Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-10-16
RELIEVED.
THE LONG AGONY OF SUSPENSE
ENDED.
REPORT or GEN. MERRITT.

river, Oct. 0th, was received py Gen. oner1o@u
at Chicago on the 9Th instant. 1t Gays I'VE re-
lieved Captain Payne's command at $50 this
morning, We found the command much as
reported in the original dispatches. The cas-
ualties were twelve killed and forty-three
wounded. All the animals Of the command
were killed except twelve mules and three
horses of the four companies of cavalry
Captain Dalge with his company arrived the
first inst. into Captain Payne's entertainments,
but all his horses were killed by the enemy.
Too much praise cannot be given this gallant
officer and his command for his very praise
worthy act in the reinforcement of Payne
WORDS FAIL TO DESCRIBE THE SCENE
in the vicinity of this wretched intrenchment.
Over 800 dead animals are lying outside the
breastworks, the stencil from which is some
thing horrible. The wounded are doing well.
Capt. Payne and Lieut.. Paddock are both i'm
proving. / cannot give too much credit to my
gallant officers and men for their admirable
conduct during the march. In something like
forty-eight hours my command has marched
about 40 miles over a miserable dusty road,
the worst ever travelled"
The rest of the dispatch is devoted to praise
of his subordinates, whom he comn.ends in the
warmest manner, mentioning especially Lieuts.
Swift and Bishop, Schuyler and Weir; Coils.
Campton and Sumner. 1t will be observed he
saws nothing of the fight which he is reported
to have had with the Indians on the route, and
that report may therefore be set down as tc-
ton. #s
On the 9th inst. a courier reached Cheyenne
with the following from an officer with
Payne's command: Battlefield, Milk river,
Colorado Oct. 8, 6 P. MA courier will leave
some time tonight with dispatches, if posi-
ble The Indians still surround US and pour
in an effective fire from commanding bluffs at
distance of 500 or 600 yards, having cross
FIRE on our position, which position was chosen
hastily on the first day of the fight. All our
horses but twelve have been lost. We shelter
ed them as best we could with wagons, but tc
no purpose.
CAPT. DODGE AND LIEUT.. HUGHES
| with company D, Ninth cavalry came to our
rescue yesterday morning at daybreak after a
forced nights march of tnirty-fve miles from
Beaver river. Cheer upon cheer rent
| the air from our trenches when
| it was ascertained who were
coming. A lull in the firing enabled them to
come in and shelter their horses as well as pos
sible, taking to the fertilization quickly when
| the attack redoubled it's fury. Had the heights
been accessible, Capt. Dodge would have
| charged them with his company while we COW
| cred him from our rife pits, but this being i'm
| possible, the ascent being nearly perpendicular,
all we could do during the day was to keep a
look out from the loop holes and return fire
| when any Indians showed themselves. This,
however, was a very rare occurrence, as the In
dians have rife pits and loop holes. Before
dark every horse but three of Capt. Dodges
command was shot down.
| A very fortunate thing for us is that the In.
| dams have left us ~
UNMoLESTED AT NIGHT
with tho exception of an occasional shot to
make us scatter to our pits. We have been
able at great risk to haul off our dead animals
| every night; otherwise the stencil would be in
| tolerable. A sally is made every night fOI
| water distance of 200 yards from our in
trenchments. Night before last Private Eizen,
of company T, was shot in the face while out
| with party after water. The Indians were
only few yards away and were driven off by g
volley from the guard in the trenches. Capt
Dodge brought us
| THE CHEERFUL NEWS
that our dispatch reached Bear River safely
and would undoubtedly reach Rawlins. VIZ
have been counting the hours which it will
| probably take for relief to reach u.s.. We all
| agree that Gen. Merrill from Fort Russell
| with the company of the Fifth cavalry there
and other available troops will be hurried tt
our rescus as they will all be needed to inisl
the campaign.
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
was admirably chosen for defense by the In
dams, and had it not been for Major Thorn
burgh's advance guard, commanded by Lieut.
| Cherry, discovering the ambuscade, the entire
command would have been annihilsted. IL
saw a small body of Indians disappear over
hill mile in front. He at once divided the
party to reconnoitre and only discovered then
when he had fanked their position by about
200 yards. Cherry rode back full speed will
two or three men who were with him, and no
titled Major Thornburgh, who had already be
gun the descent into the deep ravine which
was intended 20 engulf the command. TIL.
Indians were dismounted and lying down alons
the crest of the high steep ridge, not 100 yard
from the point where
THE BLOODY ASSAULT
would have commenced. The troops were
withdrawn at short distance, dismounted anG
deployed in line of battle with order to await
the attack of the Indians. Lieutenant Cherry
was ordered by Thornburgh to take q detach
| ment of fifteen picked men and make recon
noisance and communicate if possible with the
Indians, as it was thought they only desired t.
oppose his approach to their agency and
would parley or have big talk if they could
gallop with his men from the right flank, anc
| noticed like movement of about twenty In
| dams from the left of the Indian position. HI
approached to within about a couple of hundred
| yards of the Indians and took off his hat anC
waved it, but the response was a shot fred at
him, wounding a man of his party and killing
his horse. This was
THE FIRST SHOT,
and was instantly followed by volley from
the Indians. The work had now begun in real
earnest, and seeing the advantage of the posi-.
ton he had, Cherry dismounted his detach.
ment and deplOyed along the crest of the hill
to prevent the Indians from f1anking his po-
sition, and to cover the retreat, if found neces-
sary to retreat upon the wagon train, which
was then coming up slowly, guarded by Lieut..
Paddock, Co. ID, Fifth cavalry. Orders were
sent to park the wagons, to cover them with the
company guarding them. The two companies
in advance were Capt. Payne's COM
pany +, Fifth cavalry, and Capt. Lawson's
company e, Third cavalry, which were
dsmounted and deployed as skirmishers,
Capt. Payne on the left and Capt. Lawson on
the right. From Cherry's position he tould
see that the Indians were trying to cut him of
from the wagons, and at once sent word to
Major ThOrnburgh, who then Withdrew the
line slowly, keeping the Indians in check until
opposite the point which his men held, when
seeing that the Indians were concentrating to
gut OFF his retreat, Capt. Payne with Q company
of the Fifth cavalry was ordered to
| CHARGE THE HILL, G0
which he did in gallant style, his horse being
shot under him and several of his men wound
ed. The Indians having been driven from
this point the company was rallied on the
wagon train. Maj. Thornburgh then gave or
ders to Cherry TO hold his position and cover
Capt. Lawons retreatp was ordered to fall
back slowly with the led horses of his c0mpa-
ny. Cherry called for volunteers of twenty
men, who responded promptly, and fought with
desperation. Their names will be given in
later dianafChea