Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-07-05
HOW INDIANS FIGHT.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS IBOUI
FIGHTING ON THE PLAINS.

Trouble to Find the Enemy Indian
Strategy - The Savage Knows When
He's Beaten-Records of Heroism.
Wonder is often expressed that our
Army, with the resources of the Govern
eminent at its back, is habitually COM
PEELED to make a long. difficult, and
costly campaign in order to subdue even
a few score Indians upon the warpath.
The explanation is furnished by General
Wesley Merritt in an interesting descrip-
ton and discussion of three such cam
paigns furnished to Harpers Magazine
He shows that making war on American
Indians is unlike any other war making
in the world, and that a great part of
the advantage which the Army would
have in contending with an equal num-
Der of white men is neutralizcd by the
Indians mode of fighting.
The chief difficulty in an Indian war
is to find the enemy. The theater of OPP
erations in any campaign, whether in
Wyoming, Dakota, Texas, or Arizona. is
"about as large as the New England
States, with New York added" and this
area, although an uninhabited wilder
ness and unknown to the white man. is
ito the Indian as familiar as the paths
of the home orchard are to the farmer
and his children" There are other
things to be noted about these theaters
of Indian warfare. They are without
roads, and often impenetrable for hun
dreds of miles because of arid deserts or
impossible mountain ranges The
Indian has no fixed habitatiOn in these
traCklesS wilds and on finding the white
troops at hand the direction of his flight
is a matter of Indifference to him.
"Whcre night finds him is his home.
and his subsistence and clothing are al
ways with HIM" In war. too the In
dian. whatever his previous advance to-
ward civilization. resorts to savagery. as
can well be understood. since war under
any reiinements is savage enough.
General Merritt doesn not hesitate to say
that it is a mistake to suppose that In
dian wars now arise from inherited hatred
Of the whites:
1T is worse than nonsense to urge that
the Indian regards the white intruders
as the descendants Of those who. two
centuries or more ago, came to this
country and by might deprived the In
dams of their lands and hunting fields,
and are through their children pursuing
the red man toward the setting sun.
The Indians knowledge of history
scarcely extends beyond one generation.
His white enemy is served in war as is
any other enemy. and for the same rea-
sons He has no inherited animosities
dating from the time of the Pilgrim
Fathers. nor does he feel gratitude for
kind usage shown to his ancestors or to
himself.
While Indian campaigning has always
been difficult. it has become much more
So in General Merritt opinion. since the
civil war. because while formerly it was
IAN unWrittcn law of the frontier. relg-
ioUslv observed. that arms and ammuni-
ton should never at any price be fur
niShcd to the Indians. now the traders
crlpdity supplies them with the best of
both. The result is that tho Indian to-
day is a more dangerous foe than would
be a like number of veteran soldiers. p"
He adds the most approved brecchioader
to the advantages in his mode of fight
ing already spoken of.
with the Indians are a record of constant
labor and watchfulncss. and sometimes
great privations. now and then ending
in a nassacer like that of Clusters COM
mand or in capture and a horrible death,
vet it has occasional features of romantic
glory, pleasant to dwell upon. One of
these was furnished by General Merritts
march to the relief of Captain Payne in
the Ute war of 1879. The news reached
Fort Russell that Major Thornburg had
been attacked and killed on Milk Creek.
that many of his men had persisted, and
that the remainder. under Captain Payne,
were surrounded by the hostiles. There
was distance of 10 miles to be marched
after going by rail to the station nearest
the scene, and no one could say whether
the menaced command might not mean
while be DESTROYED. For five terrible
days and nights Payne's men held rifle
pit which they had hastily constructed.
Once the Utes set fire to the dry grass to
windward, and made a furious attack
under cover of the smoke. but We're re-
pulsed. Then they settled down to watch
their prey and starve them out occa-
sonally fighting the dctachments sent to
the creek for water. Meanwhile the re-
lief column drew near, and when the
guide. after long nights march with
the advance. was satisfied that it must
be near the right spot. a bugler was or
dered to sound with his trumpet the call
known as officers call as a sign of rec
ognition to prevent Payne's men, on
hearing the tramp of their horses, from
installing them from foes. The result is
given in Captain Paynes words:
believing it just possible for help to
reach us next morning, | had directed
one Of my trumpeters to be on the alert
for the expected signal, And so he was.
Just as the first gray of dawn appeared
our listening ears caught the sound of
Officers call breaking the silence of the
morning and filling the valley with the
sweetest music we had ever heard. JOY
ously the reply rang out from our corral,
and the men. rushing from their rifle
pits, made the welllin ring with their
glad cheers.
This dramatic incident in our Indian
campaigning recalls the famous story
of the relief of Lucknow, and like it is
worthy of the attention of painter and
poet.
The Most Popular American Book.
The most profitable book ever printed,
at least in this country, was Webster's
Spelling Book. Moro than $4,000, 900
oon;oS nf tbic ,,ro1ucti0n bava baan