Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-11

| ton. They treated his communicate with
| contempt and. accordingly. on March l,
| 1871, Col. W b. Williamson, acting under
| orders from Gen. Crook, set out with ten
| companies of cavalry. some 600 men. to
make forced march to the place where
| the Sioux were known to have established
themselves. His Instructions were to deal
the Indians the severest blow possible.
With pack horses to carry his rations
and camp equipments, Col. Williamson
proceeded to point some thirty miles
from the Indians, and there established a
temporary camp and headquarters. Hav-
ing done this he left about fifty men in
charge of the camp. and. supplying the
rest with such rations as they could easily
carry In their haversacks. he set forth
with them for swift ride to the Indians
| rendezvous. each man being armed with a
carbine and a revolver and carrying a
supply of ammunition. Among the officers
who accompanied Col. Williamson were his
son. Lieut.. Arthur Williamson, who had
yet seen but little rough service, and
Capt Phil. Parker, who had been in sew
eral Ell gagements with the Indians, and
who was. moreover, shrewd in artifice and
device when occasion required. Col. Will
liam son knew that he should find in him
& valuable assistant in his undertaking,
and he realized that bis undertaking was a
difficult one. The Indians outnumbered his
force probably two to one, and they were
ugly and full OF fight. The supply of rations
and ammunition they were able to carry
was necessarily small and the weather was
fearfully cold. Gen. Sheridan. In his re-
port of this raid. says that the cold was so
intense that the mercury CONCEALED in the
thermometer
The troops reached the camp of the In
dams the next morning. just at daylight,
and made an attack at once. daShinG into
their village ard taking them completely by
surprise. The Indians. reused from slum-
hnr CatZ rhnit- l,,r
make stand against the fire OF the cavalry
I'm their midst, and gliding along the ground
end lodging from tree to tree they fed I'm
all directions. A few were killed, but the
great bulk of them escaped. fleeing into the
woods, where 1t was useless for cavalry to
attempt TO follow them. Col. Williamson at
once gave orders 10 set fire to the village
and cverything-lodges. blankets and food
was piled in heaps and burned. Nothing
now remained that could be of use TO the
Indians except their PONIES. There were
about $40 Of these corralled at one end of
the village. Some of the Indians had tried
to get their ponies before escaping but the
soldiers We're between them and the fold In
which they Were inclos.d and they were
obliged to fee without them
If the cavalry couli now kill these ponies
the Indians would be left helpless They
would not be able TO get back to their reser-
walton, and deprived of their food and
blankets. which had been burned. they
would surely starye and freeze. Col. Will
hansen realized this. and he at once directed
that the ponies should be killed. But how
to XIII them was a problem. 1t would not
90 10 shoot th@m- Their supply of ammuni-
ton was too sn all II they used up SO
cartridges in killing the ponies they might
soon find themselves at the mercy of the
Indians. who had their weapons. and who.
rendered desperate by their losses. were
certain TO attack them. If they had axes
they might accomplish the work of destr,lc-
Ton, but they had none Searching through
me devastated village. they found three or
four hatchets. and with these an equal num-
per 81 men began TO knock the ponies in the
mead or TO hack and MAIN them This was
a SLOW process. and II was not long before
thSy We're Obliged to discontinue it. as the
INDIANS, concealed In the thick woods which
surrounded the village began 10 nour in
thelr bullets upon the Sc ldiers with fearful
accuracy. "
Col Williamson saw that he must get his
men out OF the woods into the omen nlsin
where they could return the fire and forca
the Indians to keep their distance and as
they would not stop to kill the ponies aud
as the indians must not be allowed 10 re-
cover them. he decided to take them along
driving them ahead of the cavalry and kill
ing ana manning them as best they coul1
as they proceeded back to their Temporary
camp. This he at once set about to DO. but
not without the greatest difficulty The
ponies were excited by the firing and by
the killing of some of their number, and II
was almost impossible to keen them herje5
together. and TO force them along The In
away, became more desperate and bold and
harassei the troops fearfully. Before they
reached the plain at a point beyond the
range OF The enemy's bullets fired from the
woods several OF the men were killed and
others were wounded
The hardships which the soldiers had en-
dured from the time when they left their
temporary camp on the preceding afternoon
We're terrible. They had ridden all night
through an atmosphere SO cold That their
breath CONCEALED soon as it left their
noStrilS: their faces aid hands were COW
cred with fee; ears were frozen, and hands
and feet were benumbed; many Spf them
were wounded and as yet none of them
had had mouthful of food. They now
stopped on the plain and built fires and pro-
ceeled to prepare their breakfast But this
they were not allowed to do in peace. The
moment they dismounted and began their
preparations the Indians poured forth from
the woods directly toward them, coming to
within three or four hundred Yards and
firing into them, at the same time shouting
with all their might. In the hope of stam-
peding the ponies The troops returned the
fire, and, remounting their horses, they
drove the Indians back into the woods but
soon they returned to their stopping
place the Indians renewed their bold attack
Again and again the cavalry drove back
their desperate foes. and again and again
they returned.
This harassing warfare was kept I'D dur
ing the whole of the day. 1t was only by
snatches. and by a few at a time that their
food could be cooked and eaten, When
night came ii was far worse. The sayaCes
scattering themselves in the da rilness, fairly
surrounded them and kept up a continual
fire. They were unable to obtain any sleep.
the cold was still intense and many of them
were wounded 1t was a fearful situation
OF course the cavalry could have mounted
and galloped away but they could not do
this and take the ponies with them. and if
they left them behind the Indians would
capture and mount them and give chase
and, they outnumbered the soldiers two
to one, battle would be unequal
This state Of things continued through the
next day and night. the Indians becoming
even holder than on the day before On the
on at all hazards. He realiyed that thee
were two things that must be done-he must
take his men back to camp and he must
not let the Indians recover their ponies As
they moved ON across the plain keop;ng
the ponies together and driving them along
the Indians followed. alternately rushing
forward and firing into them and as swiftly
returning and scattering in all directions
The progress OF the cavalry under. those
circumstances was necessarily slow. Dur
ing the last two days they had advanced
only eight or nine miles. Some twenty miles
still lay before them
ihe situation OF the troons was now no
graYated by the giving out Of their ratiops
TO he sure they could eat harsefiesh and
they had plenty Of it. Tn ere WAS now N
additional motive for killing the ponies.
they required their flesh for food and horse.
flesh Y i'll probably Sustai life ,.-.,l a..