The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-07-16
PREHIOUS DEFEATS BY INDIANS.

ter's troops, a Northern paper says:
In it's magnitude this is the most or ushin g
| defeat that the American army has sustain
ed at the hands of the savages since the
| United States became a nation, if there
be excepted st, Clair's disaster. This took
place November 4, 1871, when the Miamis,
| led by MishekOnequoh, better known as
| Little Turtle, utterly routed the American
! army under General st. Clair. who lost
| thirty nine officers and 500 men. One of
the few occasions on which Washington,
himself versed in Indian warfare aud
remembering the fate of the regulars M der
Brsddock, lost his self control, was when
he received the news of this calamity. The
news was brought to him by special mes
sepger while he was at dinner with COM
pany. He went out to speak with the
messenger, returned to his seat, went
through the dinner with perfect compoaure,
and Immediately attended Mrs. Washing
with every lady. When the company had
gone and Mrs. Washington had retired,
leaving the President and his Secretary, Mr..
Sears, alone, Washington broke out again
and again in terrible explosions of wrath.
DYES" he exclaimed, here on this very
success and honor. you have your in
structions from the Secretary of War said L.
81 had strict eye to them, and will add but
one word-Beware of q surprise You know
how the Indians fight US. repeat it-Be-
ware of a SURPRISE He went off with that,
yet, O'su fer that army to be cut to pieces,
backed, butchered, tomahawked by a sur
prise-the very thing had guarded him
against. o, God! o, God (thrOwing up
bis hands and shaking with emotiou) he's
worse than a murderer. How can he an
swer to his conntryf The blood of the
slain is upon him, the curse of the widows
and OrnhanR the cQFe9 of heaV0nV
The war of 1919 witnessed no serious de-
feat, the massacres of Chicago and Detroit
having been wrought on defenseless prison
ers. In 1885 came the Seminole war. Cen
eral Thorn pson, the Commissioners, when the
Indians refused to emigrate, denying that
they had signed the treaty of Fort Gibson
understandingly, put Osccola in irons and
provoked a war. Ga the 25th of December
0sceola killed Thompson. q lieutenant aud
several others at Fort Kink, and the same
day, in the Wahoo swamp, fell on Major
Dade and a body of ITO regulars and de-
stroyed them completely indeed, the
bodies were not found for a long time.
Thus began a war which cost the United
States l ,466 lives aud $40. 000, 600.
The next great Indian war was provoked
by the massacre of some five hundred In
dams, principally women and children,
November %, 1864, at Fort Lyon, by Col
onel Chiviugton, after they had been in
duced to go into camp in the vicinity of
the troops. The Indiana had vengeance
for this in December, 1869. The Govern
ment had been constructing a new road
to Montana, which the Indians claimed
would drive the game out of their best
huating grounds; accordingly they opposed
its making and use vigorously. FGOm
JuIy 26 to December 81 they attacked
every train that passed over the road, and
fifty One times appeared in hostile array be
fore Fort Phil Kearny and killed five officers,
ninety one men and fifty eight citizens.
December 6 they attacked a wood-train
two miles from the fort. Colonel Fetter
man with fifty men. eallied out and rescued
it. This gave the Indians the hint and on
the 2lst they planned similar attack, pre-
pairing an ambush. Colonel Fetterman,
Captain Brown and Lieutenant Grnmmond
were sent out with ninety one men, when
the Indians, 8, 600 strong, fell on them and
destroyed them. Sixty seven cOrpses were
found in space thirty five feet 10 diane
ter. Colonel FetteTman and Captain Brown
blew out each others brains to avoid being
taken alive.