Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1895-11-08
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4
] tridges, thirty percussion shells and
eight stands each Of canister and
grape. A sergeant and FIVE men of
us had come down as escort to the
four-mule team! We had ride OF
thirty-seven miles, and the hostiles
were on the warpath in fell force.
If we encountered them at all they
I would be in numbers --not less than
Il fftyaapd perhaps hundred The
escort should have been, at, least
| twenty-five men, but only Six could
1lbe.s spared. @ Tie, Chances sofj getting
through to the station and back
we're about even up.
II hope you'll get through, said
the quartermaster, as WeSAeftE the
fort. 1T would max e.sme feel ssad
to lose six horses, four mules and a
wagon %TSA ~ Fg's g,N
The six soldiers sGAln,p eonnt. G.Jf
we were wiped out six others would
be enlisted, and few. strokes of the
pen on sthe captain s report swodld'
tell tbesRhole stqey2 rdf5welqss the
govegnment property there would
be NO end to the c6rfespofdence
with headquarters dhsChicago, and
it might take months to replace It,
| We had to make a night camp on
our Return, and Z am hoiir before
daylight in the morning the Indians
attempted to run off our stocks
* up boys and go for semA Shouted
tile sergeap asSthe report bfl The
'sentinel's carbitfe aroused him from
slumber, and we obeyed the order
with such promptness and yigor
that the Indians were driven OFF
with one dead and two wounded and
without getting a boSf. YY
That ATTACK settled it. They kneF
oprSstEenSth, SUSPECTED the eor&ents
of the wagon and would try US on
by daylight before I'VE ,reachetl gFhel
fort. We specialized over it, batSdfd
not worry. We had ms direction,
ders, but every man. knew what the
programmewo uld beif attacked If
playground was open we would keep
moving along and. firing from bur
saddles. II brought too aClhalt lwet
would stand tthemy off unit no genes
was left to FIRE, q shot. !, ~
I II llStell you beWifn beS said the
sergeant, as we ookedoar]brea6fast
at the, camp fire > SiJIWs Esban't see
an 1niun till we reach Wolf river.
Weshavesto turn there and cross "a
little valley, aud they n take,us Just
at that spot. 1t may be only war
party of twenty-five, butt shouldn't,
wonder If old Iron Face was out with 1
his whole gang of sbueks!ri2 7Ht
linn tive hours welwereIat, the5river
There had beena iheavy-rain up 10
the mountaipssthe night beforehand
thelstream was bank full and run
Weitnrned to the east
and kept along the bank and then
descended into the valley. This val
ley was about quarter of "a mile
wide.I and ran north and south. Its
northern end or beginning was right
at the river bank, and the valley was
lower than the river bed by ten feet.
The bank which shut the Waterfront |
was, not over ten feet thick, and had |
been formed of trees and dirt deposr
tied there for half a century. We
were, half way across the valley
when war7whoopsq were heard in
front and behind One party had
let US pass, and then closed up in
the rear. and "a secondfwas ambushed
at the mouth sof the pass ON the east
side of the valley Il We were thus be!
tween twofires. With the sing of the
first bullet the mules swerved to the
eft and ran until brought up by the
nigh bank of the river We rode
after them land the Indians had to
show themselves in the open valley.
We dismounted, Embarrassed the
mules and made the wagon protect
the animalssi n The river protected
,ur rear and there was open ground
IN each flank. AS we got downlon
he grass and,fired into the Indians
n front we counted them. There
hundred and six of them,
Ill7in war paint and ahAwell mount-
ID. AS, they pressed upfwe killed two
md wounded two others. Then they
ell back toi plot and plan and we :
lad an opportunity to see the situa-
ions X. sfaJ Hssifall ia ggd;9 Las!
~ Here's the lay of the land, said
heSergeant, sand Gen. Miles himself i
ouldn't make it,any different We
re cut off in the rear by the river.
The Injuns have both passes and we
re regularly boxed in If we stay /
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