The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-06-11
BY sKR0EANT HoLLlpAY,

BY sER0RANT HOLIDAY.
IS.
The next day after the antelope hunt, re
lated in last Chapter, band OF Indian
made raid on wagon train some mile
above Julesburg, killing number of tenn
sters and running off large number c
cattle. They came from the direction {
thelittle valley, where l thought had gel
ten glimpse OF ponies with saddles o.
them, just as the old mule elevated me
and was convinced that the mule in tryin
TO kill me, had Internationally saved m!
life; for had l fired one shot there, woult
have been skinned alive the next minute
felt new love for the poor old as
spring up, bn! it came too late-we hat
parted company forever. The old French
man at the rancho had taken him for tn,
modest sum Of S75.
The troops on the plains during THU
Summer and the Winter following mum
bered about nine thousand. They wert
cnmposed Of the llth Ohio Cavalry, 6lh
Michigan Cavalry, 9Th West Virginia Cav
airy, 2lst New YORK Cavalry, 7th Nebrasks
Cavalry, 1st and God California Cavalries
aud 2nd Colorado Cavalry, Sd U. s. IUiant
ry, the latter was commanded by Colonel
Manidier. They, (lhe Sd U. S. Infantry)
we're recruited from among prisoners al
Camp Chase at the close OF the R 4belion.
they were dubbed "Galvaniz ID Soldiers"
by the other troops on the plains; however
they did good service and suffered priva'
tious and deserve due praise.
Beside the troops mentioned, about 600
Indians were also enlisted, and doing vol.
unteer service for the Government. With
liese Indians their white officers always
uad trouble 10 prevent them IRON the bar
MARQUIS habit OF "scalping" their victims,
lr the dead hostiles who fell into their
lands.
The troops mentioned were distributed
yer vast era OF territory, embracing
Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Dakota, Wy.
ming, Montana, and Utah. Each fort,
Dlork house, stage station, telegraph or
nail station, was guarded by Cavalry or
Iufan,ry troops, as The danger, locality or
Jlace demanded. Our iolcs ut Julesburg
Sas soon divided up into small squads and
4ent out 10 different posts along tie ROUTES,
md We did not all yet together again until
se formed reunion at Fort Leavenworth
he spring following.
One detachment under an orderly Ser
.eant by the name Of Shaw, was sent as an
scort Tor u train load OF provisions for the
Ute indians away up in the Rocky Noun
airs, while another under Lieutenant j
Viii Myers, u brave young officer. was
dispatched to Saud Hill SsatIop, in Colora.
10, TO assist in repelling force Of hostile
Indians under tue chief "Ha,chet Face. y
This force had bard fight, aud lost several
men, whose names now forget.
Another detachment OF our command
sas sent 10 Willow sprug-, in Dakota, al
IN escort TO o paymaster. This detachmen,
was, l think, under Ii. W. Brsze. The
writer was with this escort Tnis was an
Important IS well az hazardous mission
rue paymaster had the pay for several
months for number OF regiments, and 9
ew months previous Apaymaster had been
,ttacked on this very road and killed
,calped and robbed, and most OF his small
,nd IN. iticient escort fell victims 10 INDIAN
n road agents in Indian guise.
We cross the South Platte at Julesburt
nd leave the great overland ettge route
| It is about three hundred miles from thiI
,lace to Fort Laramie, Wyoming territory
The road leads through barren desolat,
ountry untouched by agricultural nipple
,nUnts, 80 desoIate and dreary that thu
,eart sickens at the sight, and the eye be
ONES weary with looking upon the barre1
'luts and hot dry alkaline desert through
Shich the road passes. AT the tune o
which ! write, there we're but four house
long the route from Julesburg TO For
Laramie. These were ranches owned by
Frencbmen, at which Is Telegraph station
md pustoflice, and all these with til,
soldiers quarters under one roof, or yer!
lear TO each other.
The mails were carried by pack mules Of
ponies which were drive through from ON
atom 10 another under mounted guard
This was the duty assigned 10 all the cav
Try along the route, AMI We had our shar'
4 Il during the cold winter which followed
All the game the boys killed along tn,
way was 80 q lyored with with wild sag
hat 1t could hardly be eaten, especial,
The sage hen, large bird much like tn
prairie chicken.
The little stations along the route hat
been but poorly guarded, and as a resul
mad been subjected toa vast number o
attacks by Indians, during the summer o
'65, and a large number Of men had beer
slain either at or near these stations, o.
while an route with the Salt Lake mail
A good many massacres OF emigrants haC
also occurred, and vast number OF cattl,
AID o,urr stock had fallen into the hand
OF the ever W tChful and vigiIant red skin
In fact the Indians had been stalking
almost unmolested over Uncle Sans do
main, and our regiment was hailed by th
few soldiers along the route, who had beel
holding their lives in their hands; viii
demonstrations Of iay which they did nc
attempt to conceal.
+ Only few days before We arrived i
Jnles1urg, an attack bad been made o
the block house at Willow Spring, and
siege oil several days ensued.
The handfnloi men there fought lik
Turks and held the place against iearir
D+d-. They saved the garrison hut lot
their stock. During this fight the Indian
placed q white WOMAN captive-in iron
Every iima m advance was made on tn
fort, and this kept the soldiers from firiu
upon them as q .ctually as they could hay
done had 1t not been for fear OF killing th
poor woman.
In, this engagement, which lasted tire
ids,p, the IndiSns lost heavily, while tn
soldiers. under shelter oil tue blockhous'
lost but two men.
n Atthe beginning Of the siege the Indiar
cut the "Taik a.heap," az thew called th
Z tel, graph wire, and this cut of all commit
. nication with the outside world.
The tirst night after leaving JulesburI
we camped ut Pole Creek, new static
inst established. The logs had not yet q
rived from the hlockhouse. We fouu
i about fifty OF the Eleventh. Ohio Cayalr
here in tents expecting every day to b
served up for breakfast for hoard {
Sioux Indians, who were reported in thi
: 4 telegraph Office bad been establishe,
: + which wis located In small dog tent an
the instrument attached 10 a tailgate Of
wagon living fat upon the grass. The o.