The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-06-04


tell US that the rude people. living in the
mountains, believed that the earth was
coming to an end and made immediate
preparations for Judgment Day.
So wild Il country we did not conceive
existed east of the Rocky Mountains.
1t was on the afternoon of our second
days travel that we came upon the first
sign of human habitation. Though we
had caught sight of Il deer occasionally
on the mountain side we were not pre-
pared to see veritable Daniel Boone,
with coon skin cap, and find that in his
house was bear meat, yenison, the skins
of panthers and the fresh feathers of the
wild turkey The clearing upon which
he raised Ia is corn was not more than an
acre or SO in extent. The log cabin
which he and his numerous family Occu
pied was built with an eye of protection
from something besides the elements.
Though he was "a good Union man it was
more painful now Than then to make
note of the nice chunk of venison that
hung at the pommel of my saddle sh ortly
after we passed his cabin
From that spot our progress was not
so labored for the trail led down to the
state road between North Carolina and
Tennessee. 1t ran along the little Ten
nessee river and must have cost Uncle
Sam neat sum of money. On arriving
there discipline was frightened and that
night as we camped upon the side OF a
mountain, lying upon rocks and with
difficulty finding place for our horses to
stand, strong pickets were thrown out.
The Little Tennessee rushes furionsly
through this mountain pass and it was
hardly possible to hear each others voices
in camp.
We were early in the saddle next morn
ing and the march as the day advanced
became more rapid, and the command
'clsse up more frequent. At noon a
short time was spent at a house where
important information must have been
obtained, tor we pressed rapidly on and
at three O'Clock the whole command was
in solid trot which soon gave away to a
good swinging hand gallop. A little be-
| fore four O'Clock there was momentary
halt, and directly after we passed fifteen
| or twenty white men and Indians. Dis
armed, # frightened and surprised they gazed
with wonder at the passing squadrons of
| Yanks. Our union men had taken short
cut across the mountains, met us on the
state road and with our advance had cap
tured not only the picket post of the
enemy but a patrol which had just pass
ed the picket. 1t was not more than a
mile from the picket post to the camp of
the Indians which was on the bank of the
Tukasyet, beautiful river, forming a
portion of the head waters of the Little
Tennessee. AS we swung round a point
of land, we could see the Indian shebangs
and tents The first battalion swept though
the camp hike a whirlwind but the Indians
had fled to the bluff and woods above
them. Lit Capron in command of Co.
A, in full view of the approaching battale
ion, rode out into an open space neal
some laurel thlckets with his men and was
greeted with a vOley in the flank from
thirty or forty Indians who had taken re
| fuge there. 1t Capron was hit,
two men fell from their horses
and the company fell back short
distance. 1t. Capron was rescued, but
the two men hit we could plainly see ly-
ing on the ground The Indians advanc
ed ami in the full presence of the APP
preaching batlalions with the but end of
their muskets dashed out the brains OF
our supplicating comrades, who evidently
badly wounded lay with the upper portion
| of their bodies raised and their hands out
stretched toward their murderers.
Well do | remember the shudder anC
the deep oaths of vengeance which passed
through the ranks of the second battalion
when they saw the sight. Give the red
devils hell, said the sergeant, as we cash
ed forward
ITS no quarter boys said another.
Through the camp into the woods We
went and soon the crack of the carbine
and the revolvers told that the hot worl
had begun, Some of us were called bach
from the woods to the road and rabic
movement was made to cut the retreat Of
the Indians off 1t was apparently, sue
cessful, for we were enabled to give thu
: Indians who came running toward US
: volIey from our revolvers. Then tn
fight became hand to hand.
: The Indians separated, each sought hi
| own cover Surrounded as they were
most of them fought with desperation
, having been told by the rebels that the.
would be shot if they surrendered. Man
t were the personal adventures that too
place Stealthy, silent and rapid in thei
A movements, our boys were surprised, a
| the warriors would suddenly spring u
about them, fire, and disappear as quick
ly. One of the boys hearing a cap snal
behind him turned in the saddle to dis
g cover the muzzle of rifle within fe'
A feet of him and to see noble warrio
' drop in his tracks. A comrade has shot
r the Indian, but would not have save,
e him had not the latter in his excitemen
/ loaded his gun so lightly that the bulle
| was found within "a half an inch of ii
muzzle of his piece. A comradc capture,
an Indian. An Indian captured the com
e rade and released his brother red skin an
t squad of our boys captured the Indians
:, They boy first captured said, My GU
' changed hands four times in less than tie
minutes" One of our men who passed a
e he supposed the body of dead Indian o
turning to discover where bullet cam
d from realized that the Indian was bold
e playing possum. The base murder {
q the wounded of Company A was forge
4 ten. Hot from the sight of the massacl
n the boys who went into action after i
e shot to kill The desperate spirit show
by the wounded Indians, who fought aftt
J. we thought they had received their Quie
us, who feigned death and then treach
n erously fired upon the men who had pas
n sed them, made it necessarily a fats
f action for our opponents.
n A squad of US of the ianking part.
e had our intention attracted toward thrt
y Indians running for life across field /
e our left and rear. We dashed after thel
e and soon captured two. but one ran lik
n a deer for a considerable distance unit
+ seeing there was no hope of escape |
d dropped on the ground and rife in han
e awaited our approach. Raising and leve
4