.
Of this town. II win be observed that Surgeon
Town's letter ABSOLUTELY con,radicts ,ne reports In
circulation relative TO the massacre or tne women
and children OF the Plegans BY Coonel Bakers
command
FORT SHAW Montana Territory,
February 10, 1870.
having disposed OF short Dasiaess note, now
proceed 10 give you orie synopss OF aalrs at Fort
bAaw, perhaps OF some intefes'. Active operations
against TIE Indians 10 Montana were inangurated
aDo have apparently come 20 tut close by one
areadiu blow. some account Of which You nave seen
IN the papers. The troops iet nere curing the Sc
verest colo OF the winter on the morning oI January
~. and returned on the 2stn OF the same mouth
The command consisted OF four companies oil the
&ne m0uted detachment at tins post equivalent to
another company and one company OF tae Twelfth
infantry, as an escort and guard TO tneir supply
All unner tie command OF Brevst Coone
Baker, MAJOR seeonc cayairy. From tn.s post they
Earched nearly due north and eneamped the rrat
nRnt ont on the ieton rver, some thtIty miles ols-
eant Here sAey renamed during the ensuing day.
and Tom this point moved only Oy night, lying con
eealcd as mucn as losslOe through the oay time.
fney also lett the iniantry with all taeir tents aud
anpphes oeaino on tne Teton, and eacH horsenan
TOOK WITH niin only his ratlons ana blankets toge-
ther WITH MS carolne and sixty rounds. Inc tner-
mometer gong very low about this titne-into tne
swe1ties GeioW zero almost every nght--you can
lnagine wnat u was Tor oiilceis ana men thus
70 cut loose from everything aud move on
across these vast and winry plans men and
horses snarng ahke the open pralre, uasneltered
anu exposed 10 the Oenumuln9 cold. No nres
were allowed, sL.ce son,e party OF indians
oul hunting mgnt perceive tue smoke by day or the
Hight al utgnt anu tnus discovering taer approach,
convey tue alarm turougaou, tile lnaian camps
Tie indians the command were after certain
balas OF riegans. wnicn mad Deen unusually indus
trtous maradanS the pas summer and iail, and haa
committed numerous murders or whites. Ine ile-
gans are one oi ihe tnree subdivisions OF the GlacA
ieet nation, which go Dy the names of Bloods,
lt.ste kIRal Cl aaAT ltNn
almost uistnet troes, they occupy nalAiy the
same territory and hunting grounds, ana 10 some
extent acGnowleI9s q common brotherhood. IN
Otner wvrus. the nation mas ut some time spit up
Into independent Cans Tubes, the members o!
which huut tle DuHalo, or evsl on occasions 90 on
the war pain aMlcaby together. Tue Biools AND
lieEans have Their WinleI CAMPS ana ilye, many ol
them, lne year rounu, on The MaTiAs river they are
eeattered aong us banks, wRere wood s abunlaut,
1or MY mues encamped III bands generally Oh Two
or three hundred more OF less, III pace Ine
1orMer ale hlsner up the stream towards Wnere t
0ows out ol the ROCKY Mountains, anu the Plegans
are further down. Tae upper camps OF the P!egans
were those iheiroops weie ordered 10 destroy, and
they aimed 10 approach lle river precisely at the
upper camp aud attack al The break OF DAY. lt.is
PROBABLY lrum eigAty 10 nunaled mics nortn-
WAru from here 10 where tney came TO the aar,as.
The ATTACK occurred on The z5a. Elmer through fear
ignorance, ana IN lne darkness OF the nignt
march, immeuiaiely preceoing, Their guide, ia l.
breed INDIA became completely DewliQerei ana led
sne troops out ol iaeir course. being satisfeu OF
HIS Colonel Baker directed tue march uue north by
Ibe NDrln star, and moving .loasy forward came
near tne river ABOUT an lour or more before day
Als horse as siieEsy as hrs snyefing ana the
frosty atmosphere would pefmIt, and Kept an
ANXIOUS vlg'L waiting until the shadowy i0.ds OF
eary twliRnt rose out OF the river bas sufficiently
" euable tnem to distinguish OBJECTS a. ais
SaaCe. NO lodges were ia signt, and the Command
moved down me river leeilnx lnat lhey uad been
thwaitea Ia their purpose OF surprise by tue IN.
capasly o. tneiI puae anu entirely uncertain as 70
not lar along oi soiltarY teepee detachment sur
shey learned through an Interpreter, that Red Horns
band q thrty-nve lodges were from elgnt 10 twelve
Mles below. lnls was the upper camp OF Piegaiis,
anu the expedition had struck the Aver tia! IIucn
Zoo hRn up, e.. TO tue Nest.
4he troops nov pushed rapidly ahead until they
came WITHIN sight Of the wnte lecpees oI Red Horns
baud in tne bottom below, tnen sweeping swiftly up
shey went win rusn dohn into The river bottom.
Wnere me winter camp was. 1t was bright winter
morning, almost every lnaian praye vas inside MS
tSepee, and lle smoke OF the lodge Ires cuIled
sMenus up IRON the doomed village in the frosty
morning ar NO premonition OF danger or message
Of warning nad gone oeore. and they were on tneln
1ne troops were suffering IRON COD and want OF
or his oAnl now. Ere many moments ths
some Of the warriors, the bravest OF tue
band. sprang to tneir arms; others, panic-struck,
sped form n wa go ous attempts a. ss
Warror escaped. Every indian village or catnp Is
oyerrun With horde oil dogs, great aud small. or
strange anu aoagfei shape ana look, ana WITH voices
as unfamiliar as their groiesQue b0dles; many of
these aainals we're also kiled aud wounded bg the
nylng MISSILES and wild mutations rose IRON lheir
Wtlrsn throats
Red lorn aad his soldiers have paid the extreme
penalty Tor all Their nisdotngs; we viii suppose on
the theory that tnus only the ,amsa Indian ma
tufe teiiby taught tte fnlproprlety oi predatory
owners; aud so ty heroic tuition led 10 choose
their happiness IN Ibe mid practices or peace-iae
Indian iuind Is evidently prejud,ced. Four or five
braves are sald 10 nave gotten or--B,ack Eagle and
8AotHer, well known, VINO have taken part la differ
snt murders OF whites and VINO the c,tIzens OF the
Territory seem TO nave especially hoped would have
been oyertaken. understand thai l73 dead boules
were counted after the attack.
lhe Eastern papers appear 10 have II that neither
women or chidien we're spared, but ail were Killed.
The otcers say that Than Of these were col
lected unhurt alter the firing ceased and saved,
Decides cons s.deraoie number OF wounded.
One man oniy OF the command Killed.
The camp was set on hrs and me lodges,
AL the buffalo robes and skins the Indians
mao collected, every Thing they possessed, was
burned up; no one was allowed to save anything
whatever. lew citizens, trontersmen, were aloag
eno keenly felt TINS cet,ainly overdolng tnlnEs
Leaving one company here 10 perform this work,
IN the endeayor to cut on Mountain CHEFS band
eupposina that his camp was only few miles below.
Ai!er seyera honrs' bard rldng they came upon the
eite OF the abandoned camp. few mounted
Ing snem from ON the the ilhs. I FIVE FIVE Easa, oasss
ground the occupants had evidently lust pulled out
the poles letting them drop into the dried grass aud
hastily mounting their ponies were lndustriousiy
naking oil. Colonel Baker subsequently learned
happened tina. MolntaIn Chief had broken up his
camp few days previously, and al had moved or
except i've lodges. Od Mountain Chief himself aud
MOST OF the camp had joined another band yet iur-
tner down the Malias WINE few luckless aborigl.
les haa struggled into the deserted camp These i've
ScseIteo looges were also burned up. rne day was
now somewhat advanced. the troops had been con.
standy IN the saddle or on the move since evening
Of the previous day, and and horses were alike
nearly worn OUT The Indian camps were now thor
0ugny apprized Of Gil INA. had taken place, and
nothing more could be accomplished. The welcome
order was therefore gwen TO face about,
an0, reloinng the company eit ben,Dd they
biyouacked there on the Marlas The mex,
off
coated Indian ponies over 800 IN number OF hed
Horns nlstarred oand which yet cropped the dried
6unaio grass quietly on the prairie, me command
p,artel up the Martas toward the Blood camps
Some OF these braves had hxewlse neglected 10 limit
shelr warike daring to making incursions ana run.
ming OF the scruDby ponies Of other tribes but had
possessed themselves OF American horses from the
xAnches OF settlers. About twenty miles aoovNe
Hacng post OF the Northwest Fur Company. Here
Colonel Baker learned that these ingenious nauves
had suddenly conceived the idea OF emigrattng en-
masee; and were at that moment securing across