The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-01-19

get his men out of the woods into the
open plain, where they could return
the fire and force the Indians to keep
their distance, and as they would not
stop to kill the ponies. and as the In
dams must not be allowed to recover
them, he decided to take them along,
driving them ahead of the cavalry and
killing and manning them as best
they could 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
1t was almost impossible to keep them
herded together and to force them
along. The Indians, seeing their po-
mics being driven n way. became moro
desperate and bold, and harassed the
troops fearfully. Before they reached
the plain at point beyond the range
of the enemy's bullets fred from the
woods several of the men were killed
and others were wounded.
The hardships which the soldiers
had endured from the time when they
left their temporary camp on the pre-
ceding afternoon were terrible. They
had ridden all night through an at
mosphere so cold that their breath
CONCEALED as soon as 1t left their
nostrils; their faces aud hands were
covered with ice; ears were frozen
and hands and feet were benumbed;
many of them were wounded, and as
yet none of them had had o mouthful
Of food. They now stopped on the
plain and built fires and proceeded to
prepare their breakfast But this
they were not allowed to do in pence.
The moment they dismounted and be-
gan 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 re-
turned the Gre, and, remounting their
horses, they drove the Indians back
into the woods, but as soon as they re-
turned to their stopping place the In
dams 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
up during the whole of the day. 1t
was only by snatches and by few at
time that their food could be cooked
and eaten. When night came 1t was
far worse. The savages, scattering
themselves in the darkness, fairly sur
rounded them and kept up continual
fire. They were unable to obtain any
sleep; the cold was still intense and
many Of them were wounded. It was
fearful situation. OF course the
cavalry could have mounted and gal
loped away, but they could not do this
and take the ponies with them, and II
they left them behind the Indians
would capture and mount them and
give chase, and, rs 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 the
day before. The third day Col Will
Hanson resolved to move on at all
hazards. he realized that there 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, keeping the ponies together and
driving them along, the Indians fol-
lowed, alternately rushing forward
and firing into them and as swiftly re-
turning and scattering in all directions
The progress Of the cavalry under
these circumstances was necessarily
slow. During the last two days they
had advanced only eight or nine miles.
Some twenty miles still lay before
them.
The situation of the troops was now
aggravated by the giving out of their
rations. To be sure they could. eat
horsefesh, and they had plenty of it.
There was now ON additional motive
for killing the ponies, they required
their flesh for food, and borsefesh will
probably sustain life as well as veni-
son. There is a sentiment In mems
AnAhAcs AOWSSCAs WAASh AAohCS tA1C ACC-
essity of resorting to such diet any
thing but agreeable. Soldiers become
accustomed to hard alternatives, and
these Ave hundred cavalrymen, when
the pangs Of hunger became excessive,
brought themselves to partake of the
Objectionable sustenance without
much difficulty, all but one. Young
Lieut. Williamson, whom / have men,
toned as having accompanied his ia
ther. Col. Williamson, upon his raid,
wns unaccustomed to rough service.
He had seen only the easy side of
soldiers life. He was, perhaps,
something of what they call, in
far west parlance, o tenderfoot At
least he had tender stomach. He
could not eat pony meat When the
troops stopped to prepare their food,
and cutfiuu atrfrs of flesh from, tho