The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-25

1 Il
Eating sugar. captain said Pope.
Have some?'
. Get down out of sight, you fool Re
piled the captain, unless you want to
be killed. We can't spare you Pope
got a medal for his share in the fight
There was another funny man in the
outfit. but he didn't get a medal. He
was full of life and fun, and in our
military theaFricals ne was a prominent
figure. As soon as the Indians were
sighted that day he did war dance,
getting everyone to laughing by his
songs and how he was going TO have
an Indian for brea kfast, another for
dinner and third for supper. After
the first shot was fired you never. saw
a winter or a more scared man. It
seemed TO have taken all the tuck cut
Of him. He never was the same jolly
fellow again.
IF the soldiers were scared, the
teans1ers and civilian employees We're
more so. NV God said one of the
tesmsters. this is going TO be another
Custer massacrer \ plucIzy young fell
low named Davenport-he couldn't
have been more Ran 10. and he got
medal. too-heard him say this. and
knew that many such remarks would
stampede the whole outfit. He marched
up to the teameter, and, pointing a re-
volver at his head, said, Damn you,
ii you say that again I'll blow the top
of your head Off In ten minutes a
shot from the Indians had put the
teamster beyond the possibility of
making another such remark.
The Indians came down and charged
US again and again. circling around us
two abreast on their ponies, but we
drove them hack each time.
"One of the corporals of my troop
was Hampton NJ. Roach. AS the first
day wore away, and night came, the
sufferings of the men, particularly the
wounded from thirst. became too great
to be endured. Roach led a line of vol
unteers to a creek, a short distance
away. and under heavy fire from the
Indians got water in the camp kettles.
For three days and nights Roach di-
rected and led this work. He got a
medal. and was recommended for
commission. He PASSED the examina-
tons. was commissioned and went
crazy three years ago and hit his COM
handing officer at Fort Sheridan, near
Chicago. Soon after that he was re-
tired
The Indians set fire to the sage
brush near US. and the wind drove the
flames and smoke into our faces. At
great risk TO themselves. several men.
led by Sergeant Pcppe, beat out the
blazing grass nearest US.
BUFFALO SOLDIERS TO THE RES
CUE.
Though twice wounded. Captain
Payne kept the command and directed
the operations of the men. He sent out
four men for help, and we knew that
in time, if we could hold out, help
would come. The first soldiers that got
word from the scouts were Captain
Dodge's troop of the Ninth cavalry. All
the enlisted men in this regiment were
negroes. and among us who were in the
Thornburgh fight it is common say
ing that the buffalo soldiers were the
whisest negroes we ever saw Captain
Dodge was scouting near Steamboat
Springs when he saw the written mes
sage the scouts from our besieged force
had left on a tree. He rode those so
miles in Is hours, and reached us on
the morning OF the fourth day of the
SIEGE The Indians offered no resistance
to them. and once inside of our breast
works. the black men began to dig their
own rifle pits and help us in holding
the fort Some of them fought so well
that they, too, got medals of honor.
And so we all stayed there together,
hoping for the quick arrival of General
Merritt, our regimental commander
For our scouts had pressed on till they
got to the nearest telegraph station,
where word was got to Merritt.
The ride that Merritt made to the
relief of his boys is the most celebrated
long-distance ride in the world. He rose
from a sick bed. the post surgeon max
ing a bluff Of having him courtmar-
tailed if he did so. He got together two
sduadrons of cavalry'and a battalion of
infantry, and went west with them
over the Union Pacific. The United
States mail train was held until the
soldiers got aboard, and the express
rushed on to Rawlins, the nearest rail-
road station to the White River agency
From there it was 10 miles. or there
abouts, to the agency"
BROADWAY SQUAD MANS STORY.
The Press breaks into Sergeant
Grimes story TO remark that people
who pass Broadway and Twelfth
Street every dav and see there a tall
and corpulent patrolman would not
guess that he ever had the build for
long-distance rider. But in those days
Peter Dineen rode a good deal under
his present weight. Our troop, II, OF
the Fifth cavalry says Dineen, was
at Fort Mcpherson when the order
came to join General Merritt's force.
When we left the Union Pacific. at
Rawiins, the battalion of infantry was
put into wagons and we began TO
march. We were equipped as lightly
as possible and took only few days
rations We pushed on, almost choked
and blinded by the alkali dust. stopping
only once in a while TO make coffee,
and covered the 10 miles in less than
two days. When we came upon the
bodies of some teamsters we knew we
must be near the scene Of the fight.
General Merritt, with his headquarters
trumpeter. was at the head of the
column. For. several years the signal
of the Fifth cavalry had been officers
call. Hating in the dim haze of the
early hours of that Sunday morning,
oct. 5. General Merritt turned to the
trumpeter and said: Sound officers
CALL
The notes were blown, and before
they had died away the officers began
to come up from their positions in the
column. indistinct figures wrapped in
their cavalry capes. They listened,
and heard nothing. Again went the
call. And then, far out in front. almost
like whisper, came the answer cap
tain Payne, believing it to be just pos
sible for help to reach them, though
many of his men doubted 1T, had his
tr1,mpeter on the alert, and it was the
ear of the trained musician which
caught the notes that fioated away
from our column. Again his trunpeter
blew. and then the order came to Us
in the ranks to cinch up and prepare to
charge. For we supposed fight would
be necessary before we could reach the
besieeed force. But the Indians on
the bluffs let us ride in without firing
a shot
Taking up Sergeant Grimes account
again as he talked to the Press re-
norter: How we did cheer when we
heard the call sounding off there in the
gray morning, First we heard the
short sharn challenge. but. knowing