The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-11-10
Gen. Crooks Army on the Move.


command writes as follows from Hat
Creek, Oct 10Th:
Two days after Gen. Merritt left us,
we, with the main column and the wagon.
train. began to move down Amphibious
Creek by slow marches. Night before
last a courier reached us at Buffalo Gap,
stating that Gen. Merritt would meet
us on the Cheyenne River at the point
where the Red Cloud road crosses that
stream. He accordingly rejoined us
Yesterday, having gone down the river
as far. as the mouth of Rapid Greek, find
ing no Indians, but an immense num-
Der of trails, from three to seven days
old, leading southwark toward the
Agencies. 1t looks very much like North
ern Indians had gone in; or, rather, that
the Agency Indians who have been OPP
Grating with the hostiles all summer
had concluded TO return to Government
rations and contractors beef. This
seems most probable, for they can live
in comfort all winter, and start out
with a fresh supply of ammunition in
the spring.
THE FACT OF THE MATTEIi IS,
that this war has so far been simply a
source of entertainment to Red Clouds
and Spotted TAILS young bucks; they
take to war as naturally and with as
much zest as a young duck is said to
take to water. They have not been
punished severely enough to lead them
to see the error of their ways, and come
in and live all summer on a public
bounty. They will consent to be
thoroughly virtuous during the winter
months, but they musthaye their harm
less amusements-such as shooting at
soldiers and jumping mining outfits
during warm weather. They do not
care at all for any particular locality;
being nomads, the element of patriot
ism does not enter into the scheme of
their existence, and no object is gained
when they are simply driven from one
part Of the country into another.
KILLING OF HoRsE-TH1EvEs.
The night before Gen. Merritt left us
at the head of Amphibious creek, sixty
horses were stampeded from the detach-
ment-camp. All but three have been
recovered, in the process of which two
horse-thieves were killed and one cap
tured. The two that were killed began
firing On the party that were pursuing
them, with the above result. The COM
mand has been annoyed by this species
of villainy ever since it crossed the Belle
Fourche River, and it would have been
q very good thing ifa few more of these
s%coundrels had been hurried into a
hasty interview with the devil. 1t is
said that a man calling himself Jack
Madden is the ead-Centreo Of the horse
thieves, and that a regularly-organized
band assists, whose business it is to
steal horses and dispose of them.
THE RECRUITS
that have lately joined us have been the
source of a very great deal of innocent
amusement to old soldiers. One very
funny thing happened the other day.
The column was or the march when one
of the ''fresh fish, anne ~galloping up
along the line at full speed, his horse
covered with. foam. He rushed franti-
cally past Gen. Merritt, who called out
at the top of his voice, "Stop running
that horse! Stop running that horse!''
Imagine the effect when in a shril ire
BILE came back from the Gilpin in blue
kersey: ~ amt %a-runnin' the horse.
the horse is a-runnin' of me; I'd give
So if l could stop the -
-!r
And then to see then. cross an arroyal
Much to their establishment, and evil
IDENTIFY to their discomfort, the charger
always will make a rush when going up
the opposite side, and the recruit, to all
appearances imagines that he is fly
ing, and fops his arms accordingly,
which adds vastly to the pleasure in
life found by such old troopers as may
be in sight.
Why these raw recruits are sent here
If they should be taken into battle
with the Sioux, they would simply be
shot, without doing us any good or the
enemy any harm. They are taken di-
rect from the recruiting station with
no instruction whatever, and are ex-
pected to add strength to the regiments
now in the field. The fact is, that they
are an element of weakness, and are
more Of n nuisance than a help; and
there is no cavalry officer but that would
rather have forty old men-tried aud
disciplined-than add to his troop an
incubus of forty perfectly raw recruits.
Cavalry recruits should at least remain
at the depot for u year, and be thor
ougbly drilled and instructed during
that time, before they are assigned to Il
regiment. Then they will be of some
little service when they reach us, in.
stead of being no use whatever except
to amuse the older soldiers. And they
do get Il power of amusement out OF
them before they get well seasoned.
They will send an 'innocent" to the
commanding officer for an order on the
doctor for a quart of whisky, and make
him believe that he is being defrauded
by the First Sergeant when guy-ropes
are not issued to him with his shelter
tent. About one half of the rank-and'
file of the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth
and Seventh Regiments of cavalry viii
be composed of this class of TROOPERS
when they are filled up to the maxiun
now allowed by law; and anybody car
see what an immense amount Of work
it is going to require to get them into
some kind Of shape before the spring
opens.
ARUMoRED WINTER CAMPAIGN.
We expect to reach Red Cloud by the
oath inst, and what is to be done
with us then, is to us an unknown
question. Rumors Of q winter cam
uaipn are rife: but exactly how that |,