The daily gazette., 1879-12-18
General HOOSi's Experience.
.Wifh tiss, Indians. M

N go r4s
Iy3 lIr4 ii --
ALMOST MASSACRE AS BLOODY AS
THAT WHICH ENDED IN THE ANNI-
q HILATION OF GENERAL CUSTER AND
HIS MEN,. - Lg3
Written for the Memphis Appeal l.1s
The relations Of our government to
the Indian tribes constitu es problem
Of craftsmanship which few public men
endeavor to solve, leaving 1t to be finally
unfo' ded by time and chance. The
different nations of aborigiues have, one
by one, melted before the advancing
wave Of civilization thus inevitably
leading to the conclusion that the last of
them must be forever extirpated when-
ever the Anglo American shall be ready
10 occupy and cultivate their remaining
soil Ia sufficient force. This view of the
case has been 30 universally adopted, in
consequence Of the gradual Oblit.ration
# Indian rights, including titles to terri
tory, as well as the very names of the
tribes, that few persons ever puzzle their
thoughts about the disposition Of the
Indian and it has thus grown to be q
custom to accord to him none of the
rights of humanity, and, of course, to
totally lose sight of our duties to him as
fellow man. He has thus come 10 be
regarded practically as being Of no more
account than the wild beasts for whose
scalps our sta utes have a standing price,
with the av0wed purpose Of desti Dying
and extirpatlng them. All the stalks"
that are held with the chiefs from time
to time, dealing, as they do, in mock
philanthropy, but thinly concealed Gu
pidity, cannot disguise this ultimate pur-
pose and inevitable CONCLUSION. Is the
red man blind to the startling destiny
for his race here unfolded?
The massacre of Dade in Florida; the
assassination Of Candy by the Modocs
and the fatal ambuscade in which Gus
ter's gallant command was caught and
sacrificed, are signal and fatal instances
of the determined treacLery with which
Indian tribes deal with their hostile con-
querors. Others need not be multiplied.
| am about to relate an example Of this
Indian mode Of dealing with our brave
troops on the frontier; which gives an
insight into their mastery strategy, al
though stained by their traditional
treachery, so abhorrent to the civilized
and chivalrous soldier, that cannot but
be regarded as of most romantic, not to
say OF dramatic interest. In 1857 the
famous Sec,nd cavalry, whose Colonel
was Albert Sidney Johnston; Lieuten-
ant Colonel, Robert K. Lee, and Majors
Win am J.Hardee and George H.Thom.
as, was ordered to Texas to prots ct it:
frontier against the frequent hostile in
cnrsions Of the Comanches. In the Life
Of Albert Sidney Johnston, of which hi.
distinguished son, VIM. Preston John
ston, is the auth)r, the services of thi.
famous regiment in Texas is thus stated
In general orders No. IA, dated Ne.
vember ID, 1887, the commander-in
chief compliments no less than clever
exploits of the Second cavalry. Al
though these exhibit the actual conflict,
of the regiment, they afford no measur,
of the activity, the toll and the suffering
and the useful result of its employment
In their rapid pursuit of the flying ma
raud-rs, the troops were exposed te Sc.
we're cold and rains In winter, and til,
5 i'll more trying heat of a semi-trop:ca
sun in summer; they endured the ex
tremities of thirst, were often compelled
to subsist on the flesh of broken-do
horses, or even, In some cases, to g,
wi hont food for several days; and We
'he march, as performed un'ler thes
circumstances, were sometimes supris
ino;in one case, a. much as one hund, e,
and sixty miles in two days and hall
These expeditions, conducted with ener
~, judgment and courag', inflicted
serious loss on the enemy, and made TIN
f'ontier of Texas safe residence il
comparison to what 1t is now.
One of the famous combats above re
ferred to was fought by detachment o
the second regiment of cavalry, nnde
the command of the lamented Genera
John b. Hood, near the headwaters Q
Devil river, in western Texas. Til
facts were detailed by General Hood t
the writer, during the summer of 1876
In speaking of the thrilling massacre Q
General Clusters command on the Littl
Horn, the writer asked the general if
was accountable how such an experiene
ed Indian fighter as Custer could hav
been led into an ambuscade so fatal
his command. The general replied
"Yes, he had oncs been led into jiI:
such an ambuscade with seventeen me
in western Texas, and his command wa
only saved from massacre by the lee
WEAKNESS Of his horses, who, with stoli
indifference to the war-whoop of th
savares and the blows OF their shield
across their heads, refused 10 be STAN
peded, and thus compelled the riders T.
perform one of the most heroic an
wonderful feats known in Indian war.
, fare" The command was composed o
seventeen men, a. has been stated, in
cluding the command, Lieutenant Hoo
himself, who, in addition to two nav
six-shooters, had a double barrele she
gun. The command marched fron
Fort Mason, across the Staked Plains
in about five days, to the place wher
they encountered the Indians. Startin
on a scouting expedition, they struc
the trail of the Comanches soon afte
leaving the fort, which they 70 lowed 8
ia thfully as to come In sight of t.,
hostile camp about four o'clock in tn
afternoon of tho fourth days pursuit
during which the men and horses suffer
ed great hardships and privation fror
thirst aud weariness. On reaching th
summit of a lofty ridge, mountain"u
in hight, they deserted the Indians, wit
, their squaws and ponies, on the SUNNI
of parallel ridge, but with the remark
able signal flying of white flag Q
large as an ordinary sheet.
The Indian bureau had but recentl
issued orders, which lad been promu
gated to all the frontier posts, command
ing scouts and soldiers to respect I'll
white flag, which was the signal to
used by the friendly Kiowas expecte