The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-23
HOME FROM THE WAR.
Lieutenant Hayden Will Arrive Here

Second Lieutenant John l.. Hayden. of
the First United States artillery, will ar
rive here today or tomorrow on the steamer
Columbia from San Francisco on visit to
his father, Major J. K. Hayden. Lieuten-
ant Hayden is one of the heroes of the re-
cent Sioux war and related some OF his ex-
periences to representative of the San
Francisco Daily Report. Speaking of him,
that paper says:
One would hardly think TO see him that he
ever distinguished himself in buttle, for he is
apparently OF q rather retiring disposition mud
not DESTROYS of attracting attention. In height
he IL somewhat above the medium, with the
wellsquared shoulders of the West Point gradu-
ate His eyes are binc, large and piercing, and
his hair and mustache are blonde. His bronzed
complexion is all that tells OF his marches and
life at the front.
Lieutenant Hayden is only "a years Of age, vet
he performed u feat that many officers of twice
MS age, experienced in war; might be proud of
With two Hotchkiss guns he joined Colonel
Henry's battalion Of the Ninth Cavalry on hr;st-
mas evening, marched fifty miles at once and
again marched f02 miles in thirty hours to the
relief OF the battalion wagon train, subsequently,
joining In the fight at the Mission Daily Re-
port reporter interviewed the gallant young
officer at the Occidental hotel this morning
ut was not the first time the Hotrhkiss gun
had been tried in active service,n the lieutenant
said, when asked as to the effectiveness OF the
gun. "We had two guns. one of " hich was SINGLE
barralcd, OF .6l-caiiber, and tho other fighter They
worked with rapidty and effectiveness and did
all that could be expected aof them. The best
proof OF their effectiveness can give II this:
You know, in Indian lighting, YOU either find
the Indians all dead or you do not find any dead
Indians. The live ones drag the bcd:es of the
fallen friends OF. Well. in this case, ] believe
only one Jndian escaped and hr was the buck
who killed Lieutenant Casey. The others were
all killed or wounded-lt: were killed, I think
The buck who escaped is we'll known and can
be brought in any time the Indians choose to
give him up.
"The particular effectiveness OF the Hotchkiss
gun is its facility for transportation. In march
ing with the Ninth cavalry OF course VIC could
not 60 os they went. Part of the distance we
carried the guns on the carriages and for the
rest OF the way we had to pack them en- mules"
..IIow does it feel 10 be IL, action. leutenant?"
was asked. The officer smiled slightly and hes
itated. Then he said:
"Well, You do not notice particularly. There
of my guns was such that rcrer had to come
to close quarters with the hos:iles The
official maps of the country had been
that was acquainted with its topography and
knew just where to go. The Indians are all
armed with Winchester rifles, aud they are not
l should say, they are not good shots. So very
few bullets reached us to cause any harm. We
were in position on hill with our guns 1875
yards from the hostiles below Hence the effect
of the guns. They could not shoot at us with
"One thing noticed was this: All the Others
retired from the field after the fight, and the
guns of our detachment were the last to re-
turn. So we were the last to icaye the
place. We had to go down the hill and
take q road back to the reservation
agency, which we did. As this was being done
we saw large party of Indians who had been
engaged in the fight on another part of the
feld-the same set OF Indians They were In
another road, but they were actually bound for
the same place we were"
"Was there another fight when you met
them"
and with no further comment. "They were
going back to the agency for their dinner:
Ninth cavalry and the performance OF its men.
"Those negroes OF the Ninth cavalry made
splendid soldiers" he said "They are magnif-
cent. Nearly all Of them are men OF more than
one term of enlistment, and they have, most of
them. seen service. Why, when we got word
that the battalion wagons had been attacked,
those cOlored troopers were out In u twinkling
at the CALL They hardly waited to saddle their
horses and were 80 eager for the fight that they
carried their cartridge belts in their hands to be
quickly into the saddle. Vet they had then rid
den fifty miles steadily.
'Then their sturdy, sodierlikc qualities were
shown again when they made hard and long
march. They went l02 miles in thirty hours,
without sleep for thirty-six hours and without
eating a morsel in that time Then Mt the end
of the march, instead of d!smounting, they were
ordered at once to the battle. Without a halt
almost, and with eagerness for the fight clearly
visible on their faces, they went out and formed
the skirmish line under fire as II they were At an
ordinary drill they never fatered Oh. those
negro troops are fine soldiers.
ssOne thing about this Indian campaign Is
strangely misunderstood. I've had even intel
ligent men say to me: sOf course, we under
you're going to kill them all OF course, there
was never any such intention, and il is strange
that otherwise well-informed men should ever
think such thing would be done.