The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-10-31
AT MILK RIVER.
Incidents Of the Campaign Against the
Ltes-HOw Bravefy the COtOred
Troops Fought Their Way.

I
I campaign:
The scene of the battle was peculiarly Mt
ted for the Indian mode of warfare. Wher
ThOTnburgh's command entered the raviue
or canyon they found themselves between
Two bluffs ], 800 yards apart. Those on the
north were 200 feet high, those on the south
OOfeet. The road to the agency ran through
( the TavIne in a SOutheaSterlV direction, fol
[ lowing the bend of the Milk river, at dis
tance of 500 yards. On the top of the two
ranges of bluffs the Indians had entIenched
themselves in a series of pits, so that when
the troops halted at the first vOley they stood
between two fires at a range Of only 600 yards
from either bluff. Rapidly assembling his
force, Major ThOrnburg drew up eight OF
the wagons and ranged them as a sort of
brea5twOrk along the northern and eastern
side of an oval, at the same time cutting ira
verse trenches on the western and southern
points of the oval, along the line of which
the men posted themselves. Inside the oval
eight more wagons were drawn up for the
purpose of cOrralling the animals, and there
was also a pit provided for shelteTing the
wounded. Outside the oval and on a bit
of rising ground to the southeast were the
pits thrown up by Captain DOdge's men, and
behind them ran a path to the nearest bend
of the Milk river, which was used for obtain
ing water. 1t was at point north of DOdge's
pits, and only a few yards from the path.
that IhOTnburg fell. A more complete trap
could not be cOntriyed, for the troops were
not only Outnumbered but exposed to a gall
ing fire from bluffs over the edge Of which it
was impossible TO reach the foe, as the range
of sight would, Of course, carry bullets clear
over the Indian pits.
Captain Dodge feat appears more admi-
TaDle the more it Is dwelt upon by everybody
except the modest Captain. \ soldier with
Payne thus speaks of the arrival of Dodge
and his colored company:
I'VE were getting pretty ID tired about
that time. 1t was the third morning after
we were cOrratled, and OF course we dldn
know whether any Of our messengers sent
out from camp had struck help or not. Sud
denly that morning in the dusk we heard a
noise. Even by that time some OF US had
begun to fear that the Indians would charge
US, and we all then supposed it might be In
diaus. If it hadn' been fOT the voice of John
Gordon, the scout who was riding in advance,
we might have poured in a vOlley at them
but YOU bet your life there wasn't no yOlley
except cheers when Gordon rode in with five
or six daTkieS alongside of him. Pretty soon
he told us what was up, and what 10 expect,
and when Captain Dodge came ul at a can
ter, leading the rest OF his men, we din take
much account, except to wonder q little at
the color of their faces 1t was the greatest
marvel to me and all of Us at this minute
that the UtcS didn't pour in a heavy fire
when they heard Us cheer. We forgot all
about the danger OF exposing ourselves and
leapeG up out OF the pit TO shake hands all
around. why, continued TINS soldier, with
curious naivete, we took those daTkIes liz
sleep with us, and they took their knives and
cut OFF slips Of bacon from the same sides as
we did
That's So" exclaimed another trooper,
''and one darZey has got a knife with a dent
in it that was made by Ute bullet when le
was reaching up to carve a slice OF of the
hog fortihcation in front OF my trench
Another cdyalrymau said: y on ought
to have seen them Elggars and watched how
they behaved. You know ii wasn't any fun
going for water even in the night time, let
alone daylight But one afternoon one mOke
got terribly thirsty; the firing had stopped
for quite a spell. and says he, We'll, boss,
Use powerful dTv. and somebody's got to glt
water fO' me. or Use got to cit water TO
somebody so what does that mOke do but
take two pals in broad daylight and 90 down
and bring 'em both back full OF water, and
the Iniuns never lifted q hair on him
The colOred sergeant of DOdge's company
tells the following story IN this wise IN terms
of natural pride
eve did not know what we We're to find
when We went in there, whether camp tull
of live men or dead men. We went in though,
and they were mighty glad TO see Us. We
were rather surprised when we found how
things Law that the UteS did not fire on Us as
we went in and shoot us all To pieces. But
with an amusing GRIM 1t was early I'M the
morning and / expect they were deceived by
the color of our cOmpleXions. At any rate
we got in and there we stuck Afterwards
we had to 90 out and make trenches Tor our
selves under a heavy fire. While we were
digging. and when we got about an inch he
low the ground the reds saw the outlines of
the new trench in the early dawn, and made
il so hot that we were glad OEop out behind
some wagons and wait till we got another
show. The water, continued the sergeant
"was the hardest thing to get of all. Some
call it 200 yards t. that water; some more,
some less but l paced it OF one night my
self, and it was 400 yards, or / am e white
man
For the first three days, according to all
the officers and soldiers, who were there, the
situation was chiefly horrible from the con
slant wounds and death struggles of the poor
animals, which they could in no way protect
from the Indian FIRE. Every few minutes,
saws one ''y0u heard the dying gurEie of q
horse or Il mule. and although we fastened
them as securely as possible at night theil
pangS were such that they would often brcal
away after being hit, threatening the mems
( lives in the trenches Once wounded hors,
leaped in his agony right into the pit we had
dug for the wounded. where Lieutenant
Paddock and seven men were lying at tht
time. 1t was miracle almost that he dc
not tramp them to death. As II was we al
. opened q terrific FIRE on the bluffs, 50 as L
make the Utes stop firing, and under cove
of this fuSiiade a lot of our boys jumped M
. and hauled the horse out OF the trench w
F had to watch out continually to give danger
ousiy wounded horses and mules their quie
. tUS. If they got CayOTtlnT after receiving az
. Indian bullet, and we could see that the
were MANNED OF fatally injured, the soldier
would take aim and finish them. 1t wa
awfuliy hard once IN while. y friend q
mine cot three flesh wounds in trying to Sav
his horses life. Finally, the horse was sh,
through one Of his foreleCs. Instead {
wTithing around ike the others lie came hoi
bling up to the edge Of the pit where Joe an
I were and looked down at Joe as if to sa!
Help me for Gods sake = Joe turned
me and said, says ne, 'NOu'N have TO lnlS
him, Hank 1 can't DO it; by God, ! can't
. I watched my chance as tire horse tuTnc
and put ball in right behind his left ea
and dropped him. That night we hauled hI
outside with the rest.
There were several Pet dogs in the cam
among them q beautiful greyhound beloE
ing to Lieutenant Cherry. 81 used 60 ]
him out of uay pit occasionally, says {!
night he came back with one Of his paws SIN
J of. Il turned out that be had been fired {
by one Of our own SentiDeiS, who mlstot
! him for a crawling Indian. There was not
) inc to do but kill the poor old fellow TO sa'
/ him misery"
Onemorninga soldier Of Payne 5 comman
I . wounded in the arm, and 20 III that tie M
{ no annette for two days turned TO neg
= soldier close by him, saying. Here, par
/ sfsp shooting at them bluffs, and for q
Lords sake make me little coffee ~
coI0red hero thus addressed, whose name q
I narrator could not recall, answered not
F. 7 word but set 70 work. There was no coil
I in the nit, but there was some in the ne
! one which was tossed over. But how
! : make a fire without wood, that was the que
J tioD The colOred man calculated I
. chances. made a break for the suffers wage
{ sDatched loose side Of q provision box q
. came back with bullet hole in the boal
o which was meant for his own body. Tn
he made a fire in the corner of the pit q
-.,1 tfsr pDf fgTs