Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1893-06-28
June rs, 1898.
The Brarest Deed I Ecer sa,c.


1t was wretched morning-wet, drip
ping, with misty wreaths hanging low
over every butte and crag For days we
had marched with starving horses, ever
rolling prairies from which the Indians
had burned every blade of buffalo grass.
Not a tent had we in the entire COM
mand not change of clothing, and
since we crossed the Little Missouri and
struck the head waters of Heart River
not full stomach.
Rations were we'll nigh exhausted
We were living on quarter portions" of
bacon, hardtack and sugarless coffee.
1t was the summer of the terrible Gus
ter Massacre (1S76), and night and day
we were pursuing the Sioux, hoping to
overtake and punish them. But they
seemed to have scattered over the face Of
the earth.
Sitting Bull, with great following,
had crossed the Yellowstone and gone
north. Crazy Horse, brilliant and
daring leader, with host of Ogallallas
and Brules at his back, was known to
have made for the fastnesses of the Bad
Lands of western Dakota.
Thither General Crook was now lead.
ing us-a column strong in numbers, for
we had some forty companies of regulars,
as we'll as a goodly force Of scouts, pack
ers and others.
Our command consisted Of the entire
third cavalry, most of the fifth, a battal-
ion-four troops-of the second cavalry,
and detachment of infantry chosen from
three regiments. We had men enough
to overcome all the Indians in Dakota /;
but with starving horses and half-starv-
ing soldiers little can be done in the way
of aggressive warfare.
Our rations practically gave out on
the sixth of September. For several
days we lived on horse meat The choice
was between that or our boots and as we
had been scouting. trsmping and cam-
paining ever since the spring our boots
were worn as thin as our beasts.
About Z o'clock in the morning OF
September ninth the news flew down the
column like flash, "Sioux village-big
one-ffteen miles ahead ~
Colonel Mills, then senior captain
serving with the third cavalry, had been
sent forward by General Crook two
nights before with orders to push through
to the Black Hills with his command
$50 picked horses and men and a pack
train-loaded up with all the provisions
he could buy, and hasten back to meet
US. This very morning at daybreak he
had dashed into the village which his
scouts had "looated" during the night,
and was now hanging on" to his prize
until we could reach him.
Well, we got there, pushing ahead
through mud, mist and rain. Being ad-
jutant, l happened to ride at head Of col
umn as we neared the scene, and so
obtained a capital view and lasting
impression of the situation.
For the time being there was lull in
the fight. FOrty-One big lodges were
scattered about the ravines in deep am
phitheatre of the craggy hills known as
Slim Buttes. Mills had scattered the In
dians Just at dawn, captured herd Of
four hundred ponies, found several sew
enth cavalry horses, one of Clusters beau
tiful silken guidons, Captain Myles
Keogh's gauntIets, and other tropics
which proved that these fellows had been
concerned in the massacre, and that they
must be part of Crazy Horses big band
Therefore their friends could not be far
away.
Late that afternoon the whole party
came-Crazy Horse with hundreds of hi:
warriors-and lively fight we had with
them; but meantime occurred what
seems to me perhaps the bravest thing
ever saw in Indian warfare.
Look out for that ravine~ said Col
Onel Mills to me, as l was riding III
among the lodges. "There's wounded
Indian in there, and he has killed one o.
my men."
Sure enough Out on the slopes neal
the deep, brush-hidde1 depths OF the lit
tie gorge cavalry soldier, Wenzel, wal