The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1876-08-10
How Frontiersmsn Fight Indians.

After the memorable massacre of an
entire company of troops at Old Fort
Phil. Kearney in 1868, Sitting Bull and
his warriors believed land subsequent
events have only served to confirm him
in the presumptuous notion) that he
could whip the United States Army,
and that the government was cowardly
and afraid Of him. This was his haugh-
ty bearing when the first Bozeman ex-
petition set out in the winter of 1874.
The Montana boys knew how recklessly
the Sioux would fight, inspired with
confidence in their w prowess by their
uniform success in meeting the regular
troops, and they also understood their
tactics in action. They knew they
would have to fight, and went
prepared to fight desperately, and
adopted the Indians own mode of
warfare, with such original improve
ments of:.their own as the circumstances
Of each days operations might suggest.
They never camped for the night with
out first digging rifle pits; and in action
they acted precisely as they would if
trying to head off and kill the greatest
number out Of a herd of buffalo. They
acted in unison only so far as to prevent
surprises and to keep within supporting
distance of each other, and each man
selected his wi underground and
fought according to his own private
Judgement Of how to do the most effec-
tive work. Thus this handful Of men
marched through the very heart Of the
Sioux Country, being engaged in almost
daily battles, and returned In ten or
twelve weeks with the loss of only five
or six men. They did more effective
military movements combined, which
money. They taught the refractory
Sioux a lesson which they viii not for
get as long as they exist. From Red
| Cloud agency, in Nebraska, to Fort
Peck, on the Upper Missouri, and
throughout all their villages, death
songs were chanted. There was la
mentation throughout the great Sioux
nation, and a little handful of one hun
dred Montana miners had caused it all.
They undoubtedly killed more Sioux
than they had fighting men. Thirteen
young misunderstanding rations regu-
larly as peaceable Indians-were killed
from Standing Rock agency alone.
They gave Sitting Bull lessons in noun.
tain war which he had never conceived
of, with all his craft.
In the last pitched battle they made Q
successful charge to prevent acomrade
from being scalped, who had received q
fatal shot, when they hurriedly inferred
the remains, putting over the grave 9
largepile of stones-the Indians watch.
ing the movements from the adjacent
bluffs. They then hurriedly fell back,
As was expected, the Sioux fiocked tc
the grave to secure the scalp, crowded
around it and began eagerly to scatter
the stones, when q tremendous explo-
sion took place, and a cloud Of stones
and pieces Of Indians were mingling to-
gether in the air. A powerful torpedo
had been secreted among the stones
The Montana boys then came on back
to Bozeman, and were not again attack
ed in force. In q few weeks another
expedition organized at BozemaY, and
went down the Yellowstone and forti.
fed themselves at the mouth Of the Big
Horn, calling the place Fort Pease, In
honor Of F. d. Pease, q leading spirit
in the movement. From twenty te
seventy+ive men held this point nearly
a year continuously.
Now, would 1t not be well for Gener
al Sheridan to secure some Of this kind
Of material to aid him in his campaigni
from five hundred to a thousand o.
these frontiersmen could be enrolled
we think, right here In the Black Hills
The Government has only to outfit an6
provision them, and they will 90 q
once to the hottest part Of the fieid
There is where they would prefer being
Let the Government call out a Hlacl
Hills brigade forthwith. Black Hlll