Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-08-29
HOW INDIANS FIGHT.
An Army Oflcer Tells the Peculisritfes 4
the Various Tribes.

An Army Oficer Tells the Peculiarities oi
the Various Tribes.
u have had many years experience as Q
purchaser Of saddle-horses," remarked
Major Of cavalry, on his way to Chicago, to
St Louis Post Dispatch reporter In the cor
ridor of the Southern Hotel this morning.
"having been member of horse boards for
at least thirty years, and having bought
thousands of cavalry horses for the United
States service. therefore feel that 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
tnoroughoreds, for there are probably more,
but horses suitable for other purposes than
racing and park use are becoming rarer
every day, and although the price paid by
the Government is higher than it has been
Tor the last twenty years, it is very difficult
70 secure proper remounts for the cavalry
while ten, or even five, years ago at least
three times as many horses able to pass
muster as the advertisements called for.
II have served on the plains nearly con-
tinuously for more than thirty-five years.
continued the speaker, sand am tolerably
familiar with all the features of cavalry
life. A cavalryman always has frontier
station and only sees civilization during his
brief leaves. Civilians do not realize the
hardships and exposures to which a cavalry
man is subjected. He has seasons Of idle
ness, but also long periods of great exer-
ton, and as proof Of the effect of his life IL
can be safely stated that scarcely one man
out of ten reaches the age of forty-five with
out being seriously broken down. Indian
campaigns are the cause of this. I have
fought and chased Indians from the British
line TO the Rio Grande, and know what cam
palgnlng means. The Indians ALWAYS get n
tremendous start of the cavalry, and sell
dom are overtaken. The army has been
blamed for its il-success, but when the cir
cumstances are understood it is wonderful
that so much as been accomplished. The
Indians never attempt to commit outrages
In the vicinity Of an army post, and news
seldom used to arrive until twenty-four
nours or more had elapsed, and the Indians
had long start. Nearly always thew were
provided with remounts, the loose horses
beng driven before the band and when an
animal shows signs of fatigue another was
remounted and the fight continued on a
1resh animal. Horses are also stolen
Wherever met with, and the consequence is
that the trooper, who is confined to the use
OF single animal, has a poor chance of
overtaking the Indians. AS general thing
they can fight or escape as they please. and
never do the former except when in over
whelming numbers. The fatigues of one of
these fruitless marches, generally made ON
snort rations to secure celebrity Of move
ment by avoiding carrying baggage, can
well be imagined, and the condition of man
and beast after two-months' campaign is
wretched in the extreme.
Nowadays the active Indian campaign
lnO iQ C0nGnad IN k,,A
young man the Northern Sioux, Northern
Cheyennes, Piegans, and Blackfeet In the
North; the Southern Sioux and the Chey-
ennes and Arapahoes on the central plains,
ana the Comanches and Kiowas, south
OF the Arkansas, kept US busy all
the time. or all these Indians the
Kiowas were the best drilled, it being
hard to distinguish them from the dragons
at distance of two or three miles. The
Comanches never deserved their great rep-
utation, as they were poor fighters, doing
Wen against the Mexicans, but never stand
ing against United States troops. The
Cheyennes were noted far and wide as the
most determined and fercest fighters, but
tnelr energies were more constantly di-
rected against their hereditary enemies,
the Utes, than against the whites. The
sioux were the largest and most powerful
Tribe, and gave us more trouble than anv
otners. They were in their way as well
drilled as the Kiowas, myself having seen
a single chief direct the movements of a
thousand warriors scattered over an extent
OF country five miles in diameter simplv nv
hashing little mirror held in the hand.
The Blackfeet, being foot Indians, wero
more easily reached, and after one or two
lessons never gave any more trouble, al
though last winter they threatened an out
break The Crows and Pawnees being
mated by all other tribes, were our allies,
and made our best trailers. The Utes.
while less daring than the plains Indians.
from their situation in the mountains
were enabled to ambush the troops verv
easily, and many lives have been lost in
tnls way. Fighting withal was rather a
run than a combat, and the troops had for
many years little chance against them on
account OF their great celebrity of move
ment. 1t was not until the winter of 1876.
when General Nelson A Miles began his
series of winter campaigns, that the plains
Indians were thoroughly subdued. That
officer followed their trail in the coldest
weather, drove them from their winter
camps, and, although unable to overtake
them, kept them constantly on the move.
The Indians, sensitive to cold, and i'll pro-
v1ded with clothing, died like sheep Of
hardship and exposure, and one by one the
bands, fairly tired out came in, surren-
dered, and were disarmed and put on
reservations. The winter campaign more
than any thing else broke the power Of the
plains tribes, but at terrible expense to the
troops, who were exposed TO the fury of the
Western storms in the coldest months in
the year. The youngsters in the army re-
gret the disappearance of the Indians, but
we old fellows, who know what a winter
march is, are most thankful that they are
over, probably forever"