, 1879-11-08
THE COLORADO MAR.
Graphic Description Of the Fight on MIR
Greek,


CAMP on MILK CREEK, Colorado. }
October 9ib, 1879 !
No doubt You have heard OF ear engage
ment with the treacherous Utes. \ party
ot them met Us on Bear river and another on
Williams Fork. They professed friendship.
Among their number WAS "Old Colorow. F"
On the morning of September a9th, about
one mile from Milk creek, and within twenty
miles of White river agency, we were met
by the Utes seereted IN the sage brush near
the mouth of a bad canyon. Lieut. Cherry
discovered them, and was ordered by Major
Thornburgh to hail them He took fifteen
men OF company "E." my company. and
approached them and hailed They replied
with bullets. Major Thornburgh and Capt.
Payne Were riding at the head of the column
company F., Fifth cavalry IN advance );
my company next, company d. Fifth
cavalry, Lieut. Paddock commanding, one
and half miles tG the rear III charge of the
wagon train. Captain Payne was ordered to
take position on the hill t. our left. to
tale hill to our right | dismounted my
company, leaving every fourth nan to hold
horses. Here the fight became general at
every point The Indians appeared on all
sides and on nearly all the bluffs, and in all
the ravineS The fifteen men of my company
With Lieut. Cherry, fought gallantly, and
every man Of my company fought vaiiantly.
At this time Major Thornburgh approached
me and informed me that Capt. Payne and
his company would fall back on a knoll, then
to fall back on HIM ] sent for Lieutenant
Cherry to fall back on ne. and We would
cover a retreat. As Capt. Fayncs company
was about To start, or had started, his girth
broke, and he got a fearful fall one Of his
men dismounted and assisted him on his
horse, the Captains horse having gotten
away. "F." company, Fifth cavalry, fol-
lowed by the Captain-he being badly
bruised-went to the wagon tram, found the
train being parked and Lieutenant Paddock
i;ghting the Indians and wounded. | fell
back slowly with my company, dismounted
and fought all the way, every man doing his
duty. One of my men informed NE that
Major Thornburgh was killed, half mile
ahead of us. | tried to reach his remains.
Here my horse was shot the second time
under me, and also Sergeant Neurolms 5
horse As all the men We're up and &c had
our wounded with us, We fell back to the
balance of our command, but fought all the
way Our stubborn resistance gave time to
form temporary breastwOrks, of the mems
bundles, flour, corn sacks, wagons aud dead
horses Here We fought entrenched, our
horses being shot down rapidly, as the In
dians were ali on the high points around us.
We kept entrenching, but all we could do
was to save our men. On the ID of October
Captain Dodge, Ninth cavalry (eolored) gal
lantly reinforced us with thirty five men.
He got in our breastworks all right, but II
few hours all his horses, except three or
four, were killed.
On the morning Of October 5th, the gal
lant General Merritt came TO our relief with
four companies of cavalry and five of infan-
try. Since then, Captain Nroom, with his
company of tire 81 cavalry, and one of the
9TH, have arrived. To-day, the 9th, Major
Bryant, with four companies of the l4th IN
fantry, Joined US The Indians are net far
OFF. Whether they viii fight SO large com
I.Ilad, Is uncertain. As e company, 81
cavalry, " ID. and 'F," 9TH, and ''D., !"
9th cavalry, have lost all their horses, they
will return at once All tie horses Of my
company that left Fort Steele with the expe
dition are dead, except AlargerlInS and tn
one that Lieut.. Price rode. They were back
1T the supply camp on Fertilization creek
Everything has been quiet since the 9TH
inst. ';enercl Merritt is going to follow up
the Indians The four companies Of cavalry
that were IL the fight, march tomorrow for
Rawlias. We viii take Major Thornburgh's
remains with us; also, all ctr wounded
Private Cuff, OF my company, was buried ON
the battlefield, as were the killed OF the
other companies. None of the wounded OF
E." company are suffering much, except
Serseants Montgomery aud Lupton and Pri-
vate Nahoney. Corporal Hunter is all right,
and the rest Of the wounded are doing well.
Nr. DAVIS, the citizen from Fort Steele, Is
going bach with us 1; he is improving, the
ball having been cut out Of his foot. The
weather Is cold and snow on the ground.
We leave tomorrow at AN. Hope to
reach Fort Steele by the 10Th.