Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-01-29
FETTERMAN'S LAST FIGHT
Inc story OF the Terrible Fort Phil = eay
ney Massacre in 1865.

1ooo' SAID an old fighter at army head
quarters yesterday, 1.-The theater of
sChe vi the hottest fighting was in
Norlhern wyoming and Southern
Montana In the Powder River district.
Inc United States Government had de-
terihihed to run a military road, to be
'oIio"ed by railway, through this
track OF country, and the Indians, who
made TINS territory their chief hunting
ground, made vigorous objections.
In the autumn of 1866 they proceed
ed to give force to their objections by
surrounding the forts along the new
road and making it very unsafe to
venture beyond the walls Fort Phil
hearney, where Colonel Darlington was
IN command, was especially troubled by
the redskins, and communication with
the outer world almost cut off by them.
Many slIirmishes took place among the
rocks and woods around the forts. and
several lives were lost on each side
''One morning in October Colonel
Darlington and strong force rode out
to reconnoiter the infested country and
were Mortified by finding the dead BODY
of white man staked out and disem-
boweled. The man had been captured
-
having time to encamp for the purpose
OF tor1urlng their prisoner, had tied
HIM to pegs driven into the ground.
built fire on his abdomen and left
him. When discovered by the troops
the flre had entirely eaten away the alb
dolnnal wall and partially consumed
the victims intestines. A few morn
lngS after this event. quite a cOncourse
OF Indians appeared in the woods near
the tort y howitZer was brought to
bear upon them, and the exploding
shell made good and peaceful Indians
ont of about dozen who failed to get
out of the way.
such incidents as these made life ex-
citing at Fort Phil Kearney until late in
December. On the morning of the DIST
OF that month, a party of foragers from
the fort was attacked by the Indians.
Licutenant-COlonel Fetterman, with
about one hundred officers. scouts. and
soldiers. promptly sailed out to protect
the fOragerS- Before starting. Fetter-
man received specific orders not to fol-
low the Indians too far. and not to pro-
woke fight after rescuing the foraging
detachment.
The Indians who had attacked the
detachment were quickly driven off and
retreated in such disorder as to fire the
soul of Fettcrrnan with dreams of a de
cisive victory. His command hurried
forward and soon entered a rocky val
ley. most admirably suited to an am
buscade- When Fetterman's men were
fairly within the trap the signal was
given, and hundreds of warriors rushed
down the hillsides from every direc-
ton. completely surrounding the little
party OF white men. Two thousand or
more braves. Sioux. Cheycnnes and
Arapahocs, seemed to rise from the
ground like the hosts of Rhodericll Dhu.
All hurled themselves forward and the
slaughter began.
Little is known of the details of the
struggle in that valley of death. for no
white man escaped to tell the story,
and the Indian warriors, never very
communicative. have revealed almost
nothing of that terrible fight. But the
watchers in the fort heard. first. the
scattering shots which showed that Fet-
terman was driving the Sioux before
him. then a sound of heavy and contin-
uOuS firing. There must be hot fight
going on. said Colonel Darlington. The
firing shows that there is Il large force
engaged.
AS suddenly as it had begun the up
roar ceaScd-a few last shots were heard
then came utter silence. Either Fet-
terman had utterly defeated the In
diauS, or ? The troops in the fort
hIrricd out and advanced at their ut
most speed toward the point of action.
Soon they came to the entrance of the
fatal valley. ana saw not the blue coats
of Fcttcrman's company. but the gilt
tcring ornaments and the copper skins
of hundreds of Indians. As the troops
came ON the Indians reiterated in good
order. When the valley was cleared of
the red men and their ponies Il horrible
sight was presented to the eyes OF the,
SCldicry. In Il circle only twenty yards
in diameter lay the dead bodies Of Lieu
tcnant-Coloncl Fettcrnan and three
fourths OF his command. Along the
road to thc fort were Il few more corpsc,
and behind some great bouldcrs were
the bodies of the scouts who had accom-
panied the expedition.
The heads of the majority of the
slain had been crushed in with war
clubs, showing that the Indians had
overpOwered them in short, sangui-
nary hand-to-hand encounter. But the
bodies behind the rocks We're surrounded
by scores of empty cartridge cells, and,
in front of their position, We're counted
sixty-two pools of blood, showing that
at least as many Indians or ponies had
fallen there. The story of the fight
was evidently thiS-the sudden rush of
the Indians had overwhelmed all the
whites except the old frontiCrSmcn, who
had sold their lives at Il fearful cost to
the Indians. and had only been over
powered after Il most determined re-
sistance.
Every one of the dead had been
stripped and manGled almost beyond
recognition. Eyes and tongues had
been torn out; noses, fingers legs and
arms cut off, and the diSmembered
corpscs perforated with arrows. 1t
was as horrible a sight as even Indian
warfare could show. Several of the
officers to escape capture and torture
shot themselves. Their fears We're in
this instance groundleSs. for the rage of
the Indians was such that every pris-
oncr and wounded man was instantly
Killed with war clubs.
such was the massacre of Fort Phi
Kearncv: such was FcttcrmanS last
Erht. & hicago Globe.
The oldest Land.
How many people know where the
oldest place in America is situated? Not