The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1874-10-29
A LEGEND OF FORT CAspAR.

a LEdEhD OF FORT CASPAR.
4 The Omaha Daily Bee of October
II, 1874, contains the following com.
munication, copied from the Denver
Democrat, relating to the death Of
Lieutenant Caspar W. Collins, wbc
was killed at PIs&e Bridge-now
!; Fort Caspar-in 1866, which may
interest many who knew him from
boyhood;
Ik "Take an old mountaineer's ad
tvice, boys, and don't try it. Thar's
three thousand Cheyennes, Brules,
Ogalallas and Arappahoes over them
buttes,l an you'll never tech Platte
/ Bridge with your har on, if you
ftempt it."
ibis advice was given to two Ser
geants of the Eleventh Kansas Vol
Eunteers, one fine morning in Septem-
Der, 1860. We eneamped in. a sharp
bend of the North Platte river, Just
beneath the shadow of the Red
Buttes, about six miles from the
Platte Bridge. Ed Creighton, of
the Pacific Telegraph Company, with
the writer, incharge of well armed
and equipped body of cavalry, were
just returning from a summers scout
up the Sweetwater, the Elk and Rat
tlesnake mountains. We wers snug
ly fortified in sort of horse shoe
bend of the river, within an impreg-
nabIe corral of telegraph poles and
wagons. Six miles from our camp
and between US and aid, were the
combined forces of the Arapahoes,
Cheyennes and Sioux, organized. to
meet, oppose and fight Gen. Connor's
expedition, then moving through the
Black Hills to the Yellowstone.
With this brief Introductory we
will proceed to detail the first pub
lished account of one of the most
horrible Indian atrocities of the age.
The tall Kansan Sergeant laughed
scornfully at Charley Burr's warn
ing, and moved his detachment fer
ward, with the remark:
~ started from Sweetwater Sta
ton to go to Platte Bridge. 1 intend
to go through if we cut our way
through. You 11th Ohio men think
because you have been three years
among those cowardly Indians that
no one can fight 'em but you. We
intend 10 show the reds how we
fought the rebs. Forward, march,
boys"
The three government wagons and
twenty-seven men moved forward
and soon passed over the summit of
the divide, and were in sight of the
battle, then raging around the stock
ade fort at Platte Bridge.
The fort was in command at that
time of Captain IF the 9th Michi-
gan Cavalry, and garrisoned by de-
tachments from the 11th Ohio, 9th
Michigan, and 10th and 11th Kansas
regiments. 1t was the second day
of the siege. The hills were covered
with redskins, who swarmed over
fthe e-scene like herds of cattle The
only piece of artillery, under charge
of Sergeant Merwin, of Company G,
11th Ohio, was a small mountain
howitzer, upon sand-bar in the
middle of the Platte above the
bridge. The Indians held the north
end of the bridge and the graveyard
just beyond it, and were keeping up
a barassing fire on the garrison.
Suddenly cloud of dust between
two lone sand hills, toward Red
Buttes, announced to besieged and
besiegers the approach of wagons. 1t
was the doomed band of Kansans,
who, few hours before, had left us
at Red Buttes. On they came. The
Indians were observed to gallon
hither and thfther over the hills,
flags and lances were seen to gather
in clusters, and within the space of
time it has taken to pen this article,
a vast swarm of mounted redskins
galloped up the road to meet the
hapless twenty seven. The besieged
watched with anxious eyes and
throbbing hearts the three wagons
moving down the hill, not more than
three miles away. The scene was
plainly visible, for the sand hills
sloped toward the fort. The brave
Sergeant perceived, when too late,
his danger. He saw, below him, the
face of the country swarming with
red devils. He saw band of at
least five hundred of the youngest
and most daring of the Sioux and
Cheyennes swooping up the hill on
him in a crescent-formed body. It
was then that he realized his error.
He knew he had no hope except in
stubborn defense. But he had no
time to prepare for it. The garrison
saw the three wagons turn suddenly
to the south side of the road They
saw three boys galIop away and
reach the Platte so closely pursued
by Indians that they were given up
for lost. They saw the three wagons
halt, not in corral, with which the
soldiers cUuld defend themselves, but
in line. side by side, in a small ra-
vine. They saw the Indians receive
a volley of rife balls from the twen-
ty-four brave Kansas boys, and saw
them scatter out of range and danger.
Meantime, what was being done at
the Fort? The garrison was in a
state of terrible excitement and sus-
pense. There were twenty -four white
men fighting bravely in plain view
of the Fort, surrounded by over.
whelming Numbers of bloodthirsty
Indians. The Platte lay between
the struggling detachment and the
Fort. 1t was o time of terrible sus-
pense and agonizing anxiety. 1t was
resolved to make a sortie with a
mounted detachment for their relief
Meantime the fight progressed upon
the hillsides. The Indians were en-
trenched behind sand piles and slow
ly crawling nearer the brave twenty
four. 1t was then that young Cas-
par Collins volunteered to die.
Lieut.. Caspar Collins was the cnly