The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1876-11-02

1uIHlnS W the lett, IOWdIuS tHc pAaCO
where the Kansas men were still seen
fighting, he drew arevolver, and, with
q clear, ringing shout. cried, s. Charge,
boys and dashed into the acres of
Sioux. They did not charge far. Their
horses proved unmanageable and the
Indians too many. -The-brave boy was
forced back to the bridge, leaving is
of his men dead or prisoners in the
hands of the Sioux. As he returned to
the bridge, his men being beaten by
bows and dirks and others lassoed off
their horses, some of his old friends
among the Sioux shouted to him not to
come back agais. When Collins re-
turned to the fort, all bruised and
bleeding, with q remnant of his forty
men, he was ordered back.
cit is certain death, Captain, to
charge those Indians said Collins.
"Do you refuse, sirP" asked the Michi-
gan Captain. "No, sir"
Then, turning to the officers and men
who stood looking down upon him from
the ramparts of the fort, he said sadly,
Goodbye, gentlemen; few of US will
come back over the bridge this time"
Then after reloadipg his two pistols
he cried, "Hurrah boys for rescue!
charged" l
Away went the Inflated remnant of a
brave forlorn hope. Over the bridge,
past the graveyard where five or six of
their comrades captured in the proceed
ing charge were being tortured to death,
cut to pieces piece by piece. Away in
TO the flying hordes of Sioux and
Cheyennes. This time no opening was
made for the brave boy to come and re-
turn. The Sioux had told him if he re-
turned he would come TO death. He
knew what they meant, and knew his
doom when he babe his friends farewell
on his second charge. His little hand
full of men was fairly engulphed in the
multitude. Lieutenant Caspar Collins
was seen pistol in hand at the head of
the charge, and was seen to go down
and stand over his fallen gray charger,
shooting right and left among the enc
mics. OF the forty men four were al
lowed to return, and they were beaten
with bows and spears to the end of the
bridge and sent back to tell the tale.
THE ORIGIN OF FORT CAsPAR.
While these two bloody but useless
Shorts were being made to rescue the
unfortunate Kansas men, they were
fighting stubbornly for life. just as the
last charge was being made by Collins
to cut through to their relief their am
munition gave out, and the Indians
dashed in upon them, killed and scalped
them in plain sight of the fort, and then,
piling the bodies on the three captured
wagons, burned them up, some still
alive and the rest dead. Not one of the
twenty-sevsn Eleventh Kansas boys es-
capped. OF the thirty-seven men who
never returned from the charge made
to rescue the twenty seven, eight or ten
were taken alive by lassos thrown over
them on their retreat. These were
taken upon a little knoll used by the
fort as a graveyard, and there their
noses, ears. fingers and other members
of the person were cut off while the
poor boys lived. Their eyes were
gouged out, hands and feet amputated
and tied to spear heads, and finally
they were tied up in bundles with tele-
graph wire, and roasted alive in the
presence of the helpless little garrison.
That is what was done at Fort CaSpar
in September, 1865. On the following
day the Indians raised the siege and
started for the Big Horn country. The
writer was one of a disconsolate party
which went over the battlefield on the
following day, and gathered together
the remnants left by the Indians and
coyotes. 1t was a sad and .repulsive
duty. OF the 81 Kansas boys nothing
was left but here and there q half roast
ed and half devoured hip or shoulder,
skull or a few well picked arms or
thigh bones. These were scattered
about in the sage brush about the scene
of the massacre, dragged there by the
wolves after the Indians had done their
mutilation. A half mile distant the
body (or what remained of iD was
found with the remains of six or seven
of his brave boys, all I" Miehiganders."
By his side note was found from Mrs.
Martin (afterward recovered by treaty
by the Government stating that it was
Caspar Collins's body.