The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-10-14

when Ouray heard of the hostile action OF
the White River Utes he had instantly de-
spatched Serponeiro, his head sub-chief, with
detachment of ten Uncompahgres, to avert
further hostilities if possible. This detachment
Brady said he was accompanying as mterpre-
ter. Although it arrived too late for its oriSi-
nal purpose Brady asserted that he was now
instructed by Serponeiro to ask General Merritt
exactly what he wanted of the Utes, and what
he intended to do. General Merritt responded
that the rights of all Indians remaining at peace
would be strictly respected, but that he had no
message of any kind to send to the Utes who
were ut war and who had committed recent
deviltries. This answer having been comnuni-
Gated through Brady to Serponeiro the latter
retired.
THE REDSKINS RETREAT
1t seems that the time taken up by the parley
was used by the rest OF the Utes to effect
definite retreat, for, contrary to the reports
lately received from settlers, ranchmen and
others, no fighting or skirmishing took place,
not even after Merritt started from Mill
Creek, ut eight A. NJ, the 10th inst, on
his advance. At that time, according to
Lieutenant Bourke, Merritt had with him 600
fighting men, excluding Paynes and Dodges
dismounted cavalry, left in charge of the
wounded, and excluding also Colonel Gilberts
six companies of the Seventh infantry and
Henry's and Evans cavalry, which had not
yet joined his command.
AN UNIMPEDED MARCH.
1t was with this force of 600 that General
Merritt pushed forward last Friday morning.
That proverbially unlucky day proved lucky
one, for instead of meeting the opposition he
was led to anticipate the General found his
march unimpeded throughout the day. No
fresh Indian signs were seen: the dreaded coal
canyon, where the enemy might have made an
effective stand, was deserted. The march was
continued without the least resistance until ten
o'clock at night, when the command encamped
in the White River bottom, only seven miles
north of the agency. He would have pushed on
to the agency that night had it not been for the
darkness.
DIFFICULTIES OF THE SITUATION.
In the opinion Of Lieutenant Bourke the Utes
had resolved to make their next rally some
where in the south, and in this connection both
Bourke and Schuyler gave an interesting ac-
count of the difficulties which confront our
troops Brady, in his interview with Merritt,
stated that the Utes claimed to have collected
credible if the Uncompahgres were still ut
peace, nor did Brady himself affect to believe
the statement. The largest estimate of the
fighting force of the White River Utes is 2S5,
and it is not yet known whether they have been
joined by the Uintah Utes, residing in Utah.
One indication that the claim OF 700 warriors
at present is greatly exaggerated appears i'll the
sudden retreat of the Indians from one Of their
strongest positions. Still they haye plenty of
strong positions in reserve, and have done
everything possible to render the march of the
United States troops in their direction difficult
and annoying. The whole country from Raw
Inns to the White River Agency is reported by
Lieutenant Bourke as burnt to u cinder and
showing hardly blade of grass
SUFFERING OF MEN AND ANIMALS.
| So fierce arc the winds that blow along the
way, lifting clouds of dust continually, that
| Merritt's force and the soldiers Fastening to
| their support are afflicted almost to u man with
| sore noses, liberated mouths, inhamed eyes and
| chapped and bleeding hands. Every mule in
| the wagon trains has liberated gums The suf-
| ferings of the march unprecedented, but
| those to come, augmented by winter SHOWS will
| probably be worse. Lieutenant Bourke and his
| companion, together with other officers who
have visited the region, liken the country from
Bear River to White River and beyond to those
dreaded parts of Arizona which present verti-
cal, deep-faced canyons, from the sides OF which
few Indians can impede o force of twenty
times their number.
SCARCITY OF GUIDES.
In his invasion of this desolate country Gen
eral Merritt finds himself almost utterly with
| of those who went out with him are the class
of buckskln-covered, boasting dead beats, who
| loom up as hardy frontiersmen at the outset of
| every Indian campaign, ready to sell their ser
| vices until military commanders discover
| them to be worthless The General has dis
missed whole lot of these gentry of the Plains,
who are now on their way back to Rawlins with
talk of their own hairbreadth escapes from i'm
aginary dangers. Only three or four guides re
main who can ut all be trusted, and General
Merritt is using efforts to procure the services of
Indian guides whom he regards indispensa-
BILE. Some of the Navajoes believed to
know the country well as the Utes, trav
ersing it, rs they do every year, to trade away
their blankets. dozen of them came in the
day before the Thornburgh disaster to sell some
of these celebrated blankets to the soldiers The
Arapahoes also, from their frequent raids into
the country of the Utes, who are their hered-
tary enemies, must be more or less familiar
with its bleak and forbidding Businesses.
LOSSES IN rIIoRSBURGns Plight.
Lieutenant Bourke says of Thornburgh's
fight and the subsequent siege of Payne, who
took command, that the official report will re-
cord fourteen men killed and forty-two wounded.
These numbers, however, do not comprise all
the "hitsr received because 10 man would
trouble the surgeon who could possibly avoid
doing so. Scarcely man in the command but
was struck by bullet. The Surgeon, DIR.
Grimes, himself received ball in tho shoulder,
which nearly disabled him, aud u private Of