Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-10-10
ON TIE TRAIL.
Details Of General Niles CSmpaIgn
Against the Bannocks The
Attack and Victory.


qnr is so'e g.1 uil
A correspondent writing from
the National Park, Wyoming Ter
ritory, says; 7ad s.
The announcement that General
Miles and his mounted infantry had
closed the Bannockwar has already
been made by telegraph; but there
are some things connected with it
which may be of interest to the
public, and now are told for the.
first time. aHes vol ~a .e.
The most extraordinary feature
of the last Bannock fight, is the
fact of Miles striking these Indians
as he did the Nez Perces after they
had got away from every body else
who tried to capture them. 1T was
about the first of August that word
was received at Fort Keogh, from
Fort Ellis, that a party of Ban
nocks were coming over the old
Nez Perces trail of last year. On
the receipt of this intelligence,
General Miles at once got his COM
mand ready for campaign. All
the men not on detached service
we're put through mounted drill ex-
ercise every afternoon, and arrange
ments made to enable the Fifth in
fantry, which is mounted on In
dian ponies, and the four compa-
nies Of the Second cavalry, under
Colonel Baker, to start out on two
hours notice. Holding the COM
mand in readiness to await further
intelligence till the 18th Of August,
and no later advice concerning the
Indians having been received, Gen
eral Miles, after having sent out six
companies Of infantry and two OF
cavalry to construct a line Of tele-
graph from the Little Missouri tC
Keogh, started with liz men on
the upper Yellowstone expedition,
| The march was made without any
exciting event till the evening o.
the oath of August, when tn,
general dispatched Lieutenant
Clark with twenty-five men to tax,
the Grow agency trail from Still
water station on the Yellowstone
and go through the Clark's Forl
post in search of Bannocks.
The main expedition, under com
mand of General Miles, proceeds,
up the Yellowstone without furth
or Indian intelligence till the even
ing of the 9th, when at Stillwate
Station report was received from
General Brisbin, at Fort Ellis, Lha
the Bannocks had passed up Snak
river and we're believed to be max
ing their way over the mountain
and through the National Park. Oh
! hearing this, General Miles proceed
J ed to organize new army out q
: the men remaining after the with
, drawal of Lieutenant Clark's dc
tachment. First, however, he go
all the maps in camp and after con
, sulting them began to make a cal
culation of the relative chances 0
Indians following the various route
available for their object, which wa
! supposed to be TO join the Banpock;
! who were then en- route for an au
a tumn hunt in the Musselshell couu
try. He figured on this problem
for hours, and finally settled it t
: the satisfaction Of his mind. II
: sent a courier back to Fort Custer
t with orders for the battalion of tn
= second calvary there to Join hir
I according to directions; sent lanoth
er courier to Fort Ellis after ration
aud finally went Supperless to be
J with the campaign all arranged i
y his head, but none except himse
knew what officers nor what fore
@ would be detailed to go on the wa
Q path. In the morning he announce
Y that he would lead the comman,
+ and take Captain Bennett, Lieuter
= ant Bailey and DR.. A. G.. Redd wit
II him. By 10 o'clock on the mornin
= of the 2Sth four wagons arrive
; from Fort Ellis, and then the gel
q eral took the back track sixty milk
. down the Yellowstone and up /
. the Grow Agency. At the agene,
Is alter much delay, he succeeded
l. obtaining thirty-five Indian allie
n though at first none offered to 9
q except old menand "coffee coolers
which latter means in this countl
men who remain in camp whe
! there is fighting to be done. III
l. fact was that the Grow warrior
did not know how many Bannock
were to be encountered, nor di
/ they know of much plumber to
d gained in a fight, and for these rel
!. sous they were slow to believe IL
- generals emphatic assertions th,
he would find the enemy. On u
&c second day, however, Little RodI
5, a French Canadian scout, camo il
Ie to the agency and rel lorted that !
is had accidentally ridden into Ii
e Bannock camp, where he was d
I tained, and would have been killc
+ but that he assured the hostiles Il
& Crows, with whom he was living
e. squaw man, would be glad to we
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