The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1893-06-22
BLEW UP THE REDSKINS.
A Happy Idea Saved the Wagon Trai
and Worked Havoc With the Enemys

A Happy idea Saved the Wagon Train
and Worked Havoc With the Enemy.
At o'clock in the afternoon this
was the situation of affairs on the
sterile plain south of Fort Chadbourne,
Tex; There We're sixteen army wagons
loaded with supplies for the fort. Inc
cavalry escort numbered only thirty
eight men. Counting the teamstersf
we had tifty-four. The Indians haq
closed in on both sides and in the rear,
and no one estimated their number AZ
less than three hundred and fiftyS an
mounted, There was this in our favor
only few had rifles. At least two
hundred were armed with lancess and
so long as we could hold them off with
our carbines we need not fear them.
Our route was narrow valley blunen
ON each side, and these bluffs were iul-
passable for horses. Here and there
the valley spread out until it was half
mile wide, and again it contracted
until only two wagons could move
abreast. Our safety was to keep movf
ing and count on the rear guard 20
| fight them back
That valley was three miles long.
| When we had debouched on the plain
beyond the Indians would charge us.
We figured our chance as one in i've.
| The transfers might or might not
fight They were all Mexicans, and
| they might even be suspected of being
the allies of the redskins Thirty-eig2ss
men, dozen of whom were just out d
hospital and in poor shape for fight,
seemed n mere nothing compared 10
| the masses of horsemen closing in. The
last half mile of this route was not
over twenty feet wide from bluff to
bluff. When we struck that spot the
wagons were sent on ahead. From the
rear-most one we took ten large per.
| cussion shells destined for the cannon
at the fort. These shells were rapidly
filed with powder, bullets, and shot,
the primers inserted, and while dozen
men held the Indians at bay we dug
holes in the ground and set each shell
on end with its cap just level with the
roadbed. We planted two small kegs
of powder as well, and over the gravel
we scattered the contents of third.
When all was ready the rear guard
was called in, and we retired for about
thirty rods. We only made pretense
of fighting now, as if our object was to
let the wagons get long start up the
main valley. At the end of quarter
of an hour the Indian lancers formed
for charge up the narrow way, and
we reiterated in seeming confusion to
draw them on. The lancers formed in
ranks of six or seven front and running
back farther than we could see. At a
given signal this great mass set up a
yell and charged. The first twelve or
| fourteen safely passed the shells. Then
came a series of explosions which made
the earth heave and shot a great black
cloud half mile high in the sky. 1t
rolled down upon us and enveloped us
for time in midnight darkness, and
with it was an odor to nauseate every
\ man. We heard shrielSs of pain and
yells of terror and now and then that
strange sound uttered by wounded
horse. A dozen of us kept firing into
the cloud, but after five or six minutes
it thinned out, and we stood and leaned
on our carbines and were almost af.
frighted at the spectacle. The narrow
way for many rods was literally choSed
with the dead and dying, Fragments
of men and horses had fallen all about
| us.
No man cared to go nearer. It would
have been safe, for the Indians who es-
capped disaster were galloping away in
a state of abject terror, but the spec
tacle would have been in ones Dreams
forever after We hurried on OFT of
the narrow valley, overlook the fast
moving wagons and the pale-faced
teamsters. and thence to the fort the
! sharpest eye could not detect the pres.
ence of an Indian anywhere on the wide
sweep of plain. So-called humanitar.
ians called it a cruel, cold-blooded
slaughter. Army records referred to IL
as a merciful salvation of troop and
train.-Chicago Times.