Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1889-01-03
HOW INDIANS FIGHT.
Az army Omcer Tells the Pecuiiari.
ties OF the Various Tribes.

Az army omcer Tells the Pecuiiart
ties OF the Various Tribes.
IL have had many years experience
as a purchaser of saddle-horses, re-
marked a major of cavalry. on his way
TO Chicago. to a St Louis POST Di,patch
reporter IN the corridor of the South
ern Hotel this morning. having been
q member of horse boards for at least
thirty years. and having bought thou
sands of cavalry horses for the United
States service. / therefore feel that
know whereof l speak when l say that
the supply OF good saddle horses in
the country is smaller than it has been
at any time since the war. l do not
mean that there are fewer thorough
breds, for there are probably moro.
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 for the last twenty
years, it is very difficult to secure
proper remounts for the cavalry, while
ten. or even five. years ago at least
three times as many horses were able
to pass muster as the advertisements
called for.
Il have served on the plains nearly
continuously for more than thirty
five years." continued the speaker.
'and am .olerably familiar with all
the features of cavalry life. A cavalry
man always has frontier station and
only sees civiIizated during his brief
leaves. Civilians do not rsalize the
hardships and exposures to which
cavalryman is subjected. He has sea-
sons of idleness, but also long periods
of great exertion, and us proof of the
effect of his life it can be safely stated
that scarcely one man out of ten reach
es the age Of forty five without
being seriously broken down. Indian
campaigns are the cause of this. have
fought and chased Indians from the
British line to the Rio Grande, and
know what campaigning means. The
Indians always got tremendous start
of the cavalry, and seldom are over
taken. The army has been blamed for
its i'll .success. but when the circum-
stances arc understood it is wonderful
that SO much has been accomplished.
The Indians never attempt to commit
and news seldom used to arrive until
twenty -four hours or more had elapsed,
and the Indians had long start. Near
ly always they were provided with re-
mounts, the loose horses being driven
before the band, and when an animal
shows signs of fatigue another was re-
mounted and the fight continued on Il
fresh animal. Horses are also stolen
wherever met with. and the conse-
quence is that the trooper, who is con-
fined to the use of single animal. has
poor chance of overlaking the lndi-
ans. AS general thing they can fight
or escape as they please. and never do
the former except when in overwhelm-
ing numbers. The fatigues of one OF
these friutless marches, generally
made on short rations to secure cleri-
ty of movement b. avoiding carrying
baggage, can we'll be imagined. and
the condition of man and beast after a
two-months' campaign is wretched in
the extreme.
Nowadays tho active Indian cam.
paigning is confined to Arizona, but
when was young man the Northern
Sioux. Northern Chevennes, Piegans,
and Blackfeet in the North; the South
ern Sioux and the Cheyennes and
Arapahoes on the central plans, and
the Arkansas. kept us busy all the time.
Of all these Indians the Kiowas were
the best drilled, it being hard to dis
tinguish them from the Dragons ut n
distance of two or three miles. The
Comanches never deserved their great
reputation. as they were poor fighters,
4 ha httt
never standing against United States
troops. The Cheyennes were noted
far and wide as the most determined
and fierce fighters, but their energies
were more constantly directed against
their hereditary enem es. the Utes. than
against the whites. The Sioux were
the largest and most powerful tribe,
and gave us more trouble than any
others. They were in their way as we'll
drilled rs the Kiowas.I myself having
seen single chief direct the move
ments of thousand warriors, scatter
ed over an extent OF country five miles
In diameter. simply by flashing little
mirror held in his hand. The Black
feet, being foot Indians, were more
easily reached, and after one or two
lessons never gave any more trouble,
although last winter they threaten
ed an outbreak. The Crows
and Pawnees being hated
by all other tribes, were our allies.
and made our best trailers. The Utes
while less daring than the plans In
dams, from their situation in the
mountains were enabled to ambush the
troops very easily, and many lives
have been lost in this way. Fighting
withal was rather u run than q COM
bat. 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 thor
oughly subdued. That officer followed
their trail in the coolest 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 ill
,1r0yida1 with clat hinO diad l,ka ahaan