The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-04-26
OFFICERS BREVETTED
FOR GOOD SERVICE.
TWO OF GENERAL McCOOk'S STAFF
AMONG THE NUMBER.
Four officers at Fort Logan Also to
Receive LaureIs - "reminiscences
of the Geronimo and Sitting Bull
Campaigns in Arizona and Mon
tana.

Notice has been received at army head
quarters, says the Denver News, that
President Cleveland had sent to the SEN
ate the names of number of officers
stationed at Denver, nominated for brevet
rank, in recognition of gallant service in
the Indian service. Among the honored
ones are Major Chaffee, inspector-general.
and Captain A. C. Sharpe, judge advocate
of General McCook' S staff. At Fort Logan
Major Jackson, Captain Coolidge, Captain
Williams and Captain Same also received
laurels.
Major Adna Chaffee is one of the heroes
of the army and his name is honored
by every cavalryman. For years he
and New Mexico, and in every campaign
he was found to the front. In the Gero-
nimo wars he particularly distinguished
himself and for this service he now re.
ceives tardy recognition.
Captain A. c. Sharpe was a second
lieutenant in the TWenty-second infantry
when he did the service for which he has
now been brevetted. He graduated from
West Point in the spring of 1876, and was
assigned to the Tenth cavalry. He took
the usual leave and it was not until Sep
TENDER that he was ready to join his COM
mand. The Tenth was then in the south.
In Montana Custer and his command had
just been slaughtered by Sitting Bull, and
the young West Pointer asked to be as
|
which was in the field in Montana, seek
ing the Sioux and revenge. Lieutenant
Sharpe's request was granted and he was
soon on the Warpath under General Otis.
| The Sioux were in the field along the
Yellowstone, and on September TO- 1876
| General Otis with three companies of the
Twenty-second started to relieve and take
| supplies to the Fifth infantry, which was
| then at Tongue creek. At Clear Creek the
! troops were attacked by the Sioux under
command of Sitting Bull Rain-in-the-
L oil and al f~,tll
chiefs. The Indians had the advantage
and tried to ambush the soldiers in a
gorge, and after d long days sanguinary
| lighting Otis was compelled to fail back
| for reinforcements. On September 10 he
| was back at the same spot with two addi-
| tional companies from the Seventeenth in.
fantry. accompanying the troops was g
| long wagon train with 104 mules. The
Sioux soon showed that they still were
ready to fight and they attacked the
| troops on all sides.
| ing down deadly fire on the troops, an6
| before them set fire to the long prairie
grass. AT a critical moment General Otis
gave the command TO charge on the hill
Sharpe's company, a first lieutenant He
| did not heed the command so Sharpe
jumped to the front, took command OF
| the troops and charging up the hill dis
lodged the Indians. The fight kept up
] however, all day on September 10 and par
of September is, when the Indians became
|
| truce. A long parley was held and the
Indians aired their grievances. They
claimed that the troops had no right to e
| through the Yellowstone country; that thu
! land belonged alone TO the redman. They
| said that the whites were killing ali of tht
| buffalo and drying up the rivers Genera
| Otis convinced old Sitting Bull that h,
Intended to make the march, but he pu
| off two sides of bacon and five cases O
bareback for. the Indians to eat.
! AS the soldiers were moving away tn,
| Indians rose out of the deep prairie grass
in every direction and one of then
crawled up to the boxes of provisions. anC
| resting his gun took deliberate aim anC
| fred. The bullet struck the tender of ;
! lhree-inch rifle, on which a sergeant wa!
/ sitting. This ungratefui act nearly pre-
| cipitated renewal of the conflict and i
showed how little gratitude the indian
possesses
i Captain Sharpe was actively engaged
In campaigns against the Sioux for tw,
years after this, but it is for gallant ser
| vices at the battle of Clear Creek, Mont.
that he is now brevetted.
| the Fort Logan officers who were bre
vetted are all old Indian war veterans
! They served during the Sioux Campaign
| In the los and in the Dakota Sioux cam
4 paign in 1890, when the Seventh infantry
made long march over the Bad Lands.