The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-09-01

LL and gives garbed &C
VI count of the battle; says
o. it was fought exclu-
sively by Dragons, and
ther winds mp his erroneous statement by say
ing he would like to ask Comrade Seaton
where the infantry came into that fight
/ would say TO Comrade Fascett, in reply,
that if be had bsen there it would not have
been necessary for him to ask snch question,
nor for me TO reply; but, in order to inform
him on this matter. will give few facts in
regard to it. and will be as brief as possible in
answering his question.
In the Steptoe expedition. which left Fort
Wslla Walla, Wash, about the 9Th of May.
1855 accompanying the Dragons was de-
fachment from Co. E. 9th q. S. Inf, consisting
of two non-commissioned officers and IL prl-
Yates, who were mounted on Indian ponies,
and who had charge of two mountain howitzers,
which, with the ammunition, etc, Were packed
on mules, and was known in that expedition as
the howitzer battery, aud was manned 10y this
detachment i was one of the detail, and it
was commanded by C. S. Winder, Captain of
Co. f. 9Th Z. S. Inf. and we went clear through
on that campaign from beginning 10 end.
We came into the fight very early on the
morning of the 18th of May, and though we
had to change our position very often, as we
were fighting and retreating, still we did good
execution and sent many Indians and their
horses along with them to the happy hunting
ground. Between and 10 o'clock q. m. the
Indians made one desperate effort to capture
the whole command. 1t was then that the
brave and gallant Capt. Taylor. of Co. {, and
Lieut. CASTOR. Co. E. with number of enlisted
men Of the LIST Dragons, were killed and
scalped in our presence By snperhuman effort
the command gained the summit of the hill,
and we got cur little battery IN position again
and assisted the brave Dragons to hold the
summit of Steptoe Hill, and we did hold it
against the repeated and furious charges of an
overwhelming host of Indians
Along in the afternoon when the reds found
ont that they could not carry our position by
assault, they changed their tactics and came at
Us snake fashion, by crawling up in The grass
and picking of men wherever they could.
This continued until about shutdown. when the
Indians withdrew into the valley about half
mile distant. and after dark they had grand
dance around the scalps of our comrades who
had been killed and had fallen into their hands
while we were retreating. We could hear them
very plainly, and this was our opportunity to
escape. Our ammunition was all expended;
we had nothing to fight with any more; we
were about 1G0 miles from any support, and
the only thing we could do was to leave every
thing behind, steal away in the dark and trust
TO the feetness of our horses for escape, and
that was Just what we did.
After shutdown we buried the dead within
our lines. and we also buried our howitzers, as
they were Of no more use to us. Then the men
were ordered to throw away everything that
would impede our fight. We secured the
wounded on horses the best we could, with a
comrade riding on each side to support them,
and between 10 and IL o'clock p. M. the CON-
mand silently and sorrowfuly stole away from
Steptoe Hill.
Comrsde Fascett says in reference to this
that at a given signal they all started on
run and rode over the Indians, and then it was
q running fight for IS miles. / would say
that any man who was there knows that such
q statement is false. The Indians believed
that we unable TO move and that they
had sure thing next morning, and that is
why they relaxed their vigilance and how we
got an opportunity to escape. Moreover, if we
had had to ride over the Indians that night,
and then fight them on a retreat Of 80 miles,
when we had nothing TO fight them with, as
orr ammunition Was all used mp and there was
only about $50 of us all told, while the com rade
says there were 5000 Indians, all well
armed" any soldier who knows anything at
al about Indian warfare is aware that If we
had been lighting on that retreat we would
never have got i've miles from the battlefield.
The Indians did not know that we had
escaped until daylight next morning, and the
provisions and plumber we left on the field
had tendency TO delay the pursuit and gave
us such start that they never overlook us,
and there was no fighting after we left Steptoe
Hill.
We made the ride of 80 miles TO Snake River
IN less than "a hours. Some Of the men who were
severely wounded were unable to stand the
fatigue Of such long ride, and dropped ON the
trail, to he scaipcd by the Indians who followed
rG When We reached Snake River we did not
'plrnge in and swim across /" as Comrade
Fascett says we did. Oh, no; the plunge was all
out Of US by that time. We swan our horses
and several of them were drowned in the at
tempt, as they were too weak to swim. The
mon were ferried across in canoes by friendly
Nez Perez Indians. Shortly after crossing the
river we some of the hostile Indians on
the other side. but they did not dare 60 cross
into Nez Perez territory, and consequently we
were safe
We had had no sleep and scarcely anything to
cat for &C hours. but We we're furnished with
plenty of smoked salmon and camas bread by
the friendly Nez Perez Indians, and finally got
back 70 Fort Wslla Walla.
The above is a plain statement of facts which
can prove by living witnesses. and also By
ofbelal military records. Ia small command
like that. consisting of less than 200 men. and
where the men were nearly all personally ac-
onainted with each other, j say that think it
impossible that any man could have been on
that expedition and be ignorant of the presence
Of the mountain howitzers and the detachment
who manned them, especially on the day Of the
battle. Hence, i am forced to the conclusion
that Comrade Fascett was not in IL at all and all
that be claims 10 know in regard to that affair
he got as second hand goods and it was pretty
well worn before ii came into his hands
Iwonid advise the conrade to engage in some
more profitable business than trying to pervert
official military records and publish his ignor-
ance through the columns of such widely
circulated paper as THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE
If the comrade desires 10 get posted in regard
20 the Indian battles Of that period, "befo de
wsh," j will furnish him q detailed &C.
count Of the battle of Cascades March 26.
1856; Steptoe Hill, May IL. 1858; Four Lakes.
Sept j. and Spokane Plains, Sept. 5, 1858, as
private correspondence, free of charge; for /
was present at all of them.
In regard TO the howitzers which We buried
on Steptoe Hill the night after the battle we
resnrrected them and brought them back to
Fort Wslla Walla in the Fall of 1885, when we
returned victorious from COL George Wrights
e1pedition.-Wm. SEATos, Co. Z. 9th U. s.
Inf, Los Angeles, Cal.
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