Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-12-02

Mckenzie'S Fight.

gives the toiiuwing account OF the late tight OF
;he troops uader Geo. McKe zis's command
and thc hostile Ludans on Powdsr RIVER:
When the expedition lett Old Fort L 40 the
Intention was 10 strike Crazy Horses village,
theu uuders,o TO be located on the Rose bud
River, uea: The battle field of June L. The
moraiug after arriving at Crszy Wouau's Fork,
Siulug Bear, a messenger sc II out by General
Mckeuze, just before he LETT Rei Cloud t.
warn The l0u,au bsod> Thea out that they must
com" lnto tier agencies or hght, arrived lu our
company With white dag, .ad tod Us that
baud Ut Cncyr0nas, 10 hvc lodges, oamped 10 a
eauyuu uear our route to Crazy Woman, hav-
lug heard of our approach, had left for Crazy
Horse village. Tneu G .ueral Crook deter
mluei 70 scud the Two battaioUs Of cavalry
with his command aud the Indian scouts TO
look for Cheyenne village which he had heard
was located 10 the Big Horo M uoains, south
west of our camp. lie first seut on, lyur;en
Pawuee aud Shoshoue scouts to locate the L.
i!.u camp. During Tuesday and uulli noon Of
Friday We travelled aloug the base Ut the
mouutans, having made, up TO that time,
about thirty miles. Meanwhile soue Sioux
auu Arapahoe scouts WHO had been sent ah.ad
on Thursday uighl returned and said they lad
fouud the camp. lnsta0t!y a Dight march was
ordered, and after three nour5 rest We start.
ed Tor the camp. Our ludlans said VIZ GOULD
reach the camp by midnight, but We touGd the
trail so difficult TO follow on account OF the
broken nature of the ground, that it to us
until daylight to .eact tie mouth of the can
yon, where the village stood, and whnn We
reached 1t some OF It's occupants VINO hai been
eUgaged 10 daDcibg the war dance were still up.
1t now scemd impossible to enter tue village
Without alarming the inmates. All our Iudlau
allies, under Lieutenant w. ?. Clark. Secoud
cavalry, were seut 10 the trout do sp, edlly as
possible The column was closed up after
crossing three or four deep ravuos dlsmanled,
and the ordtr was given to charge, about two
mlIes inside vi the mouth Of the canyon. The
head of the coIum0 proper was now within
about mile OF the village, with our lnd'an5
RAGGED lrreguIarly ahead and ou both tauks.
Although We gave our horses rein aud spur,
our progress was comparatively slow 10 eonSe.
uuence of the roughness of tho country through
which we were moving:
We had not gone far when our Indian allies
commeuced osllog aud blowing 90 hideous
voiced Wiud Instruments. ami the Indians IN
the village, some Of whom We're still awake aud
al their war dance, sounded the alarm on
drum, and commenced shooting from their
lodges at the Advancing column. The Shos-
houes led by Lieuteuaut Schuyler, aide de-
camp TO General Crook, clambered up the hills
Gu tht south side Ot the canyon, aGd g!loped
along through urisk FIRE 20 the highest point
oil the bluff opposite AID overlooking the vii
!aye. liere they immediately entrencaed them
selves, and remained through 'ut the day and
all uight The PaWnees, Arapahoes aud Sioux,
our allies Went through the centre OF the can
son, and swept tie village and captured two or
three herds of ponies Sudden as was the at
tack, the "hos;lles" coD.iuued to dash luto the
ravlnes and creep behicd the convenient bluffs,
rocks and bushes, where they fortified them.
selves to await until the soldiers rushed 10.
bay had not broken sufficiently to !uily discover
their movements to Us, but the bulk OF our ad-
vauc,ug cnIumD gave them an excellent chaoce
To fire az us with telling effect.
I, was then that Lieutenant Mex nney, cons
naualug Company NJ of the Fourth cavalry.
the last company of the first battalion, fell shot
iu the head aud body by volley, behind a
rilge, where he had been ordered to place his
COMPANY. When falling he cried to his meD,
"Gc, back from this place, you are aD,bushed, :
aud then exclaimed just alter, "On my p>tr
n,ttcr Tell her! Tell her.
His mcu hrd from the fatal spot, but lmme-
d.tely .usl ed back again and swept the sarages
tlom the ravlue, killing about oozen OF them
and holding the position which they had been
ordered to take.
Nearly all OF our men who were killed out.
ri,ht fell 10 the frs dash or from reckless ex-
pUsure aiIerward.
Several of the soldiers were wounded during
the fight by bullets from hrstllcs posted at
dl,tauce heyunt the reach ot their caroiDe oalis,
uost of the ludaus having the loug rage To-
fauryguu. -.
A be;chinp Fir, was kept up by the soldiers
for some houis, while the hostlles hred with
ex.remc caut,ou They had crawed into the
mauy caves in the rocky sides OF the canyon
others we're living down IN the ra'lnes, "n,'e
mauy were ridlog round on the hlt hllis at the
end OF the canyon, having the Advantage OF US
ma points save numbers SO Tar as we tueu
koew.
Geu. Mckeuzie's c mmand disp played 90
little coolness aud bravery 10 dlsl'dglng smai,
parties from advantageous points, anu nao
spme thrilling fights ct close quarters. Lucy
had no towards 70 encounter 10 they Cneyeuues'
spmc Of whom seemed to court death oy their
reckless dsshes. About eleven o'clock the
heavy hriug was checked on our side. mean
while The hostiles were takirg their families
through the ravines to the hills, and hluS
trem All poiuts u; once to defend them and re-
vcnge themselves for the capture OF their ponies
and the loss of their village, already set on mr."
They crept cautiously from one point to ano'h
er, as their retreat exposed them to our guos'
aud VT found shelter trom their bullets, foru
'viog themselves as they moved about under
fierce FIRE.
Most Of their guus covered 8 little plain lylot
between the village and red bluff under the
crest Of the mountain forming the north wall Q
the canyon. passed across his plsio severa
times during the fight, with Gen. Mackenzr
aud staff, aud the fire was invariably coneen
traed on us. As We crossed once had 1--we
ly race. aud, though man and horse aoou
ten yards ahead Of ME toppled over passe'
through safely
This was about oue O'Clock in The afternoon
aud We had not had anything to estsnce 'nre
O'clock of the previous afternoon. About lou
o'clock the yolleys grew fewer, and some OF q
meu got chance to 60 to the pack tram, ~hie g
Iakn