Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-11-10

| formed, while the whole hne steadily at
| yapced. 4 white flag now appeared from
| promineut knoll on the left front telling that
/ another conference WIS TO come. The ground
/ ON which we were now marching was usually
| rolling prairie. with tracks of broken, jun
! bled. rocky and ndgy ground near Cedar
reek on the left. gradually descending TO a
ar 1ilar track on the right, and rising to a
-an, q capped on the left by the high knoll on
Which the Indians appeared and beyond
which u,ything could be seen. The line was
advanced to this range. the knoll occupied
| for which purpose the Sioux retired % one eA
! actly ike it one hundred yards beyond, ana
| tbe Redman ard company were placed on 1t.
| The train was placed IN a mono" IN Ile rear
! with the usual slciimlsh-hne around.
MLEs's LUCK.
! Whom VIZ reached the ridge ] have de-
| 80. 5b4d above a scene OF wild, savage pagan
~. : -,rst upon the vision such "a seldom rails
| - A. M t Of men to behold, and winch made
49,, s-,o F, infantry heart thrill with the feel
;,,,, cv-,o III "a Custer cry, Custer luck
u u. . 1850 ~ ,lest village ever saw, and
her Here was the BIZ ~-oF4ed with the rest of the
! the landscape com, a., -, ,,-l,;,.L tL, I'm
picture From the Nt5e -, ",I'' y |V s.rir ,-ll,
! was placed the prairie q. ,g, mil. in front
. OF swells down to Il creek
srrrrNG-urLL's CAMP n SioaLi u,n,
On the left the knoll mentioned - .5s;ef
hrst OF long succession stretching [, u III
| and ending in high ridge On theng. -
ground descended to the creek. having h.,
hills along the sides. This creek bends arouno
u front of the described field, and beyond IT
rose precipitOusly the ground in broken knobs
to the high divide In the far blue distance. II
was on this field the Fifth infantry gazed. but
1t WAS not the field that astonished them. for
on every knoll, dispersed through the whole
held, and IN solid mass on the far seen divide,
appeared the savage forms of the Sioux.
Hlther and thIther. to and fro. were riding
perturbed hOrsemen like a nest of anta when
routed. The din9y warriors swarned
around and about, filling the knOlls and nj
vines and ridges, and pressing around our
TANKS and rear. Even beyond the heavy mass
on the divide appeared another mass, doubly
massive and heavy and black, which even a
glass could only make out an immense thronQ,
without beng able to detect riders A more
magnificent spectacle was never beheld, or a
scene more worthy the brush Of painter or
pencil Of artist. On the knoll immediately in
front of the first were assembled the bearers
OF the white flag. One company and most Of
the officers went forward between the two
forces. Indians soon swarmed TO that point
by the dozen; but no meeting could be ar
ranged here, so General Miles arranged that
1t should take place on a small hillOck imme-
dlately IN front of his line. and that Sitting
Bull draw up his line on the other side. This
was substantially agreed to. and the two par
ties met at this point, with the two lines duly
formed.
sITTING-BULL STILL FOR WAR.
A long, earnest and eager conference began !
this time, with a little anxiety on the side of 1
the Fifth, by reason of officers and men going |
back and forth. This conference was even |
more protracted than on the day before, the |
Sioux showing their anxiety for the result bv /
constantly riding to the council circle eagerly |
consulting each other and then returning h. !
their emlnence, the line Of warr9Ia that had |
been formed being almost entirely broken up /
by these movements After long. anxious |
consultation, many of the chiefs were found |
willing to agree to the terms, one Offering 10 /
go himself as hostage if his tribe would be al |
lowed to hunt buffalo awhile. At this point. |
however, Slttng-bull angrily broke up the !
conference, preferrng to fight to Welding. |
Each party retired to its own side. General /
Miles sent final word to Sitting Bull to let |
hm have his answer promptly or he would .
open upon hm with his guns. No answer was |
returned. As General Miles and his party |
moved slowly back to his lines the Indians on |
the PLAIN withdrew to the nights and crowned |
these and the high ground beyond the rocks !
IN front. From the prudent precautions taken |
by General Miles against surprise or |
treaohey to his command the Indians !
seemed to have had an idea he would rather
await than make an attack. so they watched [
with extreme eagerness his first movement. A !
sufhced for preparation. and when
the wished for command to move forward !
was given, every officer and soldier joyfullv
responded, and their eagerness could scarcely
be restrained. Major Casey, with company
A, was directed tomove along and clear the
r1dge on the left, Captain Garter, with COM
pany n, to cleey u high knoll on the right.
Gaptaln Snyder, with company +, to guard
the Rodman gun, while the line advanced
direct to the front. The advance was not /
handsomely done, owing to the TOO great
to get forward. After adyancinga
few hundred yards. the line was deployed as
SKI tnlIlshers, opening out like fan. The de-
was made in perfect order, sweep
ng over the ground with its long waving
lrne, climbing the hills and descending the /
valleys like a long ripple over the pillows.
Captain Carter command, which bad been
ordered 10 cary the hight on the right
crowned by about seventy-fve Indians. with
out firing, moved steadily forward, closing
upon the Sioux, The latter gave WAY before
the Gttlo hnc without venturing a shot.
meanwhile the main line was rapidly advanc-
mg. Company 4, moving steadily, swept
aside the few Indians on the left ridge. The
line had now reached the creek, beyond which /
was
THE BATTLEFIETb.
On the precipitous ri4e Immediately before
US, composed Of high gravelly knolls, were
the main body of Sioux. The ravine of the
stream divided to the right, one portion
running far to the right, the other extending
to the north and left along the line of the /
advance, On the left of this branch was .
very high ridge, commanding the whole plan !
of the field, and distant from the ravine few |
hundred yards. This was covered by Indians !
The prairie beyond the hights. on which the (
main body of the Sioux had taken up position, F!
was rolling. rs usual, each swell rising higher !
for several miles. The ground ON the right of |
the right branch Of the stream was similar !
to that on the left. but not so high.
sITTISG-B BULL = TACTICS.
The plan of the indians it appeared, was |
to get the Fifth regiment to pass the main |
force and thus become entangled IN the rayines I
eJid low ground, while by crOwning the sur
rounding nights they would be enabled to
pour a concentrated FIRE ON the mass and 4
repeat the Custer hutchery. General Miles
was not the man to be thus entrapped. and by
Captains Carter and Casey's move defeated /
the first part of this programme. His pl.l
was as perfect as its execution was complete. ,
THE FIGHT.
The hne was now moving OHt Of the ravine |
and up the precipitous knobs, the Indians (
giving way gradually GAd easily in front, not /
yet firing a shot, the arnlistiCe apparently r. /
straiping both forces. The line now moved !
out Of the ravlnes and up the PERCEPTIONS /
gravel buttes in the following order: Cap |
tain Casey. with company A: Bennett, with /
B; Lymans, with /; Butler, with c; Carter, |
with h. In the line LieVtGHants Pope and /
Rousseau, with H; Forbes, with G. In ~ !
serve, Captain snyder, with I, ia charge Of !
the Ryctrnan gun, and NJ Donald with ID, in /
rear. Of the train, A. the hne approached |
the summit of the hight the Sioux began /
their Wild War dance IN our front This was 4
the EEFst hostile demonstration. MANY might .
have been killed now by the ROdman gun.
but that the dislike to be the first to break the .
arInistice prevailed with General Miles. The /
Rodman gun was pushed torgar.s on the /
right and all was moving sTI'ard in good or !
der when q shot srOm the rear passed through /
Altuiepant PQPe's company and was at onOe T.
returned by the eager men, who were tired Of \
waiting. lhls company was n once ordered !
to clear the ravines and knOlls whence the .
shot came from. Lieutenant ROSseau, with (
company K, was ordered ~ take the left !
and Carter the right ravme. At the same |
time the EAain lme advanced rapidly, the main
frOnt when The Sioux dashed IN circles along I
the front delivering a rapid fire and then DIS /
appearing behind the swells Their riding
was magnificent, but the fire was quite in,
effective While this was taking pice the I