The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-12
HOWARD AND HIS CALLING GUN.
The Captain Tells the Story of the Fight with
Riel at Batoche.
Letter in Boston Globe.

fSl6i at baLocnes
Letter in Boston Globe.
We left Fish creek for Batoche, where Riel
was intrenched for us Friday night. The Gen
eral gave me permission to take the gun with
the advance scouts. After advancing about five
miles / saw some men behind the house and
notified the general. The scouts opened fire and
the General ordered up a nine-pounder and
shelled the house, when the men reiterated. AT
ter advancing about mile saw some men, who
afterward turned out to be Indians, eating their
breakfast behind corral, so opened fire at 900
yards and gave them Calling pills for dessert,
and the way in which they deserted their camp
was "a caution / then opened fire on house
where saw q man enter, and soon priest came
out with white flag. We then advanced past
the house to the top of a bluff, and the two nine
Founders opened fire on Batoche. One OF the
guns became disabled A small diagram of the
field sent with Lieut.. Towards letter shows the
gun on the top center of an eminence with the
Sioux band to the southeast. Batoche to the
north, and Indians on the west and northwest
About thirty Sioux Indians made a rush with
whoop to take the nine Founders, and as | was
on the left saw that | could not fire across
them. There was only one thing / could do;
that was to take the piece by hand to the front,
down hill and give it to them. This did within
twenty yards OF the enemy. set the gun and
turned the crank. There was not another war
whoop after that Then the Indians were clos
ing in my left to cut off the scouts and / let
them have it on that side. and when looked up
not a man was to be seen but the three men
with me at the Calling gun, but kept in posi-
tion until had driven all the Indians out of
their pits. One horse was shot and one man
killed and another wounded The firing lasted
about twenty minutes. We then dragged the
gun up hill and held the position until ordered
over to the right to drive the enemy out of some
brush. This did, and / was all over the field
all day from one place to another. The battle
was as hot one as / ever saw, as the enemy
were in rifle pits and hard to get at.
By o'clock in the evening the General fell
back about quarter of mile to the pace of
the camp and was ordered to cover the retreat.
Through some mistake the General had with
drawn my right support, and about one hundred
Indians made a dash on my right. | had all /
wanted to do to get to camp, as did not have
my horse and it would have made you laugh to
see me lodging the buckshot and bullets.
We intrenched the camp and fought until
dusk, when the Indians left We had four killed
and fifteen wounded. On Sunday we skirmshed
all day and tried to find their weakest point, but
they were about evenly distributed all around.
On Monday was ordered out with the scout to
see what we could find. About two miles from
camp we received shot, and at a distance of
about seven hundred yards we saw the heads of
three men. The general asked me TO try them
did so, and gave them 100 rounds and knocked
over two out of the three. We went on about
quarter of mile and saw a lot of horses picketed
near house. We opened on them at 1000
yards and killed two and the rest broke and ran.
Some men rode toward us and / let them have
it, when over went one man and horse. The
General then went on with ten men and left me
to draw their fire, and found it was hot work
for about two miles. AS soon as the General re-
turned we retreated to camp. BY this time the
general had changed his mind as to the Gatling
gun. and with it the men would then 60 through
fire or anything else.
Tuesday morning was ordered to get ready
(which means to start as sleep, with horses all
harnessed and with our boots on) to make
reconnaissance with some scouts, the same as on
Monday, and draw their fire. as it was our plan
to enter among Them the same way as we first
tried. We went out TO their first line and drew
their fire for about two hours, when we fell back
to camp without loss of one man.
In the meantime, the Midland Regiment under
Colonel Williams. and the Grenaders with the
Nineteenth Rifles We're trying to enter the pits
on the west SIDE In a few minutes we heard
cheer and every man knew what that meant
and it was answered from the camp and all
jumped for their guns. My men were eating
dinner, but ordered them to their post and
they had hardly reached their place when we
heard a call for the Gatling. Talk about flying
batteries. had four horses on the gun. Out
of camp we went, and the Indians must have
thought there was something the matter from
the cheers we received as went through a
dead jump / had horse that can't be beat
and hope he will live to get to New Haven with
me. went down into the fight with skirmish-
ers, but the colonel said it was too hot place
for me. So withdrew to my old position of
Saturday, and saw a house that the Indians
were firing from. / opened on it, when
of all the cheers you ever heard those from
the men below were the most energetic.
The men charged and captured tho house,
and advanced and kept up fire on ali of their
pits. and the men would take themas soon as
silenced them, bat the Indians soon gave way
and reiterated to the river bank The general
asked me to cross the plain in their front and
flank them on the right, and seeing a good posi-
ton gave the order, Forward" OF all the
hailstones ever saw that was one of the worst,
but not man or horse was hit, except scratch
on my horses eye. Taking my position, drove
charges made by the infantry and scouts aud the
shots fred by the artillery, the battle of Batocne
was won.
While taking my position on the right saw
a flag Heating from one Of the pits. So went
to get IL and found 1t was Riels battle-hag,