Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-05-02

A Bloody Repulse--The Troops
Slaughtered by an Invisible Foo.
Dispatches from Gen. Gillem's
command bring intelligence of an
attack upon Captain Jacks position
in the lava beds, on Saturday last,
which resulted in a surprise of the
troops and a bloody repulse, with q
loss of 10 killed and % Wounded
Among the killed were Capt. Thorn
as, of the 4th Artillery, who led the
assault, Lieut.. Howe, and Lieut..
Wright. The savages were armed
with Spencer rifles and breech load
ing muskets, and safely hidden be.
hind ramparts of rock awaited the
approach Of the troops until the
foot of the bluffs was reached, when
they poured murderous fire upon
them, throwing them into general
confusion and causing them to seek
such shelter as was possible in crew
ices and chasms. Here only par
TALLY protected from the fire of the
Modocs, they were cut off from sue
cor, and exposed to an enfiladlng
fire from the vindictive red skins,
behind cover. The following con-
nected account Of the affair is from
the special dispatches to the New
York Herald, dated at the lava bed
April 26th:
The force under Captain Thomas,
which started to reconnoiter the
position supposed to be held by the
Modocs, numbered sixty-nine men.
The object was mainly to find out
how the Modocs were situated, and
whether the mortars could be
brought up and used effectively
against them. AS the troops APP.
preached the cave in the lava beds,
about 1920, our command was
brought to halt, and the men al
lowed to take rest. The story of
the first fire is differently reported,
some saying five or six shots were
fired, and others onl y four, but Tick
nor states positively that it came
from party Of nine Indians who
occupied a bluff to the eastward of
where the troops were Stationed
Major Thomas Immediately threw
men into skirmishing order, with
Lieut.. Wright's company on the
right. The latter, however, had not
got into position before they were
flanked to the right by party of
fourteen other Indians that had
come up to the advance Of those
who fired. The first cross fire on
Wright's men proved very demon
alizing, and they broke back in con.
fusion, leaving their gallant leader
in an exposed condition and sup
ported by few Of his non-commis.
stoned officers. In the meantime
another small party of Indians had
obtained position to the left, and
opened a raking fire on the two bat
teries of artillery. 1t was fearful
trap, and the first four shots were
only fired to draw the troops more
directly between the fire Of the In
dams on the right and left. The
rout was complete, and with the ex-
ception of officers and non-commis-
stoned officers, the majority of whom
lay stretched Oh the rocks, with life.
blood ebbing fast away, the watch
word was Sauce qui peut. Confus-
ed and demoralized as they were,
the men became an easy prey to the |
Modocs, who, confident in the pro-
lection of their native rocks, shot |
them down like so many frightened
deer. Occasionally news was
brought in by the scared stragglcrs,
exaggerated in the extreme, but sig
nificant of some dire disaster. Ma.
ny of these men who had deserted
their officers in time of peril had
seen hundred Indians all around
them. Fear had distorted their Wis
ion and made them so helpless that
one of their number was afterward
found dead on the field without a
shot. He had been butchered by |
knives, and so panic struck that he
could not fire shot in his own de-
tense. There was mystery about
the attack that nobody appeared to
solve as to how the troops were so
completely surprised. 1t appeared
SO strange that party of sixty-nine
men should be almost surrounded
by Indians without their being
aware of the sign of an Indian as
far as they could see. This fact
alone will give the public an idea
of the nature of the ground in which
these Indians fight, and what our
soldiers have to contend against
During the night Warm Spring In
dams, coming through Col. Green's
line, told him where the remains Of
Batteries X and A were to be found.
Col. Green Immediately moved for
ward his line to the place indicated,
and there, hid in some sage brush,
were the naked bodies Of Major
Thomas, Lieutenant Howe, Sergeant
Rover, and six others. Colonel
Wright's body lay a little to the
left, and on the right was Lieuten-
ant Harris, severely wounded, and
the bodies of FIVE of his men, strip
ped Of all their clothing. Forty nine
men were killed and wounded out
of a command of sixty-nine men.
RrcADnJN<, Tho ,ropoc;t;nn 81