Evening journal., 1889-11-19
BATTLE OF cLeARwATER.
An Old Indian Fighter Tells Row the
Redskins Were Defeated.

AASuehlne were DSfeALeus
The battle Of Clearwater was a stub.
born fight. and when night put stop to
hostilities neither side was beaten. The
soldiers were out on the open ground and
the hostile Indians in the woods. They
outnumbered us two to one, and were
handled in a mastery manner by their
chiefs. They were frequently receiving
reinforcements, which came up with
whoops and yells of defiance, but there
were no reinforcements for us.
Whole companies had been whipped
out, and the line of battle stretched out
until 1t almost broke. But with the
coming OF night the line was drawn back
and strengthened Every man worked
like beaver to dig for himself a rifle
pit, using tin plates, knifes, spoons, aud
even their bayonets Every shovel was
IN use, throwing up works around the
field hospital to protect the wounded.
The wounded men sent out word by the
powder monkeys to the men in the rife
pits For Gods sake not to give way and
let them be tortured to death, and The
men in front sent kind greetings to their
comrades who were suffering, telling
them that they would be victorious in the
morning or the rifle pits would be their
graves.
Night settled down in the northwest,
cold. .~nd chilly. No man could sleep, to
be caught mapping was a drum head
court martial and that meant .shot at
sunset. There was no water to drink, for
the hostiles were between us and the
river. A piece OF raw fitch and hard
tack for supper, faces black with smoke,
lips cracked and eyes sore with alki dust
were reasons to make the boys feel bad.
A piece of tobacco was worth ten times
its weight in gold, for the men rubbed
the juice in their eyes to keep awake.
SO the night passed slowly Now and
then soldier would let fly at some too
venturesome savage and some half-breed
would call out Soldiers we will make
you run like buffalo tomorrow. The
soldier would answer back In some in
sulting language and both would shoot
viciously at the other In the dark. The
squaws beat tom toms all night and
made merry at the expense Of the sold
iers, while along the foot hills the how
of the wolf and the snarling of the
coyotes could be heard fighting among
themselves as they waited for the feast
Of the bodies Of the dead
The hostlles could be heard m asslng
diers knew that the mounted Indians
would charge upon them at the gray Of
morning.
A gray streak shot up out of the
eastern sky and the word was paesed
along, to look sharp, day was breaking.
How many of the soldiers, crouching in
their rifle pits, would see the sun rise?
1t got a little brighter. Then came the
cry, here they comel
How handsome they look, with their
red and white blankets flowing gracefully
from their shoulders, yelling and shout
ing like mad men. They are going to
ride the soldiers down Their yells are
answered by cheers and "Oh Oh myr'
from the boys in blue Now the needle
guns are doing their best. and every rifle
pit is a ball of fire. On they come up to
the rifle pits. The soldiers drop their
muskets and draw their revolvers Ii
was getting hot now. The cannon tore
gaps in their ranks that could not be
closed. They could not stand the storm
of bullets, and the grape and canister
was awful Victory hung In balance
and II it had not been for the mountain
howitizers or cannon they would have
made us run like buffalo sure enough.
The chiefs tried 70 urge them, but 1t was
no use; the cannon beat them, and the
savage hosts were rolled back into the
woods, then across the river and the
victory was won.
The sun came up driving the mist back
to the mountain tops and shining alike
on the dead faces of soldiers and saYages
The soldier died fighting, because It was his
vocation, the savage died defending the
homo of his forefathers and his family. |
Both we're doing their duty. The fierce |
and the Indian boy and their |
great medicine man were left on the field |
Of battle and their power as a people was |
broken for evermore.
Over all the noises of the battle field. |
the cries Of the wounded for drink of |
water, the unearthly shrieks of the |
horses. the orders Of the officers |
and the cheer of the victorious soldiers, |
came the lamentations Of the Indian |
mother and wife for him who lay out |
there on the plain, cold in death. Hus-
band and father, dead, she with her baby,
hunted Jor like wild beast.
Now what was all this blood shed for3 |
Nothing, only the white man wanted the
Indians land and the red man had TO go.
JAMES McILHENEY