The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-11-17

CALLING BACK
place some 200 miles to the west that
the first question I asked him was,
Have you had a fight
NO, he replied, but we have had a
/ good chance" abiding to an adroit
maneuvre that Looking Glass and
Chief Joseph had made when they eff
fected the escape of the Nez Perces.
Troops Left HopeIessIy in the Rear.
On opening the envelope which he
handed me, I found a report from Col
onel Sturgis and a letter from General
I Howard, stating that the Nez Perces
( had left them hopelessly in the rear.
and wishing l would take some action
l to intercept them.
/ My command was then $50 miles east
of where they had crossed the Yellow
stone. and this report was five days
old. 1 determined to make the best
/ effort possible to find them, however.
and at once gave orders for what avail
able troops I had to be made ready,
/ supplied and ferried over the river to
| the north side. All night this work
was carried on, and before sunrise the
next morning the troops were on the
/ left bank of the Yellowstone, equipped
with thirty days supplies, abundance
of ammunition. wagon trains, pack
trains, artillery, scouts, Indian guides,
and everything that could be made
available for long and difficult forced
march, and if necessary a desperate
encounter.
Anticipating that the Indians would
! move toward the upper Missouri, and
/ that the commands of General Howard
and Colonel Sturgis would need sup
plies, 1 started couriers for Fort Bu-
/ ford and Fort Peck on the Missouri
! river. over 100 miles away. with requi-
stions for a steamer load of supplies
up the Missouri river to supply their
wants. These messages went through
all right, and the steamer that was
loaded at Fort Buford reached a place
called Cow Island, some 300 miles by
river to the west in time to supply
General Towards command, both men
and animals. for thirty days when it
arrived on the Missouri river out of
supplies.
The following morning, September
IS, at daylight, my command slowly
wound its way up the trails from the
Yellowstone to the high mesa on the
north side of that river, and then COM
menced a most laboriouS and tedious
forced march approximately of 200
miles Ny command consisted of
small detachment of white guides and
Indians allies, under the command of
Lieutenant NJ. P. Maus, First United
States infantry; battalion of the
Fifth infantry, mounted on the cap
tuTed Sioux ponies; Snyder's, Ben
nett's. Carter's and Romeyn's compa-
MES Captain Simon Snyder command
ing: a battalion of the Second United
States cavalry. Tylers Jerome's and
McC1ernand's companies, Captain Geo.
l.. Tyler commanding; battalion of
the Seventh cavalry. Hale'S, Godfrey'S
and Moylan's companies, Captain Owen
Hale commanding; one breech loading
Hotchkiss gun, Sergeant McHugh,
Fifth infantry. commanding. and the
train escort, commanded by Captain
D. H. Brotherton, Fifth infantry, con-
sisting of Company K and a detach-
ment Of Company D, Fifth infantry,
with one twelve FOUNDER Napoleon
gun.
From informa ton received and the
direction taken by the Indians the In
dica atoms were that they intended to
join the hostile Sioux. north of the
Canadian line. In order to intercept
them if possible, or. if. not to take up
their drail and pursue them I moved
to the northwest. toward the mouth of
the Musselshell river. reaching a camp
ing ground within six miles Of that
point on the evening of the 25d, after
a hard days march of fifty-two miles
within twenty-four hours.
4 March From the Yellowstone to
the Missouri.
During this march across the coun-
try from the Yellowstone to the Mis-
souri,, I had sent out, to the front and
left scouts with directions to go on
until they found some sign of the
Indians and then to come in on my
line of march and make reports, thus
covering our command by cloud of
scouts and videttes for long distance
In advance and to our left. Some of
these men rode a distance of more
than 200 miles before making any re-
port Within a circle of scouts kept
from five to twenty miles in. advance,
and taking advantage of the high
buttes to survey the country carefully
over with field glasses or telescopes,
we discovered no sign of the hostile
Nez Perces
Not hearing from one of my guides,
an intelligent, brave man, George
Johnson. I afterwards learned that he
had met with misfortune. Going down
a stream known as Squaw creek. and
coming to the banks of the Missouri.
he supposed ii was the NIusselshell,
river which had been crossed many
times by fording. Being DESTROYS to
reach, as he supposed, the other side
nf the Musselshell he started across.
He was a heavy man, and his horse
being undoubtedly weak he got out
into the whirlpools of the deep and
turbulent Missouri, and was carried
down the river and drowned in the
treacherous waters before he could
reach either shore. His body and that
of his horse were found many miles
below some weeks later.
Part of our band of Indian allies
that went out as scouts, moved along
beside the column apparently indiffer-
ent and listless, yet taking the great