Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-07-27

NESOTA, THURSDAY,
CROOKS SCOUTS.
Account of Lieut.. Sihley's Exploit on the
fa Rosebud.
The New York Herald's correspond
ent in Crooks camp sends the follow.
ing:
"a accommodating party of 80 per-
SONS under the command of Second
Lieut.. Fredrick W. Sibley, of the Sec
oM cavalry, was sent from this camp
onJuly 6. They were to observe the
movements and and position of the
sioux, and if possible the whereabouts
OF Terry. On the 9th they returned
on foot after a terrible retreat of two
! nights and one day. They were sur.
, rounded by the enemy in prodigious
numbers, and only escaped mirac.
nlously by the sacrifice Of all their
equipment excepting arms aHd ammu.
Hltlon, including 81 picked saddle
hsgses and two mules. But for the
sagAoity and caution Of guides, Gruord
and 'Baptiste. and the Judgment and
g;tllantry Of Sibley, no one would have
survived.
The handful of men left our camp
i'll broad daylight with Il strange alb.
sence of precauti0n. for which some.
body superior to Sibley in rank is re-
spOnsible, it being usual to disguise
such movements under the shelter of
darkness.
They marched all night of the 9th
toward the sources of the Little Big
Horn. On the 7th, after aslight meal.
which afterward saved them from per-
ishing, they pursued their course
through some foothills verging to-
ward the mountains. The confOrma-
tion of the cavalry was extremely fav-
orable to an ambuscade. The Sioux
covered wide plain.
At about half-past four large body
of Sioux WAS espied from the top of
the bluff, marching eastward. They
seemed to spread all over the plain,
and evidently were moving to attack
the camp on Goose creek. Lieut.. Sib.
ley party remained concealed and in
horrible anxiety for an hour watching
their movements. Soon a tremendous
shout warned them that the trail they
seemed to e looking for was found.
Quickly hundreds of savages were
crowded upon it, and set out upon the
chase at full canter, uttering those
terrible wOltish cries peculiar to the
Sioux and Cheyenes.
The scouting party mounted and
galloped toward the mountains, the
Sioux yelling as they caught glimpse
of them like hounds on the scent.
They seemed to be distanced in the
race, but had broken into bodies and
were making a double circuit to gain
the high points which they knew the
pursued must pass. The scouting par.
ty climbed the outer ridge and were
approaching shelter about noon, trot-
ting quietly through ravine, when
suddenly Il volley Of fifty shots was
poured from the surrounding rocky
slopes, where the savages were massed,
while us many more of them charged
upon them like fury. Every man of
the little party felt despair chilling
him. They wheeled and galloped for
the timber in the valley, followed by
volley; before they reached shelter
three horses were wounded.
They dismounted on knoll covered
by Il grove, and could see the enemy
swarming on the foot hills below,
while constant reinfOrcements gained
the higher points around them. a
pl,mging fire tore the foliage from the
pines, and us their numbers thickened,
the roar of the volleys was perfectly
deafening. The bullets were all toe
; high, but the enemy were gradually
| perfecting their aim, and notched the
trees close about their heads. The
leading chief was clothed in white
buckskin, ,and called out in theC Cheyenne
tongue: "You are not the only people
in this country
; lie was undoubtedly the celebrated
White Antelope, a Southern Cheyenne
All the boldest attacking warrior:
seemed to shout Cheyenne war cries
while the more timid, who fired from
, rocks, uttered Sioux calculations. Tht
fusilade continued an hour, the scout!
replying seldom, in order to save am
munition, when suddenly there was :
lull, seeming to pOrtend some new
mischief, the guides declaring thai
death was certain. and swore to enc
their own lives rather than suffer cap
ture and torture. Sibley' delivered =;
harangue of 20 words to his men, tt
which they responded stoutly. II.
told them there were two alternative:
Ito die honorably, or TO escape dis
honorably. Gruard declared that il
there was coward among them HI
would be shot rather than the enemy
A brief council was held, and by
the advice of the guides they deter
mined to attempt to escape further in
to the mountains, leaving their horse!
t. engage the attention of the Sioux
tied to the trees. All the ammunition
was taken from the saddles. The par
ty then moved ste;,lthily from tn,
ground and dashed behind the project
ing rocks. The Sioux did not SCI
them, and they climbed up and up
over slippery precipices, until ex
hausted. While resting they heart
firing commence louder than ever, an,
knew all their horses would probabl,
be killed, and be sorry prize" TO
their captors.
The volleys were terrific, the Siou:
thinking they still had them in thei
clutches. The scouts resumed thei
clambering; tile carbines were hand
ed up the rocks from hand to hand
Had the Sioux pursued them OH tn
grim heights that frowned upon ther
they could have crushed them wit
boulders which were poised ready t
fall. They continued to hear tn
sound of rifles until it died away in tn
distance.
They toiled over mountains unit
dawn of July 8, resting under tn
cliffs. They once more abandone
hope when they saw large band {
Sioux among the foothills, moving {:
if to intercept them. It, howeve
! turned toward the Tongue river, an
. they supposed it. to be the rear guar
, of the larger force which had been a.
vancing to attack either a camp or
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