Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1879-10-09
The INDIAN Outbreak,

y GlsHatcn lfoM naWllS Stalcj tnAt neTrtC
reached Paycc'5 command Monday afternoon,
after soyero fight, killing thirty seven Indians.
lie found Payno's command all right. The
colorcd cavalry company joined Payne last Friday
night, losing al! heir horses but Two in doicg
SO. Merritt, On his approach II Payne camp.
and when only few miles distant from it. dis
covered hostile Utos fling out from the neigh.
boring Canyons. The Indians discovered Mer-
rift ut the enmo moment, ard The General,
| percciyiog this from their actions, ordered his
| men to fall back in rapid II t;eat. The Indians
| were encouraged by this mar @lvre to rush
| from their hiding phases. and Merritt pushing
| lis troops to q rup, drew thom out on tic omen
| pieo. He then gave the der to wheel. which
the men did with admirable precision. Ehowiog
in minute space bristllDg 'front.' and 10 loss
! than two minutes his men poured iIt) the Utes
| o fire which checked ter alvsnce AID forced
them 10 sack every available cover The bat
tie, which bsgaa Monday afternoon, lasted but
q few hCura. during which time tao Iadiaos
suffered loss OF thirty seven killed. while
| Merritt did not lose man. In fact, tho Uies
got such severe drubbing that they threw up
the white flag ia token Of their wish tJr o
parley. This wss granted by Merit, and sew
| lrIl ohiefs entered his camp forthwith. Several
chiefs were wiling to sutrender-otherS were
nos. Merritt told them it they you'd give up
! their arms and ponies no would do nothing
more with them for the present. Ono or two
chiefs asked whether Merritt INTENDED TO go to
| lie agency Sith his troops, ard he replied that
be Cid. Al.ur bIiet consultation all tho chiefs
agreed 10 common answer, which was that, if
the u. S. soldiers Invaded their reservation,
they would light until the last CT tue Utes lay
dead
Alter this they left Merriti's camp and re-
turned to the canyons. Ger. Merritt then
pushed forward witt all haste and 0yued
Payne with the remnant OF Thoinburgs com-
maud. The same Monday evening before Mtr.
rit's arrival, Payne had been most gallantly
euce0rcd by colored company of forty five
men Ct III, Ninth Cavalry. uudcr Captain
Dodge. Ills company c1nr down Bear river
past StcnMbnat Springs last Friday night. aud
lcarping Of Tnoruburgh's fight and Payne 8
situation. resolved Lo get to Payne side at
every hiZlrd. 10 their attempt they were met
by tho bcsicsiuc Utes, who turned upon them
with fro SO hot that they were compelled 10
dismouui. 10 tho coIrse Of the subsequent
cngaCanGnt this brave colored company lost
every Tors, hut !wo Nothing was brought
By scout Lithy about their personal loss IN
killed or wouadcd, but they succeeded in
making tier way to Payne'J relief, aud we're
hailed in camp with livery expression Of vel.
come, The long besicvtd soldiers making the
bills resound with their cheer3. Merritt on
hts arrival louni Payne had held our splendid
IL, losing cpIy Two men sGco The Goth, when
Ranktn l,'.
Merritt, in hia iopolt, adds "Worla fail to
describe tbs soanc 10 Inc v;eiri,y CT this
wretchel onlrennLnent. Over three hundred
dead animals arc lying eItaidn tho brCasW0lks.
The stencil from them is something horrible.
The wounded ato doing well. Capt Payne
aad lIeut, Paddock arc both iWpr0V1g.
cannos givJ too muah credit 10 my gallant off
cars and men for their admirable 1ouduGt Inr.
ing tho mach. ln something like turly five
hours my Command has marched 10 miles
over u miserable, dusty road The worst ever
travelled"
Capt. Payne msdc til; following statement
~ to his situation
Indians still surround US aud pour ~ -
effective fire from tho commanding Bluffs 81 a
dl1tance of five or six hundred yards, having q
cross lire upon cur position, which position
WAS chosen hastily Oh the first day of the fight.
All our horses, md all but twelve mules heye
b.oa killed. We sheltered them as best we
could with wagons but 10 no purpose. Capt.
ID, Ninth Cavalry, clme to our rescue yester
cay mornloG at daYbraak, alter forced night 4
march OF thrty-hve miles iroll Bear river.
Cheer upon cheer rent tho air irem our tres,oh.
es when it was asc1rtaucd who were o9miGg.
a lu!l ia tho firing enabled them to ootnn in
aud shelter their horses as veil as possible.
taking TO the iottlilclton9 quickly when ibc
attack rcd0u5Ied its fury. Had the heights
been accessible Captain Dodge would haze
charged them with his company while we
covered him from our riAa pits, but this being
utterly impossible, the ascout being nearly
perpendicular, all wo could do durns the day
was TO keep GOOD look out from the loop
holes ana return the fto when ary Indian
showed his head. This, however, was vary
rare occurrence. as tho Indians have riff pits and
loop holes. BeloIo dark every horse but three
ct Capt. Doaee's command was Shutdown. A
very fortunate thing for US has been that the To-.
dlaEs lave Lett Us unmolasted at pight, with tie
exception of an occasional shot 10 mako us s,at.
Ter to our pits. We have been able, q. great
risk, to haul of our dead animals every night,
0therGise the stcGch would &c ini0lCrablc. A
sally is made every night for water diStaucs
Of two hundred yards from our entrenuhments
Night before laat private Etscr, Of COMPANY
i. was saos IN the face while out with party
ator water. The Indians were only few
yards sway, aud were driven off by vcIlcy
from the guard aud trenches"
The following is full account Of the fight in
which Msj. Thornburgh tell The field Of bas
lie was admirably chosen for defense by the
Indians, end had it not been for Major Thorn
burgh'8 advance guard, COMMANDED by Lieut..
Cherry, discovering tho ambuscado the entire
Command would have been auuihiatcd. He
saw email party OF I1diaus disappear over
hill half mile in front, and at once divided bis
party to gccoonoicr, ana ouIy discovered than
when he rad ilanked their position By abaut
two hurdrol yards Cherry rodo back at full
speed with two or three NEE, who were with
him, and notified Maj Thornbucgh, who had
already begun tho decent into the deep ravine,
which was intended to eugulf the command.-
| The Indians were ismounted, and lying down
aopg the crest OF the high s:eep ridge FIR
hundred yards from the point where tbs deadly
assault would have commenced. The troops
were Withdrawn short distance, dismouated,
aud deployed in limo Of battle. with orders to
| await tue attack of the Indians Limit Gharru