Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-09-09
A STORY OF GEN. LEE.
His Attack Upon Band of Savages. In
1860, While the Way to the
Rio (,rande.


Col. A. G. Bracket, now command
ing at Fort Davis, Texas. has spent the
best part of a long and arduous mill
tary career in Indian fighting and the
toughest of frontier work generally,
writes correspondent of the ST. Louis
Gio6e-Defnocrat. For years prior to the
war, when San Antonio was but far
outlying post, when railways were an
unknown quantity in Texas taxable
values, and the Comanches and Mexi-
cans practically owned creation, Col.
Bracket was holding up his end OF gov
eminent guard duty,and of necessity be-
came intimate with most of the men
who for some portion of their lives lived
on the then far frontier and afterward
became heroes of national storyand song.
Robert 4. Lee" says Col Bracket,
Twas on his way from San Antonio to
the Rio Grande for the purpose of doing
what he could toward bringing the
Cortinas war to close and settling the
disturbances connected Herewith. He
had for his escort my company of the
I'd cavalry, and was marching as rapid
ly as possible. He had done what he
could in his office, and now found his
only safe plan was to 60 himself to the
spot where hostilities were progressing.
He was man who always attended to
everything himself as far as possible.
Utterly without pretension, he held
| every man to strict performance of
his duty, and spared nothing in having
his plans carried out. He was an able
| department commander, and foreshad-
owed many of those qualities which
| made him famous on more extended
sphere of action. and proved him one of
the greatest military leaders this coun-
| try has produced. He was strict in his
| ways, but at the same time was one of
| the most benevolent and kind-hearted
| of men.
LAS he approached Seco river a mes
senger came galloping up to him and
| reported that the Indians were Just
| ahead and were robbing the settlements
on and near that stream. 1t took but
moment to pass the word to me. We
| dashed off with our troops and were
soon in the midst of the savages, who,
unaware of our proximity, were plum
dering without hindrance and to their
own great satisfaction. But when the
cavalry dashed in upon them there were
seen some amazing feats of horseman-
| ship as with wild yells the Indians en-
| deavored to get out of the way. They
had killed some head of cattle, and
were about to rob house occupied by
women who had huddled together there,
when Lee appeared on the scene. Away
they went, IN every direction. but gem
orally up the river toward the noun
tains, the cattle lowing from fright, and
| the big bay horses of the troops bound
| ing after the red men over rocks, stones,
and bushes Ill a way to gladden. the
| heart of every true horseman. For y
| time the din was great as the troops
tore through the bushes. 1t was race
for life, and'a most exciting one, as all
| must admit. How many were hurt new
er was accurately known to the whites,
as an Indian can conceal himself in a
| place which would almost seem impossi-
bic. The chase was kept up for couple
of miles, but in the broken ground all
further efforts were useless The men
returned to the house, when recall
was sounded, their horses being blown
and their clothing in strings from the
| brush and briars. The women were
| dreadfully frightened, their husbands
and brothers being away from home at
the time of the attack. but as the SOL
diers returned they came in and were
profuse in their thanks to Lee for his
| timely arrival and his handsome per-
formance in beating off the red rascals.
He was as impassive as ever. but it was
| plainly to be seen that he thoroughly
| enjoyed the discontinue of the Indians
as well as the eagerness of his men to
| get at them.
In lengthy and interesting mention
of the great commander as one who had
broken bread and lived in camps with
him, Col. Bracket speaks of the con-
federate general with the respect and
tender appreciation of lifetime soldier
for gallant foe.