Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-28
AN INDIAN BATTLE.
Desperate Fight With Crazy Horses
HostiIes at Slim Buttes.
GENERAL CROOK TO THE RESCUE.
Repulsing q Simultaneous Attack All
Along the Line.
SLEEPING ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE

WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATCH.l
In previous article the forced march of
! Crook s column to the rescue of Major Mills
surrounded battalion was described, and in
telling of the death of Buffalo Chips"-Bill
Cody's old friend and "partner"
was made to the general engagement which
took place on the afternoon of September 9,
1876, between General Crooks entire force
and the Sioux and Cheyennes under the
Chief Crazy Horse. Now comes request
that the combat itself should be made the
subject of this weeks letter.
Look at the map of Dakota and trace our
route. Pursuing the Indians from the Big
| Horn Mountains in Wyoming we had
| crossed the Little Missouri near where the
Northern Pacific bridges it to-day; had fol-
lowed eastward to the south fork of Heart
river, and then, with only two days rations
left, pushed southwark by compass through
flooding rains, crossing the north fork of the
Cannon Ball near Rainy Butte, fording the
north fork of Grand river with Pretty Stone
Buttes (Les Bellies Pierres) ten miles away
to the east, and eating our horses to keep
alive. Here it was that Crook sent Major
Mills with $50 picked men and horses from
the Third Cavalry to push forward to the
settlements in the Black Hills and return
to meet us with all the provisions he could
buy. This was on the night of September
Z. At dawn on the 9th Mills had pounced
upon and captured the village of Amer
| ican Horse, a noted Sioux chief, and
| was in turn surrounded by the rallying
rush of all Crazy Horses bands who were
in scattered camps all the way over toward
the Little Missouri. Just at the eastern
edge of what is now called Burdick county,
Dakota, lie those strange, crag-topped up
heavals called the Slim Buttes, and, nestled
in beautiful amphitheater just about the
middle of their eastern slope, lies this vii
lage of the Sioux crammed with trophies
of the Custer battle and rich in furs,
robes and Indian plunder of every descrip-
ton. The warriors had made lively at
tempt to recapture it at once, but Mills and
his men had entrenched themselves and
hurried off couriers to Crook with the news,
then hung on to their prize until he could
come to the rescue.
FIRST ON THE GROUND.
The Fifth Cavalry was the first to reach
the ground from the north just about the
time that Crazy Horses bands began to ap-
pear on the bluffs from the west. Then
came the battalions of the Second and
Third Cavalry, the pack trains and the
athletic battalions of infantry-a full regi-
ment made up of detachments from the
Fourth, Ninth and Fourteenth-commanded
bv Colonel Alexander Chambers. By2P.
NJ. Crook had all his force-perhaps 2, 400
men-on the ground. and by P. NJ. Crazy
Horse had mustered band after band, and,
with 200 warriors at his back, dashed into
the attack, hoping to recapture the village
and the prisoners we had already taken, or
at least to run off the big herd of ponies
some 400 ofthem-that Mills had "corraled"
at daybreak.
Earlier in the afternoon, however, as told
in that previous letter, we had had a lively
experience in capturing a lot of Indians
lurking in the head of ravine at the south
ern edge of the village. In this affair "Buf-
falo Chips" and Third Cavalry trooper
were killed and several of our men were
seriously wounded. The Indians proved to
be American Horse" himself with several
of his warriors; one wretched, trembling old
hag of squaw; two or three younger
women; two young girls and one little mite
of a 4-year-old child. The chief had re-
ceived what was evidently mortal wound,
but was calm and conscious. Some of the
soldiers gently carried him to the biggest
lodge in the village, and there our surgeons
did their best to save him. The other In
dians, surrounded by an interested throng
of troopers, were escorted to the presence OF
General Crook. 1t was odd to see with
what eagerness they seized and shook his
hand, and with what piteous appeal they
looked into his kindly, bearded face. The
old squaw, shaking as though with palsy
from fright and dread, covered at his side,
clinging to his left hand, and looking fear
fully around her. His right hand was
grasped by her companions, one after an
| IL. ~.
strapped on his mothers back having his
tiny fist placed by her in the Generals
palm, before she could be satisfied that hel
baby, too, were to receive ''The Big White
Chiefs" protection.
! INDIAN FIENDS.
Had we fallen alive into their hands those
squaws would have been the head devils in
carrying out the most fiendish tortures saw
age ingenuity could devise until death
came to our relief and doubtless while re.
joieing in the fact, everyone OF them thought
us cheap fools' that we did not make wal
that way. One young woman, the only
really beautiful Indian squaw 1 ever saw,
stood calmly and unconcernedlv looking on,
and holding up her right hand, which had
been pierced by a bullet, in order to check
the flow of the blood. A rich color mantled
her cheeks through the dusky skin, and
gaZed at her in no little wonderment,
Neither pain, the imminent danger of hel
recent experiences, nor loss of blood seemed
to have affected her in the least. When
our halfbreed scout-Frank Gruard-told
her and the other women to follow him
to the teepe where the surgeons were,
she strobe away like queen.
South OF us the ground sank away some
60 yards, then rose In grassy waves and slopes
until it rolled up to the foot of a glisteninC
white-walled butte. West of thatwas sort
} of valley. Then, little over half mile
away and running nearly north and south
the main range of the hills. Directly to the
west of us the ravine we were in seemed
boring d winding course into these hills and
little brook came trickling down. North
of net work of little ravines and coutee!
that came together just 100 yards or SO east
| of where we mad planted our headquarters
flag, the ground rose TO high knoll anC
there huttered Merritt's worn colors anC
there was the very center of the position oc
cupied by the command. Upham's bat
talon of the Fifth Cavalry was facing south
in the ravine where we had made oul
bivouac, and the men were resting JUS
about 90 yards from us. Mason's battalion
joining almost with Upham's right, wal
facing west on the plateau between the
ravines; then came the battalion of the
Second Cavalry and then those of the ThirC
reaching almost around to the east. Here
there and everywhere, grazing quietly anC
thankfully, were the herds of troop horses
and pack mules-all under strong guard.
Out on the slopes TO the south side of us
were the 30 odd grays of Captain Montgom,
D.. u IL Lrvo,.,