Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-04-21
HOW THE INDIANS FIGHT.
An Old Major OF Cavalry Talks-Reputa-
lions of savage Tribes.

W 49,
ern hotel, ''haying been u member Of
horse boards for the last thirty years, and
having bought cavalry horses for the
United States service. | therefore feel
that l know whereof ! speak when | say
that the supply Of good saddle horses in
the country is smaller than it has been at
ANY time since the war. do not mean
that there are fewer thor0ughbreds, for
there are probably more, but horses suit
able for other purposes than racing and
park use are becoming rarer every day,
and although the price paid by the gov
eminent Is higher than it has been for
the last twenty years, il is very Difficult;
TO secure proper mounts for the cavalry,
while ten or eve five years ago at least
three times rs many horses able to pass
muster were presented as the advertise
ments called for.
Il have served on the plains nearly con-
tinuously for MOI than thirty-five years."
continued the speaker, ''aud am tolera-
bly, familiar with all the features Of cav
airy life. A cavalryman always mas a
frontier station, and only secs c~iviliza-
ton during his brief leaves. Civilians do
not realize the hardships and exposures
to which a c~avalryman is subjected. He
has seasons of idleness, but also long Pc
RODS Of great exertion, and as a proof Of
the effect Of his life it can be safely stated
that scarcely me man out Of ten reaches
the age If IS without being seriously
broken down. Indian campaigns arethe
caus. Of this. l have fought and chased
Indians from the British lines to the Rio
Grande, and know what campaigning
means. The Indians always get a ire
mendous start Of the cavalry, and seldom
are o~vertakpn. The army has been
blamed 70. its i'll success. but when the
circumstances are understood it is Won
derful that SO much has been accom-
plished.
"The Indians attempt to commit
outrageS in the vicinity If an army post,
and news seldom used 10 arrive until
twenty-four hours or more had elapsed
and the Indians had a long start. Nearly
always they are provided with remounts,
the loose horses being driven before the
band, and when an animal shows signs
of fatigue another is remounted and the
flight continued on n fresh animal.
Horses are also stolen wherever met with,
and the consequence is that the trooper,
who is confined to the use Of a single
animal, has a poor chance Of overtaking
the Indians. AS a general thing they can
fight or escape rs they please. and never do
the former except when in overwhelming
numbers. The fatigues of one Of these
fruitless marches, generally made on
short rations to secure CELEBRITY Of move
ment by avoiding carrying baggage, can
well be imagined, and the condition Of
man and beast after a two months cam
paign is wreIched in the extreme.
Nowadays the active Indian cam.
paigning il confined to Arizona. but
when ! was young man the northern
Sioux, northern Cheyennes, Picgans and
Blackfeet IL the north. the southern
Sioux and the Cheyennes and Arapahocs
on the central plains, and the COmanches
and kiowas south of the Arkansas, kept
us busy all the time. OF all these In
dams the kiowas were the best drilled, it
being hard to distinguish them from the
dragons at a distance of two or three
miles. The C0manches never deserved
their great reputation, as they were poor
fighters, doing well against the MeXicans.
but never standing against United States
troops. The Chcyennes were noted far
and wide as the most determined and
fiercest fighters. but their energies were
more constantly directed against their
hereditary enemies, the Utes, than against
the whites. The Sioux were the largest
aud most powerful tribe. and gave us
more trouble than any others. They
Were in their way AS well drilled ms the
kiowas, | myself having seen n single
chief direct the movements Of 1000
warriors, scattered over AN extent Of
country five miles in diameter. simply by
, the flashing # a Little mirror held in the
/ hand. The BIackfcet. bling io1t Indians,
were more easily reached. and after one
or twn lessons never gave any mOr
trouble, although last winter they threat
cned an outlrcak.
''rhc Crows aud Pawneos. being hated
hy all other trlbcs, we're our allies aud
male our bost t~railcrs. Til" Utr~, while
less daring Jldn the plnius l]adians, from
thrir situation in the mountains were
enabled 10 ambush t%hntrooIa very easily.
and many lives have hprn lot in this
way. Fighting wiDhal was rather u run
than a combat. and the troop- had for
many years litilc chance against them on
account Of their great celebrity Of move
ment. II was not until the winter Of
1876, when Gen. Nelson a. Miles began
his series Of winter campaigns, that the
plain Indians were thoroughly sublucd.
That officer followed their trail in the
coolest weather. drove them from their
winter camps, AMI although unable to
overtake them. kept them constantly on
the move. The Indians, sensitive to
cold, and i'll provided with clothing. died
like sheep Of lord-hip aud exposure and
n by u the hands, fairly tired out,
came In, surrendered and were disarmed
and put ON reservations. Tho winter
campaign more than anything else broke
the power Of the plains tribe. but at
terrible expense 10 tic, troops, who were
exposed 10 the fury Of tho western
storms in the coolest months of the year.
The youngsters In the army regret the
DISAPPEARANCE Of the Indians, bat we old
fellows, who know what n winter march
- al.-hF,I tI.t H.. -