Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-02-17
FETTERMAN.s LAST FIGHT.
The seory OF the Terrible Fort Phil Kear-
ney Massacre In 1865.


1885," said an old fighter at army head
quarters yesterday, ''the theater of
some of the hottest fighting was in
Northern Wyoming and Southern
Montana, in the Powder River district.
The United States Government had de-
termined to run military road, to be
followed by a railway, through this
track OF country, and the Indians, who
made this 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
Kearney, where Colonel Darlington was
In command, was especially troubled by
the redskins, and communication with
the outer world almost cut off by them.
Many skirmishes took place among the
rocks and woods around the forts, and
several lives were lost on each side.
Zone morning in October Colonel
Darlington and a strong force rode out
to reconnoiter the infested country, and
were Mortified by finding the dead body
of a white man stalSed out and disem-
| boweled. The man had been captured
alive by the Indians, and the latter not
| having time to encamp for the purpose
of torturing their prisoner, had tied
him to pegs driven into the ground,
built a fire on his abdomen and left
| him. When discovered by the troops
the fire had entirely eaten away the alb
| dominal wall and partially consumed
the victims intestines. A few morn
ings after this event, quite a concourse
Of Indians appeared in the woods near
the fort. A howitzer was brought to
bear upon them, and the exploding
shell made good and peaceful Indians
out 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 21st
of that month, party of foragers from
the fort was attacked by the Indians.
International 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.
1.-THE Indians who had attacked the
detachment were quickly driven off, and
|
soul of Fetterman with dreams of de-
cisive victory. His command hurried
forward and soon entered a rocky val
ley, most admirably suited to an am
buscade. When Fettermans 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
| orfE Of Eyh fhN11San1
more braves, Sioux, Cheyennes and
Arapahoes, seemed to rise from the
ground like the hosts of Rhodericlz 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 sound of heavy and contin-
uous firing. There must be hot fight
going on, said Colonel Darlington. The
firing shows that there is a large force
engaged
LAS suddenly as it had begun the up
roar ceased-a few last shots were heard
then came utter silence. Either Fet-
terman had utterly defeated the In
dams, or -? The troops in the fort
hurried out and advanced at their ut
most speed toward the point of action.
Soon they came to the entrance of the
fatal valley, and saw not the blue coats
of Fetterman's company, but the gilt
tering ornaments and the copper skins
of hundreds of Indians AS the troops
came on the Indians retreated in good
order. When the valley was cleared of
the red men and their ponies horrible
sight was presented to the eyes of the
soldiery. In a circle only twenty yards
in diameter lay the dead bodies of Lieu
tenant-Colonel Fetterman and three
fourths of his command. Along the
road to the fort were a few more corpses
and behind some great boulders We're
the bodies of the scouts who had accom-
panied the expedition.
1.-THE heads of the majority of the
slain had been crushed in with war
clubs, showing that the Indians had
overpowered them in a short, sangui-
nary hand-to-hand encounter. But the
bodies behind the rocks were surrounded
by scores of empty cartridge cells, and,
in front of their position, were 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 frontiersmen, who
had sold their lives at a fearful cost to
the Indians, and had only been over
powered after a 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
corpses perforated with arrows. 1t
was as horrible sight as even Indian
warfare could show. Several of the