New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-07-30
Captain I3atess Fight With the Sioux.

Inc 1OIlOWluts lS Irom an OMdna lcUUcF VI |
July 20, to the New York Tribune:
Fort Brown stands at the head of the |
Little Wine River valley. l46 miles north Of |
Bryan, 3 eLation on the Union Pacific rail- |
road, 857 miles west OF Omaha. From this |
post an expedition started out to attack the |
Sioux. 1t was composed Of Company b,
Second United States Cavalry, tfty-seven |
men snd two officers, Captain Bates com
handing the expedition, and Lieutenant |
Robinson commanding Company 3D." Lieu
tenant Young, Fourth Infantry, with twenty
Indian scouts and four citizens; Washakie,
chief OF the Snake Indians, and l50 of his
warriors; total, 235. They lett Camp Brown
on the evening of July l, and travelled
rapidly all night. AS soon as the morning
dawned the troops and friendly Indians hid
in the bush, having made forty miles be-
tween p. NJ. and daylight The night OF
Jnly 2 the command made distance OF thirty
miles, and again hid as soon as light began
to appear On the third, when it was dark,
the whole force mounted and pushed rapid
ly forward. Every one was in state OF
excitement, tor it was believed that another
dav would usher in battle. At 2:3O A. M.
the Indian scouts who had the advance
halted, and send back word to Captain
Bates and the troops that they were In sight
Of the hostile camp. The ShOshOne warriors
at once began to strip and put on thelr
H.,
their carbines for action. In about twenty
minutes all were in readiness and the friend
ly Indians began to creep over the bluffs
and steal down upon the sleeping camp.
The troops followed ON foot to the brow OF
the hill, and there below them and within
rife shot lay the hostile camp. 1t was as
still as death, and not even dog barked.
The sleeping Indians evidently thought
themselves secure, and had taken no pre-
oa,tiops IN Uuar6 aFainst SURPRISE.
Raising their fearful war-wnoop the Sho-
shones rushed down upon the camp, the
troops at the same time charging. Captain
Bates led his troops to the edge OF the VII
lage, and the bewildered Indians as they
rushed from their lodges we're shot down
by scores Had the Shoshone Indians sup
ported the troops with any degree of steadi
ness, all would soon have been over and
hardly hostile Indian would have escaped
to tell the tale OF the midnight attack. But
the ShOshones hung back, would not enter
the village and contented themselves with
yelling and firing on their enemies from
distance. Soon the ponies OF the Sioux AT
| tracted their attention and then eney seem
| ed more desirous of stealing and piunderlng
| than of fighting. 1t was in vain Captain
| and Lieutenant Young urged them them to
close up and charge upon the Sioux; they
seemed satisfied to howl and steal.
| The Sioux when first attacked were
greatly confused, but soon rallied and be-
| gan to cffer stout resistance. Just beyond
the village and overlooking it was high
| and rugged bluff, and to this the hostile
Indians retreated, and opened a rapid and
| d. structive fire on the troops in the village
| below. The cavalrymen behaved gallantly
| and for time stood up against the shower
| of balls rained down upon them; but being
unsupported by his Indian allies and hop
| ing to take the position OF the enemy lnthe
flank and drive him from the bluff, Captain
Bates fell back out Of the village, aud put
| his men under cover.
| Lieutenant Young with his scouts Occu-
pied part of the high bluffs and made ev-
| cry effort to drive out the enemy. While
| gallantly fighting he received ball through
the leg above the knee and fell The fight
here was desperate, Lieutenant Young kill
ing several Of the Sioux and losing one Of
his scouts At one time it was thought the
enemy would capture Lieutenant Young
| and but for the determined bravery of the
old Shoshone chief, Washakie. Mr.. Frank
| Ecoffey and Mr.. Cosgrove, Young would
| undoubtedly have fallen into the hands of
the Sioux. After the fall of Lieutenant
Young the ShoshOnes would not fight, and
Captain Bates was compelled to allow them
| to withdraw.
At five o'clock the friendly Indians show
ing some disposition to attack, Captain
l
of skirmishers toward the bluffs but being
unsupported by Indians, after sustaining a
terrific fire for some time, they were COM
pelled to retire. The Shoshones having
captured some 200 ponies, announced their
intention OF retreating with their plunder,
and, seeing smoke ana signals from the
hill occupied by the enemy. Captain Bates
reluctantly ordered his troops to retire.
The population of the hostile village was
over 700 souls, and of this number fully 400
were warriors; SO, that counting in Wash
axle and bis band, the Sioux uutnumbered
the attacking force nearly two to one.
| Thirty Sioux, Cheyennes, and Arrapa hoes
were killed in their village, six more on the
| ridge, and as many more were wounded.
! Their loss was severe, and the punishment
| of the band ample. The loss on the part OF
the attacking party was as follows: Lieuten-
ant Young, shot through the leg dangerous
ly; private George PlersoD, Company B,
| Second Cavalry, wounded in hand; private
| Wesley Gable. Company b, Second Caval-
| ry. shot through the arm.
Private Charles French, Company B, Sec
ond Cavalry, shot through the nose, and
one ey shot away.
Second United States Cavalry, shot in the
head and killed.
Private Peter Engell, Company B, Second
United States Cavalry, shot through the
| heart.
A Shoshone warrior was shot through the
head and killed instantly, and four Others
we're wounded. A soldier named Ivens was
reported killed in the first dispatches, but
| is not mentioned in those last received at
headquarters, Department of the Platte.
| The number of ponies captured by the
friendly Indians and troops was 230.
The Indians attacked were mixed band
of Cheyennes, Arapahoes and Sioux. They
were known as dog warriors" and have
long been outlaws, even from their own
tribes. For years they have depredated on
the settlements in the Wind river valleys.
and every spring and fall would come
down and murder men, women and child
rem. They were at war with the friendly
ShoshOnes, of whom they have killed many,
ard from whom they have stolen a great
deal of stock. After raiding in the valleys
they would retire to the Sioux rt reservation,
and wait until another opportunity occur
red to steal and murder. From long immu-
nifty from punishment they had become
SOld, and made their summer and winter
camps within 100 miles of the settlements
and forts. They thought themselves safe
on the reservation, and believed that the
troops would not dare cross the line to
attack them. During the past four or FIVE
years they have killed no less than forty
| one men, women and children of Sweet.
water county, Wyoming Territory. Tire
| names Of these are matter of official record.
Two years ago the commanding officer OF
the troops in the Wind river district made
| application for permission to attack these
Indians in their winter camp and destroy
them, but the application was disapproved
| on the ground that the Indians were then
| quiet, although it was known that white
| mems scalps and many horses belonging to
citizens of SweetWater county were then IN